Geopost uses a live operational test to connect safety, skills and electrification

As parcel companies electrify fleets and expand digital control over delivery networks, Geopost is using a practical competition to test the human and operational systems around those investments. The fifth Delivery Excellence Challenge brought 32 professionals from 24 business units to Warsaw on 16 and 17 September.

The event was designed around real delivery conditions rather than isolated driving technique. Participants faced vehicle checks, precision manoeuvres, route-management tasks, emergency scenarios and customer-experience assessments. Together, the exercises examined how decisions made before and during a journey affect safety, reliability and service quality.

Resilience is built into routine

The programme placed health and safety before vehicle movement. Participants completed physical warm-ups and pre-departure inspections, then demonstrated how they would handle unexpected events. That sequence is relevant to industrial operators introducing new equipment: resilience depends on repeatable preparation as much as on the capabilities of the technology itself.

Since its launch in 2022, the challenge has also created a cross-border forum for sharing practices. The competition therefore functions as both an assessment and a mechanism for spreading operational knowledge across Geopost’s network.

Electrification needs trained operators

Every pickup and delivery exercise used an electric vehicle, and an electric truck entered the competition for the first time in 2026. Drivers were judged on smooth acceleration, braking and anticipation of road conditions. These behaviours can improve energy use while supporting safer control.

Geopost connects the format with its Net Zero 2040 ambition. The practical implication for Industry 5.0 programmes is clear: lower-emission assets perform best when worker skills, preventive routines and operational data are developed together. Technology reduces potential impact, but trained people determine how consistently that potential is realised.

Phil Coulter from DPD Ireland won Pickup and Delivery, while Mathias Klingebiel from DPD Germany won Long-distance Transport. Both received Sustainability Special Awards. Marek Janák and Marek Škorvánek from DPD Slovakia received Safety Special Awards. Geopost operates in more than 50 countries, with 55,000 employees and 2.2 billion parcels delivered worldwide in 2025.