1983
Driver Hire formed in West Yorkshire
1987
First franchised office opens in Newcastle
1989
ISO 9002 Accreditation
1994
Investors in People award gained
1997
First National Accounts service introduced
1998
First Driver Hire training programme
2001
National LGV licence scheme
2002
Officially UK’s number one transport recruiter (Ernst & Young report)
2003
National Courier Awards – Winners of Corporate Safety Awards
2004
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Finalist
Chris Chidley joins as Driver Hire’s new CEO
Fleet Safety Forum Award Winners for ‘Commitment to Road Safety’
2005
REC Agency Driver of the Year
2006
bfa Franchisor of the Year Winner
REC Agency Driver of the Year
Fleet Service Provider – Highly Commended by Brake, The Road Safety Charity
2007
REC Agency Driver of the Year
bfa ‘Franchisor of the Year’ Finalist
CBI Growing Business Awards ‘Customer Excellence’ Finalist
2008
REC ‘One in a Million’ – the UK’s best Temporary Worker
REC Agency Driver of the Year
Driver Hire moves to new Head Office in Bradford
2009
Fuel Efficient Driving and Home Delivery Driver training programmes
bfa Franchisor of the Year Finalist
Driver Hire reconfirmed as UK’s #1 specialist logistics recruiter by Recruitment International
2010
Driver CPC Training service launched
Shortlisted for ‘Best Industrial Recruiter’ award
bfa Franchisor of the Year finalist for 5th year running
2011
Shortlisted for ‘Best Temporary Recruiter’ award
New financial backing with a private equity investment by LDC
AWR eLearning module, seminars and AWR Tracker
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Driver Hire shortlisted again
2012
bfa ‘Franchisor of the Year’ – Bronze Award Winner
First Driver Hire Australia office launches in Perth
2013
Launch of Driver Risk Management services – eLearning modules and dh Licence Check
Over 40,000 drivers have received Driver CPC training to date
Acquisition of specialist rail industry recruiter, ISS Labour
2014
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Driver Hire is shortlisted again
Armed Forces Corporate Covenant signed and new association with the Royal Logistic Corps
Finalist in the Recruiter Awards
2015
Over 100,000 checks completed using dh Licence Check
bfa ‘Franchisor of the Year’ – Silver Award Winner
Driver CPC training service delivers 100,000th driver training day
Two Driver Hire offices hit £3m turnover mark
2016
£1m investment in IT & support services announced
Best Franchisee Marketing Support at the Franchise Marketing Awards
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Driver Hire is shortlisted again
2017
Driver Hire ranked 51st in the medium category of Great Place to Work®
Driver Hire listed as one of the three leading UK franchises in Elite Franchise Magazine’s Top 100
bfa ‘Franchisor of the Year’ – Silver Award Winner
Vulnerable Road Users eLearning modules gains FORS Accreditation
2018
Driver Hire Australia opens fifth office, in Adelaide
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Driver Hire a finalist for 11 in past 12 years
FY 2017/18 an all-time record breaking year for Driver Hire, with turnover of more than £108m
2019
bfa ‘Franchisor of the Year’ – Gold Winner
Driver Hire Australia opens a second office in Melbourne
2020
Remote digital registration launched to allow candidates to register remotely
Virtual Classroom training launched, allowing DCPC to be delivered online
Australia Gold Coast office opens
2021
HGV Licence Acquisition service launched
Further expansion in Australia, with opening of Melbourne North office
2022
ClearCite service launched in UK for national customers, to replace master vendors
New financial backing with a private equity investment by Pricoa Investment
Annual ‘Proud’ survey shows 95% of UK candidates proud to work for Driver Hire
Sale of ISS Labour in MBO
2023
Launch of Virtual Territories initiative in the UK and Australia
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Silver winner
Elite Franchise #2 in Top 100 list
Record year for Driver Hire UK, with network turnover of £122m
2024
40th Anniversary celebrations
Driver Hire Training confirmed as UK’s largest provider of Driver CPC training
bfa Franchisor of the Year – Silver winner
Elite Franchise #3 in Top 100 list