Driver Hire is in the medals again. The leading recruitment franchise collected silver in the 2017 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards, organised by the British Franchise Association.

The award judges were impressed by Driver Hire’s passion and commitment to ethical franchising, as well as its strong support network which helps ensure its franchisees succeed. Driver Hire has been shortlisted for the bfa Franchisor of the Year award for 11 of the last 12 years.

Founded in 1983, Driver Hire is currently celebrating its 30^th year in franchising. Its nationwide network of over 100 offices supplies temporary and permanent staff to any business or organisation that operates commercial vehicles. As well as supplying staff, other services include driver training and driver risk management systems. It currently has 92 franchised offices covering the whole of the UK, from Inverness to Cornwall.

Chris Chidley, CEO at Driver Hire, commented: “For over 30 years we’ve been helping our franchisees to achieve great business success and excellent financial rewards. We realise that we work in a highly competitive market, and to be recognised as one of the best franchisors out there is a huge achievement. It will certainly help us recruit more franchisees and take the business to even greater heights.”

Pip Wilkins, CEO of the bfa said: “Driver Hire’s achievement is truly inspiring and as judges, we couldn’t help but notice the team’s sheer dedication to its network of franchisees. We are excited to see how the business grows and shapes itself in the near future.”

Andrew Brattesani, UK Head of Franchising at HSBC, added: “All finalists were exceptional and therefore selecting the winners was a difficult decision. I was genuinely impressed by Driver Hire and wish the team further success as they grow their business.”

Driver Hire shared the podium with national provider of homecare, Bluebird Care, who took gold, while cost management and procurement consultancy, Expense Reduction Analysts, took bronze.