Click here to submit a nomination for the 2022 Fleet Safety Award.
Time to Recognize the Fleet Safety Champions
If you know a fleet or risk manager whose leadership and innovation have enhanced the safety of fleet drivers, their organizations, and the general public, consider nominating them — or yourself — for the annual Fleet Safety Award. Hurry; nominations close Sept. 9!
July 15, 2022
Automotive Fleet editor Mike Antich (l) and Mike Joyce (r), AALA executive director, presented the 2019 Fleet Safety Award to Dina Kushaliyeva (center left) of Direct Energy, accompanied by Abigail Bogle.
Photo: Eric Gandarilla
1 min to read
Do you know a fleet or risk manager whose leadership and innovation have enhanced the safety of fleet drivers, their organizations, and the general public? Are you that person? Consider nominating them — or yourself — for the annual Fleet Safety Award, presented by the American Automotive Leasing Association (AALA) and Automotive Fleet magazine.
Applicants are candidates working with light- and medium-duty fleets. A panel of industry leaders will evaluate the nominations to determine the winner. The winner, as well as two runners up, will be announced during a seminar at the 2022 Fleet Safety Conference convening in person in Santa Clara, Calif. Nov. 9-11. Nominations close on Sept. 9, 2022. View the full schedule here.
Frank Merlock, associate director, EHS & Sustainability for AbbVie, was the recipient of the 2021 Fleet Safety Award, presented during the virtual 2021 Fleet Safety Experience.
Previous winners include Frank A. Merlock, associate director, EHS & Sustainability for AbbVie; Sharon Etherington and Katie Franssen of Roche Diagnostics; Dina Kushaliyeva, senior HSE Manager, North America, for Direct Energy; Blair Schober, U.S. Fleet, EH&S, and Telecom Manager for Red Hawk Fire & Security; Joe Rader, VP of risk services for Fisher Auto Parts; Nikith Rajendran, director of fleet operations for SolarCity; Chad Fay, vice president of Fleet & Supply Chain at Centuri Construction Group; Sandra Lee, director of worldwide fleet for Johnson & Johnson; Kristin O’Driscoll, fleet manager for Baxter Healthcare.
Nominations close Sept. 9, 2022.
More Safety
The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Sponsored•August 7, 2026
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →
Sponsored•July 17, 2026
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
Sponsored•July 2, 2026
From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →