A poll of delegates at the 2025 IPWEA Fleet Conference held in March has revealed that most local government fleets in Australia are operating at Basic or Core levels of maturity, with no organisation rating their fleet management practices as “Advanced”.
According to the poll, 60% of respondents rated their fleet management maturity at the Core level. This means they have a fleet policy in place and documented procedures to support daily operations. However, data quality and record-keeping are not where they would like them to be, limiting their ability to fully meet compliance or reporting requirements.
The remaining 40% of respondents described their organisation as being at a Basic level. Fleets in this category are generally running well, but there is little documentation or structure to support consistent data collection or reporting. These organisations often rely on the experience of the fleet practitioner rather than formal systems or processes.
Surprisingly, none of the respondents considered their fleet management practices to be at an Advanced level—defined by automated reporting, high-quality data, and the implementation of a fleet replacement plan as part of a broader asset management strategy.
IPWEA Director Fleet, Marc Sibbald, said the results weren’t unexpected.
“From my discussions with fleet practitioners around the country, there is very little pressure or guidance from senior executives within local government. Fleet is still not recognised as a critical service, and there’s often no expectation that policies and procedures are developed or followed,” he said.
Sibbald added that a lack of interest in reporting from fleet teams meant many executives were missing out on insights that could improve asset utilisation, reduce risk, and support compliance—particularly when heavy vehicles are involved.
“They should be asking more questions about fleet. They should be asking about safety, compliance, and responsibilities under Chain of Responsibility and the Heavy Vehicle National Law,” he said.
Despite the gaps in maturity, most fleets are still running effectively thanks to the knowledge and tenure of experienced fleet practitioners. But there is a clear risk when long-serving staff move on.
“What we always find is that when a fleet manager leaves, a hole is created. The organisation often scrambles to work out what the policies and procedures were, and the new person has to get up to speed quickly,” Sibbald explained.
To support capability and lift the overall maturity of fleet management, Sibbald encouraged councils to consider the IPWEA Fleet Management Certificate. The program is designed for both new and experienced practitioners and supports continuous improvement by aligning practices with national best practice.
“Moving from Basic to Core—and then from core to Advanced—requires the support of executives. But once they start asking the right questions about business continuity, level of service, fleet costs and asset utilisation, maturity levels rise quickly,” he said.
The IPWEA poll is a timely reminder that good fleet outcomes depend on more than just operational knowledge. They also require structure, documentation, and leadership commitment to continuous improvement.
