Moir, who received his award at the IRTE Conference dinner held at the Leicester Marriott hotel on 26 September, was praised by the judges for his hands-on approach to making commercial vehicle operations more efficient and effective in terms of health and safety.
Upon receiving the award, he said: “Receiving the award for IRTE Fleet Engineer of the Year 2018 is a huge honour and is the perfect way of having the work I have been undertaking, rewarded. To be recognised by such an esteemed professional body means a lot to me and makes all the effort worthwhile.
“There are many people within the transport industry who drive development and change on a daily basis and I feel very humbled to have been selected from such a rich and experienced pool of talent. I strongly believe that the investigation and adoption of new technologies is a very important part of a fleet engineer’s role and can add real value to an operation, and I am so pleased that this was highlighted as one of the main reasons for being given this award”.
The judges pointed out that Moir demonstrated a commitment to ensuring a safe, compliant and efficient fleet in a number of ways. He arranged fitment of Vision Techniques’ Brakesafe technology to its delivery vehicles. This prevents them from rolling away when the driver steps out of the cab.
Second, he has put in place measures among suppliers to ensure levels of compliance and best practice are uniform across suppliers. Among other things, he was looking to make sure that brake wear and minor repair issues are captured during normal inspections. That means issuing guidelines for service items and schedules, discussions with OEMs and repair and maintenance contractors.
Third, has participated in design work, including a new curtainsider design and the company’s 3.5t delivery vehicle.
Fourth, he completed a project to capture fuel data for the latest additions to the fleet: nine Mercedes-Benz Actros 6x2 tractors, on which he conducted fuel trials and driver fuel efficiency training, and for which he specified geographical cruise control and ABA4 safety systems.
The IRTE Fleet Engineer of the Year is one of the only awards given in the UK to recognise excellence in managing road-going transport fleets. It is open to all engineers working in road transport – and that means everyone from those in the workshop to company directors in the boardroom – those working in light and heavy goods vehicles, bus and coach, and the armed forces. Entrants do not need to be a member of the IRTE, and entries are free. They are judged by an expert panel.