The Australasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA) has named its top fleet managers during its 2016 AFMA Fleet Awards. 

CSIRO's National Fleet Manager Catherine Parker was named Fleet Manager of the Year. She was credited for transforming the diverse research body's Australia-wide fleet and unifying a fleet management system across nearly 60 national work sites.

"Without my team's support we wouldn't have been able to achieve what we have in the last two years," Parker said. "If someone had asked me growing up what I wanted to be, I don't think I'd have said a fleet manager, but I'm so glad that I've found myself in this space. I love what I do, I love coming to work. It's tremendous to see so many in the industry here tonight to celebrate."

Parker led the development of a brand new fleet policy to replace CSIRO's decade-old motor vehicle policy. She unified 18 different data streams and approaches and re-developed the organization's asset register on top of establishing a strong supplier network. Under Ms Parker’s leadership, CSIRO acquired 10 Nissan Leaf fully-electric vehicles for their fleet, according to AfMA.

The Fleet Manager of the Year Award is given based on overall strategy, new thinking and execution, and comparative results, drawing on a fleet manager's skills and tenacity to solve their fleet problems, relative to the complexity and difficulty of the task.

The Fleet Environment Award went to Austin Health and Jan Zagari, while DHL Supply Chain and Kasey Caston received the Fleet Safety Award.

Austin Health reduced its CO₂ footprint by 75% and 76% less fuel consumed in the last few years, travel distances have plummeted thanks to carpooling and more organized work scheduling and old tires are now completely recycled. Zagari brought an ad hoc system into order and worked hard on changing attitudes into one.

"For Austin Health, it wasn't just about reducing waste, it was the knock-on effects of saving money for the fleet at the same time," Zagari said. "We're now looking at expanding our electric vehicle fleet. It's an honor to accept the award."

The health organization now ensures smaller vehicles phase out larger ones, and online booking system records vehicle use and a rigorous maintenance regime ensures the fleet runs efficiently, according to AfMA.

DHL's Caston helped the supply chain business achieve big safety goals in establishing on-board vehicle monitoring coupled with a safe driver reward program to successfully drive down accident rates and improve safety culture.

"It's pretty special to be nominated and thank you for seeing our potential," Caston said. "Without the support of our team we couldn't have done this. It's flattering to know we've made such a big difference in keeping our drivers safe."

The DHL reward program used positive reinforcement to change attitudes and prevent accidents. Telematics helped identify risky behavior, recorded excessive idle, heavy braking, dramatic acceleration and speeding. These programs saw DHL halve its accident rate in distance driven and per 100 vehicles, plus the average cost per vehicle as a by-product, according to AfMA.