Chris Brown, associate publisher of Automotive Fleet, took to the Fleet Forward Conference stage on Oct. 22 in San Diego to acknowledge the importance of safety leadership as he introduced this year’s Fleet Safety Award, sponsored by the American Automotive Leasing Association (AALA).  

Brown was followed AALA Executive Director Greg Cohen, who announced Dan Rossi, vice president of operations and safety for Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO), as the 2025 recipient.

Carl Gustafson of Wheels, CCO’s fleet management company, accepted the award on Rossi’s behalf.

Rossi and his team oversee a fleet of 566 vehicles, ranging from light trucks and SUVs to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Partnering with Wheels, Rossi transitioned the organization from static monthly telematics reports to real-time speeding alerts, enabling immediate intervention and fostering driver accountability.

When prompted, Gustafson spoke of Rossi’s focus and discipline.

“Dan Rossi measures safety with precision, focusing especially on reducing high-speed violations and elevated risk behaviors,” Gustafson said. “Under Rossi’s leadership, CCO’s safety program has delivered outstanding results, including a 76% reduction in speeding events — exceeding its initial 20% goal. Year-over-year metrics show continued progress, including a 67% decrease in 10–15 mph violations and 62% reductions in both 16–20 mph and 21-plus mph speeding ranges.”

The program’s impact extends beyond metrics. Under Rossi’s leadership, CCO has redefined its safety culture through proactive communication, visible accountability, and real-time leadership engagement. Local operations managers now receive hourly alerts when drivers exceed the speed limit by 21 mph or more, enabling rapid coaching and course correction.

This approach not only curbed risky driving behavior but also empowered local operations managers to take ownership of fleet safety outcomes. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive — the program earned a perfect 10 Net Promoter Score in internal satisfaction and risk mitigation.

Rossi’s initiatives have also driven a measurable shift in organizational mindset. Safety discussions are now a standing agenda item across teams, and driver awareness has heightened through consistent messaging and recognition of improvement.

By focusing on accountability, data, and communication, Rossi and his team have embedded safety into CCO’s operational DNA. The results are measurable, and the impact is clear: a fleet that is safer, smarter, and more engaged than ever before. 

Award Runner-up and Finalists

AALA's fleet management executives review a list of nominees and choose a winner. The nominating process starts with AALA fleet member companies submitting candidates that best meet the award qualifications. Self-nominations are also accepted. 

2025 finalists include (in no particular order):

• Joe Manifesto, Deputy Sheriff II & SRJ Transportation Fleet Manager for Alameda County Sheriff's Office: Manifesto helped integrate a program inside the Transportation Unit to allow 6 trainers to instruct all Class B Drivers in the unit on a quarterly basis. This training included instruction on vehicle placement, parallel parking, navigating tight facilities, back-alley docking, and hazard avoidance.

• Serina Contreras, Management Analyst at City of Morena Valley: Contreras helped implement defensive driving awareness and training programs for City employees. These sessions focused on safe driving practices, speed management, proper following distances, and hazard awareness. The City achieved a 30% reduction in fleet-related accidents over the past two years since the initiative was launched.

• Marc Gaskin, Regional Safety Manager at ChemTreat: Gaskin's initiatives are expansive, including safety trainings, accident-prevention modules, real-time risk reporting assignments, and a monthly safety council. These initiatives combined have delivered a 10% reduction in total incidents and repair spending.

• Michael Duffy, The Transportation Operations and Fleet Manager at the University of Virginia Facilities Management. Brian Park is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia. Park is also the director of the Traffic Operations Laboratory. Fleet Manager Mike Duffy and Professor Brian Park have served as mentors to undergraduate and PhD candidates, guiding research that enhances safe transportation practices. 

• Taylor Murphy, Financial Analyst at Hilti: Murphy updated Hilti's fleet safety policies with leadership at Wheels, delivering new telematics deployment, automated driver training, and MVW monitoring.

Recent Fleet Safety Award Winners

• 2024: Sandra Doucette, Sr. Manager of EHS at Advance Auto Parts (AAP)

• 2023: Eric Richardson of New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS)

• 2022: Mark Peabody of 3M 

• 2021: Frank A. Merlock of AbbVie 

• 2020: Katie Franssen & Sharon Etherington of Roche Diagnostics

• 2019: Dina Kushaliyeva & Abigail Bogle of Direct Energy