Geopost tests the operational skills behind greener delivery
Geopost has used its fifth Delivery Excellence Challenge to examine how driver expertise, operational discipline and electric vehicles can work together in parcel distribution. The event brought 32 delivery professionals from 24 business units to Warsaw on 16 and 17 September.
Rather than treating delivery as a simple transport task, the competition recreated situations that affect day-to-day performance. Participants completed vehicle inspections, precision-driving tests, route-management exercises, emergency-response scenarios and customer-service assessments.
Operational control begins before departure
Safety was built into the programme from the outset. Drivers carried out physical warm-ups and pre-departure checks before entering the driving challenges. The format reflects a wider operational lesson for industrial and logistics companies: reliable last-mile performance depends not only on routing systems and fleet technology, but also on consistent human procedures.
Unexpected-event exercises tested how participants make decisions under pressure, while precision manoeuvres assessed control and awareness in conditions that resemble the practical demands of urban delivery. Since its launch in 2022, the event has become a group-wide forum for comparing methods across Geopost’s international network.
Electric vehicles add a sustainability test
The Warsaw programme also connected driver behaviour with energy performance. Participants were assessed on eco-driving practices such as smooth acceleration, controlled braking and anticipating road conditions. Pickup and delivery exercises used electric vehicles, and an electric truck appeared in the competition for the first time in 2026.
Geopost says these tests support its goal of reaching Net Zero by 2040 by linking lower-emission equipment with the way vehicles are operated. For fleet managers, the implication is practical: electrification delivers greater value when driver training, vehicle checks and route execution develop alongside the hardware.
Phil Coulter of DPD Ireland won the Pickup and Delivery category. Mathias Klingebiel of DPD Germany took the Long-distance Transport title, and both received Sustainability Special Awards. Safety awards went to Marek Janák and Marek Škorvánek of DPD Slovakia.
Geopost operates in more than 50 countries, employs 55,000 people and delivered 2.2 billion parcels worldwide in 2025.
