Fleet Ambassador

DPD strikes electric van fleet deal with Mercedes-Benz. * By Gareth Roberts * | * 10 September 2026 * News DPD has chosen Mercedes-Benz Vans and its dealer partner, eStar, for the deployment of 341 eSprinters as part of a wider fleet agreement. The electric vans will join its fleet ahead of the peak Christmas season to support growing customer demand. Every van will be supported by Mercedes-Benz ServiceCare Complete, providing repair and maintenance support through its dealer network. The partnership is expected to deliver significant long-term aftersales value across the Mercedes-Benz retailer network. Through Mercedes-Benz connected vehicle technology, the van can alert the customer and their nominated dealer when attention may be needed, helping work to be planned before a vehicle is forced off the road. Steve Bridge, managing director of eStar, says that the deal reflects DPD's focus on wholelife value, with "uptime, maintenance support and operational resilience central to the decision". "Reliability extends far beyond the vehicle itself," he added. "When customers are judging you literally on whether you deliver or not, having as many of your fleet in service, on the road and operational is a higher business priority than ever, especially in the run up to Christmas when there is increased demand." A key part of the relationship with DPD is its CompleteCare package, where Bridge says the manufacturer can anticipate problems with vehicles in advance, so it can take preventative action, as opposed to only reacting if or when a vehicle needs attention. "It means DPD can concentrate on what they do really well, knowing that we have the backs of their drivers and keep the business moving," he said. "We liken it to the technology that airlines adopt for aircraft, picking out the parts of the plane likely to need maintenance and repair before it becomes an issue, benefitting customers while mitigating the huge cost of having them out of action." Rob Dawson, head of LCV at DPD UK says that he's delighted to continue working with Mercedes-Benz Vans. "As we continue to invest in a more sustainable fleet, having the right partners alongside us is just as important as having the right vehicles," he continued. "The eSprinter gives us the capability we need to support lower-emission deliveries, while Mercedes-Benz Vans' aftersales expertise and nationwide support network will play an important role in keeping our vehicles on the road and our operation moving. We're looking forward to building on the relationship as our fleet continues to evolve." He explained another major advantage of partnering with eStar and the Mercedes-Benz Vans network was the fact it could mobilise at scale in a tight window. The first vehicles will enter service from this month (September), with all vans scheduled to be operational by the end of October. Iain Forsyth, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Vans UK, said: "In a fast-moving business landscape, it's becoming increasingly vital for businesses like DPD operating at scale, to need partnerships that ensure vans remain operational to meet customer demands. "DPD deliver seven days a week, 52 weeks a year so it feels good to have their backs and really deliver for them." More articles on: Date: October 6 - 7 2026 Venue: NEC Birmingham Fleet & Mobility Live is fast approaching, and if you haven't secured your ticket to this Fleet News event yet, then now is the time. Join the entire fleet community at the NEC Birmingham on 6-7 October 2026 to strengthen your strategy, challenge your current approach and get practical ideas to bring back to your business. With sessions across cost control, fleet performance, finance, HR and more, there's something for every member of your fleet team. More than 100 exhibitors are joining Fleet News group in 2026. Now's the time to decide who you need to meet and where the biggest opportunities lie for your fleet. Discover just a few of its many features at this year's show: Dedicated meeting spaces: Space to meet, talk and get business done, for end-user fleets only. The AFP Hub: Connect with peers and share real-world fleet challenges. The Fleet News Hub: Network, recharge and hear expert editorial perspectives. The future of fleet: Explore the ideas, technology and trends shaping what's next. Don't leave it too late. Secure your ticket now, start building your experience and arrive at Fleet & Mobility Live knowing exactly what you're going to get out of your time.

Grant Donald appointed CEO of Bullet Express. Sep 8, 2026 at 7:45 AM The Scottish logistics company Bullet Express has announced a change in its management. Grant Donald (l.), who is currently serving as Chief Operating Officer, will take over as Chief Executive Officer starting November 1, 2026. He succeeds John McKail (r.), who is stepping down from this role but will remain on the board as a non-executive director. Donald joined the Glasgow-based company a year ago after holding senior positions at Movianto and DPD. In his previous role, he was responsible for operations in transport, warehousing, and global operations. "These are exciting times for Bullet Express, and I am honored to take on the challenge of becoming CEO and leading the next phase of the company's development," Donald stated. He thanked McKail for his leadership and support since his entry into the company and expressed his eagerness for continued collaboration. John McKail led the management buyout of Bullet Express in October 2023, which was supported by private equity investors. Following the agreement to lead the company for another three years, he announced this change as part of a comprehensive succession plan. "My first step is to congratulate Grant on his well-deserved promotion, which I know will be popular throughout the company," McKail said. He described the transition as a natural progression for the company, allowing him to pursue his personal plans while continuing to support the business. Grant's experience and vision would place Bullet Express in safe hands for the long term. McKail will remain on the group board as a non-executive director and will work in a part-time advisory role. In this capacity, he will support Grant during the transition to CEO, mentor executives, and focus on the company's continuous growth, including mergers and acquisitions. Graeme Roberts, chairman of the group, also commented on the change: "This is the best outcome we could have hoped for after working closely with John and Grant. This is a new chapter for Bullet Express with exciting times ahead, and we look forward to the next phase of Bullet Express's journey under Grant's leadership."

USPS, Zipcar, DPD UK, and others named winners of The Optimizers Awards 2026. USPS, Zipcar, DPD UK, and other fleet organizations were recognized in the 2026 Optimizers Awards for initiatives involving route optimization, automation, AI, and fleet utilization. July 9, 2026 3 min to read * USPS, Zipcar, and DPD UK were among the winners recognized in the 2026 Optimizers Awards. * The awards celebrated innovative efforts in route optimization, automation, and AI technologies. * Fleet utilization improvements were a significant factor in the recognition of these organizations. *Summarized by AI Autofleet, the fleet management optimization platform, announced the winners of the Optimizers Awards for 2026, an industry-wide program recognizing fleet and mobility operations. The Optimizers Awards were created to recognize people working in fleet and mobility operations. Together, the winners represent a range of operational initiatives across the industry, including route optimization, fleet automation, AI, utilization improvement, and operations. Ad Loading... "What made these winners stand out wasn't just the results they achieved, but the creativity and operational discipline behind them," said Sima Megrel Shubzak, VP of Marketing at Autofleet. "Every fleet or mobility operator faces the same challenge: how to create reliability in an environment filled with constant change. The winners demonstrate what is possible when operational excellence becomes a strategic advantage," added Shubzak. According to Autofleet, the winners demonstrate operational approaches across cost, scalability, sustainability, and customer experience. The Optimizers Awards 2026 winners. Best Route Optimization: USPS. USPS received the Best Route Optimization award for rebuilding its logistics network using optimization and real-time operational data. The organization said it reduced transportation spend by $1.7 billion and cut unplanned trips by 40%, while supporting freight volumes and maintaining service performance. Rising Star in Mobility Operations: DPD UK. DPD UK received the Rising Star in Mobility Operations award for establishing a dedicated Utilization Team for its vans and LCVs. The initiative increased peak fleet utilization from 76% to 84%, enabled the decommissioning of 908 vehicles, and contributed to the company's first fleet procurement freeze in decades. Best Fleet Operations: Zipcar. Zipcar received the Best Fleet Operations award for improving vehicle availability and operational efficiency across its North American car-sharing network through automation and process optimization. By streamlining vehicle cleaning workflows and reducing manual intervention, Zipcar said it improved fleet readiness, increased vehicle availability for members, and enabled field teams to spend more time supporting members. Ad Loading... Fleet Optimization Pioneers: dollaride. Dollaride received the Fleet Optimization Pioneers award for developing an EV-as-a-Service model for community transit operators. By combining vehicles, charging infrastructure, financing, and parking into a single offering, the model is designed to support EV adoption while reducing operating costs and emissions. AI-Powered Operations: karmo carsharing. Karmo received the AI-Powered Operations award for using AI in procurement, fleet planning, and customer operations. The company said it uses AI to track market trends, support vehicle lifecycle decisions, and anticipate customer needs, allowing it to more than double its fleet size while increasing utilization from 89% to 91%. The Impact Award: kari ride hailing. Kari received The Impact Award for its operating model. The organization manages more than 250,000 rides annually with no dispatchers and a part-time operations team of two people, using automation and workflows to provide service at scale. After reviewing submissions from a range of fleet and mobility operations across geographies, business models, and use cases, Autofleet said one theme emerged consistently: operators are using optimization across AI, automation, network and route optimization, predictive decision-making, and operational scalability. According to the company, the submissions demonstrated how optimization is being used to support business performance.