Ausgrid is a finalist in the Fleet of the Year category in the 2026 Fleet News Group Awards.
In the fourth article in our six-part series, we look at how the organisation is using telematics and driver data to move fleet safety from incident reporting towards earlier intervention.
Knowing that a driver was involved in an incident is useful information, but by that point the opportunity to prevent it has already passed. Ausgrid is increasingly interested in the signals that appear before an incident.
From telematics events to driver scores
Ausgrid’s in-vehicle monitoring systems capture information such as speeding and harsh braking. The fleet team is using that information to develop driver and vehicle scores designed to identify patterns and higher-risk behaviour.
Drivers can view their own performance through dashboards, while supervisors receive reporting that can be used to start a conversation when results deteriorate.
The process described during the Fleet News Group Awards interview is intended to be advisory rather than simply disciplinary.
Leadership is visible
For employees recording the poorest results, the message can come from the top of the organisation.
Ausgrid explained that the top 20 high-risk driver results can receive a letter signed by the CEO highlighting the opportunity to improve their driving behaviour.
That makes it clear that fleet safety is not only the responsibility of the fleet team. It is an organisational issue with executive visibility.
Training based on risk
Ausgrid is also moving towards a more targeted approach to driver training.
Rather than providing the same training to everyone, the fleet team is considering how defensive driving, practical re-education and other interventions can be directed towards the people presenting the greatest risk.
This creates a stronger link between the information collected by telematics and the action taken in response.
It also recognises that training has both a financial cost and a productivity cost when employees are taken away from normal duties.
Making good driving visible
Ausgrid also discussed plans to gamify driver scores across depots. The idea is to allow teams to compare performance and work towards a lower overall risk score.
This changes the role of telematics from a system that only identifies poor performers into one that can also encourage collective improvement.
Why this matters for Fleet of the Year
Ausgrid is using telematics as more than a tracking tool. Driver dashboards, supervisor reporting, CEO involvement and targeted training are connecting fleet data to behavioural change.
The objective is to identify risk earlier and act before a poor driving pattern becomes an incident.
Ausgrid is a finalist in the 2026 Fleet News Group Fleet of the Year Award. If you believe fleet safety should be proactive, visible and supported from the top of the organisation, you can vote for Ausgrid.
Vote for Ausgrid in the Fleet of the Year Award
The winners will be announced in Sydney on 14 October 2026.
Register your interest to attend the Fleet News Group Awards Night
Next week: Good fleet decisions depend on good information. We look at how Ausgrid builds a digital history of its assets from purchase through to disposal.
