DEK GROUP CONTINUE SURGE TO ELEVATE INDUSTRY STANDARDS ACROSS ROAD TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS WITH THE LAUNCH OF SPECIALIST TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS AWARDS
New awarding organisation builds on EMPI Awards’ legacy to deliver practical, industry–led qualifications that cut risk, improve productivity, and go beyond basic compliance.
DEK Group NE Ltd, a leading provider of specialist transport consultancy, training, and expert witness services, has acquired Philip Brain Associates/EMPI Awards and launched Specialist Transport & Logistics Awards (STL Awards), a new awarding organisation focused on raising competence and safety standards across road transport, haulage, freight, and logistics.
This move evolves EMPI Awards into STL Awards, creating a single, focused home for specialist qualifications while maintaining a strong commitment to concrete and associated industries.
In a sector facing acute skills shortages, growing regulatory pressure, and heightened expectations around sustainability and on–road safety, many existing qualifications struggle to meet the practical demands of specialist operations. This can leave operators with gaps in real–world competence that contribute to inefficiencies, incidents, and non–compliance.
STL Awards has been created to close these gaps by offering tailored, industry–led qualifications that reflect the realities of front–line work. Its programmes will support operators, drivers, and managers to evidence competence, reduce risk, and improve performance in areas such as construction logistics, where integrated standards can reduce vehicle rollovers and enhance community safety.
Leading the launch is Dan Cowan, Founder and Director of DEK Group NE Ltd, whose team brings over 75 years of combined frontline and strategic experience in ready–mixed concrete, construction logistics, and mineral transport. DEK Group NE has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to key industry bodies and stakeholders, including the British Concrete Transport Association.
DEK Group NE’s innovation track record includes the development of MixerSURE, the world’s first accredited training and assessment framework for concrete mixer drivers – now used by global operators in more than 12 countries and translated into multiple languages.
A vocational qualification (VQ) for mixer drivers, launched in 2023 with EMPI Awards and accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), EMPI Awards, and previously DVSA, has helped transform how driver competence is validated and contributed to reductions in mixer rollovers and improved on–site safety. These qualifications have already expanded to cover tipper and skip loader drivers, with further specialist categories planned.
Philip Brain, Director and Shareholder of Philip Brain Associates Ltd / EMPI Awards, said:
“The acquisition of EMPI Awards by DEK Group NE Ltd represents a natural progression in the development of an awarding organisation established to strengthen the relationship between training, qualifications, and assessed competence within specialist transport operations. EMPI Awards has demonstrated that competence-based assessment can be applied effectively within regulated and high-risk operational environments. The transition to Specialist Transport & Logistics Awards provides an appropriate platform to extend this approach across wider areas of haulage and logistics, supported by strong sector leadership. Continuity for approved centres and learners remains a central priority throughout this transition.”
Under the STL Awards banner, DEK Group NE Ltd will build on this foundation with a broader suite of qualifications and assessments, including:
Advanced competence assessments for general haulage and freight logistics.
Specialist pathways for construction logistics and high–risk operations
Programs supporting sustainable fleet management and future skills needs.
Existing Specialist Vehicle Competence Assessments (SVCA) and MixerSURE programmes will transition seamlessly into STL Awards, ensuring continuity for approved centres and learners, while opening the door to wider market adoption
“Acquiring EMPI Awards and launching STL Awards is a pivotal step in our mission to lift industry standards in a way that reflects real–world operations,” said Dan Cowan, Founder and Director of DEK Group NE Ltd.
“Building on practical, impactful solutions like MixerSURE and TipperSURE, STL Awards is about more than qualifications; it is about a culture of excellence that saves lives, improves productivity, and prepares transport and logistics businesses for the challenges ahead by focusing on the specialist competence that drivers, hauliers, logistics providers, and construction firms actually need.”
As co–founder of the British Concrete Transport Association, DEK Group NE Ltd continues to help steer national and international initiatives, including the 2025 nationwide mixer maintenance workshops with the DVSA Enforcement Policy Team and presentations at the Police Commercial Vehicle Practitioners Board.
How to get involved
Organisations and training centres interested in becoming approved centres for STL Awards, or operators seeking to adopt STL Awards qualifications for their workforce, are invited to get in touch for an initial, no–obligation conversation.
For more information,
visit www.dekgroupne.com, or
email dan@dekgroupne.com
About DEK Group NE Ltd
DEK Group NE Ltd is a specialist consultancy, developing training, assessment, and advisory services to the transport, logistics, and construction sectors. The company provides practical solutions that enhance safety, compliance, and efficiency, drawing on decades of hands–on experience and collaboration with leading enforcement and industry bodies.
The British Concrete Transport Association (BCTA) is a not–for–profit member organisation dedicated to advancing safety, standards, and sustainability in the UK concrete transport sector. Bringing together industry experts, operators, and strategic partners; BCTA focuses on improving competence, compliance, and operational performance across the concrete supply chain.