We’re just at the start of the UK’s ambitious vaccine plan, and once again, transport is critical to the process.

Vaccine administration is a logistical challenge. According to Prof. Richard Wilding, Professor of Supply Chain Strategy at Cranfield University, “This is likely to be one of the biggest logistical challenges we have faced this century.”

Traditional infrastructure for transporting frozen goods is based around temperatures of -20°C to -50°C. To enable the effective transport of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Pfizer has developed specialist equipment and materials.

A bespoke deep-freeze storage case  – thermal shippers – that can be sealed and transported in non-refrigerated trucks, and are installed with GPS trackers. This means Pfizer can track and trace the location and temperature of the frozen vaccine vials and allow it to proactively prevent unwanted deviations and act before they happen.

It’s logistics at its best, and it’s up to transport managers and drivers to fulfil these critical deliveries.

The Cold Chain Federation (CCF) is arguing that critical workers, such as food and pharmaceutical logistics providers, should be at the front of the queue in Phase 2. “It is our aim to ensure cold chain workers are included in the next phase of vaccination,” says Shane Brennan, the federation’s chief executive.

It hasn’t been an easy year for drivers. Caught up in Brexit processes, left on motorways or tasked with juggling deliveries late into the night. It would be helpful for Government to recognise their value by pushing them higher up the vaccine priority list, and we support CCFs efforts to make this happen.

Afterall, logistics is being hailed as the machine that will deliver a life-saving programme, which will win and lose us battles. Drivers are a priority.

DHL Express has been proudly delivering batches of the Covid-19 vaccine to several European countries, with plans to distribute more to a greater number of countries.

It’s also been widely reported that Tesco has offered its cold chain to support the rollout.

Supermarkets have absorbed much of the pressure of COVID-19, from rowdy customers to tired drivers, as the pressure continues to mount.

We need to ensure we keep our drivers happy and healthy, whether that’s through access to a vaccine or ensuring their training is up to date.

Despite the chaos of Brexit and the additional responsibilities due to the pandemic, transport operators need to continue to ensure they are mitigating risk every step of the way. This can’t fall by the wayside. Added pressure for drivers – whether it’s in the form of more parcels or delays at ports or anxiety about the virus – can’t lead to more dangerous roads.

I’m pleased that our partnership with DriveTech — the driver risk management operation from the AA — means we now offer Online Driver Risk Assessments and Refresher Training designed to identify high-risk driver behaviour.

The roads may be quieter, but collisions continue to occur, and the last thing our NHS needs is an increase in road collisions.

Let’s keep our drivers safe, valued and trained.