Celebrating gritter drivers across the regions, the Grit & Glory Awards triumphantly return with their established regional categories, alongside a new award recognising winter service's next generation.
The HGV driver shortage is well documented, with 26% of HGV businesses reporting driver vacancies in 2025 according to the ONS. With the average driver age at 55 and just 1.6% of HGV drivers under 24, the urgency to attract younger talent into the sector is also being felt in winter maintenance, with an HGV licence mandatory to drive large winter vehicles.
Against that backdrop, Econ is bringing back its Grit & Glory Awards this year. The now established award categories will return, continuing to recognise gritter drivers across the regions. Alongside these, a new Rising Star category will recognise a promising new gritter driver and raise wider awareness of the need to build a stronger pipeline of qualified operatives.
Jonathan Lupton, director at Econ, commented: ‘The winter maintenance sector is approaching a generational crossroads.
‘With experienced operators retiring and recruitment failing to keep pace, attracting, training and retaining new talent is becoming as important to the winter maintenance sector as the equipment deployed when temperatures fall.
‘The inaugural Grit & Glory Awards was a huge success, with hundreds of nominations from talented individuals throughout the country. In 2026, we will again celebrate the experienced drivers who keep communities safe through our established regional categories. The new Rising Star award will sit alongside these awards, giving the next generation a visible route into a career they can be proud of.'
The country's leading manufacturer of winter maintenance vehicles, Econ, originally launched the Grit & Glory awards after research suggested that the public significantly underestimates the role gritter drivers play in keeping the UK moving. Fewer than one in 10 Britons recognised gritter drivers as winter heroes, despite the essential work they carry out in difficult conditions, often while much of the country is asleep.
At the heart of the Grit & Glory Awards is the Gritter Driver of the Year accolade. The current Gritter Driver of the Year is Gary Lawson, a dedicated gritter driver with Durham County Council. A qualified winter maintenance assessor, Mr Lawson thrives on mentoring new winter maintenance operatives and even dedicates time to represent the industry at events and in schools. The winner of the new Grit & Glory Rising Star award will have the opportunity to be mentored by Mr Lawson, learning from his 40 years of experience on the roads.
Mr Lupton added: ‘Gary Lawson is a credit to the industry, and it's been a pleasure to hear his stories and share his passion for keeping his communities safe. We have no doubt that he'll be a huge inspiration to the industry's new starters.'
The 2026 Grit & Glory Awards are open now. To find out more, or nominate yourself or a colleague, visit www.econ.uk.com/grit-and-glory-awards.
Econ is the country's leading manufacturer of gritters and snow ploughs, with 85% of the winter maintenance vehicles supplied to local councils and private contractors coming from its North Yorkshire-based factory.
