Blacktown City Council has been named the winner of the 2026 Fleet News Group Fleet Sustainability Award, recognising a comprehensive, data-led approach to reducing fleet emissions across passenger vehicles, heavy vehicles, plant and equipment.
The award was presented at the Fleet News Group Awards Night in Sydney on 14 October, following an industry voting process that gave fleet professionals across Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to select the winner.
Blacktown City Council was one of three finalists alongside City of Parramatta and Allianz, with all three organisations progressing through an initial judging process before being put to the industry vote.
Judges selected three strong finalists
The Fleet Sustainability Award judging process began with nominations being assessed against criteria including sustainability strategy, environmental outcomes, data and reporting, operational integration and industry leadership.
Shortlisted organisations were then interviewed by the judging panel, giving fleet teams the opportunity to explain their programs, provide supporting evidence and answer questions about how their sustainability strategies were working in practice.
The judges scored the nominations and selected Blacktown City Council, City of Parramatta and Allianz as the three finalists.
However, the judges did not select the eventual winner.
Once the finalists were announced, their nomination case studies were published so members of the fleet community could understand what each organisation had achieved. An open industry vote across Australia and New Zealand then determined the winner.
Blacktown City Council received the most votes and was named the 2026 Fleet Sustainability Award winner.
Sustainability beyond passenger EVs
One of the strongest aspects of Blacktown City Council’s nomination was the breadth of its sustainability program.
During the nomination interview, the City Fleet team demonstrated how sustainability had become part of day-to-day fleet management rather than being treated simply as an electric vehicle procurement program.
The approach extends across heavy vehicles, waste operations, parks and gardens equipment, telematics, driver behaviour, utilisation reviews and fleet right-sizing.
The judges described Blacktown’s approach as “the most mature and comprehensive” among the applicants reviewed.
They also highlighted the Council’s documented roadmap towards zero tailpipe emissions, its reported fleet emissions reductions of more than 20 per cent, and the scale of its transition towards electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Using data before buying vehicles
A recurring theme throughout Blacktown’s nomination interview was the use of fleet data to understand the problem before selecting the technology.
Telematics is being used to identify excessive idling, analyse utilisation and determine whether vehicles should be replaced like-for-like, replaced with a different technology or removed altogether.
One example involved three ageing diesel trucks used to transport mowing equipment.
Fleet data showed the vehicles travelled relatively short distances before spending much of the working day parked at worksites. Rather than simply replacing three diesel trucks with three new vehicles, City Fleet redesigned the operation around a single electric truck.
The custom electric beavertail, known internally as “Cleopatra”, can transport equipment between multiple worksites and has allowed Council to reduce the number of vehicles required while cutting fuel use, idling, maintenance and registration costs.
It is an example of why the judges considered Blacktown’s program to be about fleet management first and electrification second.
Tackling the difficult parts of the fleet
Blacktown City Council has also turned its attention to assets that are much harder to decarbonise.
Waste collection vehicles are among the Council’s highest-emitting fleet assets, and the City Fleet team has been working with industry partners on the development of electric side-loading waste collection vehicles suitable for Australian operating conditions.
The work involves collecting operational data, analysing routes and gradients and understanding the demands placed on vehicles completing intensive stop-start operations.
The judges specifically recognised this work and Blacktown’s willingness to tackle difficult applications rather than concentrating only on vehicles where electrification is relatively straightforward.
Council’s sustainability strategy also extends into parks and gardens equipment. During the nomination process, the fleet team explained that around 400 of approximately 500 pieces of equipment purchased during the previous financial year were zero-emission alternatives, including equipment such as blowers, line trimmers and hedge trimmers.
Bringing employees on the journey
The nomination interview also highlighted the importance Blacktown places on involving the people who actually operate the vehicles and equipment.
Drivers and operational employees participate in trials and provide feedback before new technology is introduced.
That approach allows the fleet team to assess whether an alternative vehicle is genuinely fit for purpose while helping employees understand the reasons behind the change.
It has also highlighted benefits beyond carbon emissions, including reduced noise and vibration, improved driver comfort and less handling of petrol for smaller plant and equipment.
As City Fleet Manager Kris Nair explained during the nomination interview:
“It’s sustainability of people as well, not just the environment.”
Industry leadership through sharing
Another factor recognised by the judging panel was Blacktown City Council’s willingness to share its experience with other fleets.
The Council has received enquiries from metropolitan and regional local governments interested in its approach to electrification, telematics and fleet transition.
Importantly, Blacktown’s message has not been that every fleet should adopt the same technology.
Instead, its approach has been to encourage organisations to understand their own utilisation, duty cycles and operational requirements before making the transition.
The judges considered that willingness to share both successes and lessons with other organisations an important demonstration of industry leadership.
Fleet community chooses the winner
Fleet News Group Editor Marc Sibbald said the award demonstrated why the industry voting component was an important part of the inaugural Fleet News Group Awards program.
“The judges had the difficult job of assessing the nominations, interviewing the shortlisted organisations and selecting three finalists that could demonstrate genuine progress in sustainable fleet management,” Sibbald said.
“Once that process was complete, we wanted the fleet community to have the final say.
“We published the case studies so people could see what each finalist was actually doing, and then invited fleet professionals across Australia and New Zealand to vote for the organisation they believed deserved the award.
“Blacktown City Council receiving the most votes is significant because it means its work resonated with the people who manage, supply and support fleets every day.
“What impressed the judges about Blacktown was that sustainability wasn’t being treated as simply an EV purchasing exercise. They could demonstrate how data, utilisation, operational redesign, driver engagement, plant and equipment, heavy vehicles and electrification all fitted together as part of a much broader fleet strategy.”
A practical model for fleet sustainability
Blacktown City Council’s win highlights an important message for organisations beginning their own fleet transition.
Reducing emissions does not necessarily start with choosing an electric vehicle.
It starts with understanding how assets are being used, challenging existing operating models, engaging employees and identifying where new technology can deliver measurable operational and environmental benefits.
For Blacktown City Council, that approach has extended from passenger vehicles and handheld equipment to electric trucks and the difficult task of decarbonising waste collection.
It is a broad approach to fleet sustainability that impressed the judging panel — and ultimately earned the support of the fleet community across Australia and New Zealand.
Blacktown City Council is the winner of the 2026 Fleet News Group Fleet Sustainability Award.
