Townsville City Council has been named the winner of the 2026 Fleet News Group Safe Fleet Award, recognised by the fleet industry for an approach that combines telematics, driver engagement, incident investigation and practical safety technology to reduce risk across a large and diverse fleet.
The Safe Fleet Award recognises organisations that integrate fleet safety into workplace safety systems, proactively manage incidents and risks, and can demonstrate measurable improvement.
Townsville City Council was one of three finalists selected by the judging panel alongside CV Services and Elite Group.
Each finalist progressed through the judging process, including an interview and assessment by experienced fleet industry judges. The judges scored the finalists and identified three organisations demonstrating high standards of fleet safety management.
However, the final decision was placed in the hands of the industry.
Fleet professionals across Australia and New Zealand were invited to read the nomination case studies and vote for the organisation they believed should receive the Safe Fleet Award. Townsville City Council received the strongest support through that open industry voting process to be named the 2026 winner.
Turning fleet data into safer driving
Townsville City Council manages approximately 1,000 registered and GPS-tracked assets, with its broader fleet extending to around 3,000 items when minor plant and equipment are included.
The fleet supports approximately 1,800 employees and ranges from passenger and light commercial vehicles to trucks, refuse collection vehicles, graders, excavators, dozers, tractors, mowers, boats and specialist equipment.
A standout element of the nomination was the way Council transformed telematics from a technology that initially generated employee concern into an accepted tool for improving safety.
Introducing GPS and driver-behaviour reporting required approximately 12 months of consultation and development of an administrative framework, with employees understandably wanting clarity about how the information would be used.
Rather than treating telematics primarily as an enforcement tool, Fleet Services focused on using the information to start conversations and help managers identify emerging risks.
Monthly fleet asset scorecards now cover speeding, harsh braking, harsh cornering, harsh acceleration, extended trips, idling and other indicators.
Real-time audible alerts also give drivers an opportunity to correct unsafe behaviour as it happens.
“The beauty that’s helped with this is when they have had those types of infringements, they’ve got a real-time alarm,” Fleet Services Team Manager Tony Beck explained during the nomination interview.
Judges recognise cultural change
The judging panel was particularly impressed by the cultural change achieved around the use of fleet data.
“The cultural change achieved around driver behaviour reporting was particularly impressive,” the judging panel noted.
“The council has combined operational data, targeted technology and engagement across the business to produce measurable safety improvements.”
Judges also highlighted the strength of Council’s broader approach, where telematics information is combined with incident investigations, management reporting, driver engagement and changes to vehicle specifications.
Rather than waiting for an infringement, insurance claim or collision, business unit managers are receiving information that can identify potentially unsafe behaviours earlier.
That approach has progressively gained acceptance within the organisation. Some teams have even introduced friendly competitions around monthly safety scores, using recognition such as team barbecues to encourage safer performance.
Measurable improvements
Importantly, the nomination was supported by measurable results.
Between March 2025 and May 2026, Townsville City Council recorded a 48 per cent reduction in speeding events, representing approximately 12,500 fewer speeding events each month.
Reported vehicle incidents fell from 242 in FY2024/25 to 189 in FY2025/26, while associated repair costs reduced from approximately $326,025 to $203,000.
Council did not attribute these improvements solely to telematics. Instead, the nomination demonstrated how better visibility, regular reporting, management intervention and employee engagement can work together to influence fleet safety.
Learning from incidents
Another strength highlighted during the nomination process was Council’s willingness to use incidents and near misses to identify practical improvements.
An example is its refuse collection fleet.
Following an incident investigation, Council identified an additional blind spot near the front corner of its side-loader refuse vehicles when operators changed driving positions.
Fleet Services worked with suppliers to expand the existing AI-enabled pedestrian detection system into the identified risk area.
Seven new refuse trucks received the technology during production and another five vehicles were retrofitted, taking the number equipped with both bin-lift-zone and additional blind-spot pedestrian detection to 12.
Other initiatives have included park-brake alarms, reversing technology and a “360-degree walk-around” campaign encouraging drivers to spend 60 seconds checking the area around a vehicle before moving.
Safety embedded in fleet management
The nomination interview also demonstrated that fleet safety at Townsville City Council extends beyond driver behaviour.
Heavy vehicle compliance is incorporated into acquisition and asset management, supported by a dedicated National Heavy Vehicle Regulator resource within Fleet Services and organisation-wide chain-of-responsibility training.
Fleet-related safety statistics are incorporated into monthly organisational safety reporting, giving management and executives visibility of fleet risks and performance.
The Council is also investing in the capability required to manage increasingly sophisticated vehicles and safety systems, with approximately 45 employees across its Fleet Services operation and around 12 apprentices within the workshop program.
Recognition from the fleet industry
Winning the Safe Fleet Award recognises both the measurable results achieved by Townsville City Council and the maturity of the management systems behind them.
The judging process identified three strong finalists, each demonstrating different approaches to reducing fleet risk. By putting the final decision to an open vote, the Fleet News Group Awards gave fleet professionals across Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to consider those case studies and recognise the work they believed was setting a benchmark for the industry.
For Townsville City Council, the result reflects a safety journey that has moved beyond simply collecting data.
It has demonstrated how fleet information can be converted into conversations, management actions, vehicle improvements and ultimately safer behaviour — earning the support of its industry peers and the title of 2026 Fleet News Group Safe Fleet Award winner.
