Fleet Heroes named at London ceremony

By John Simpson 24 November 2011

An annual awards ceremony last night celebrated companies that have strived to achieve CO2 targets over the last 12 months.

The Fleet Hero Awards – organised by Energy Saving Trust – were held at the Institute of Directors in London’s Pall Mall to shed some of the limelight on public and private organisations that are making positive decreases in their carbon footprints and cutting their fuel bills through fleet travel and transport policies.

Qdell and Addison Lee were deemed to have the Best Private Sector Fleets, walking away as the biggest winners on the night with two awards each.

HM Revenue & Customs claimed the Best Public Sector Fleet (Large) prize for the second year on the bounce with the category’s smaller variant going to West Oxfordshire District Council.

Attending the awards was Transport Minister Norman Baker MP who commented: “If the Government is to meet its carbon reduction targets we must decarbonise road transport and making fleet operations greener is a major part of that.

“So I am delighted to see such excellent progress in this area - big companies from both the private and public sectors have made huge strides in tackling this issue, using a range of measures such as reducing mileage, encouraging fuel efficient driving and using ultra low carbon vehicles.

“Not only is all this good for the environment - it makes economic sense too.”

The winners were:

Best Public Sector Fleet (Large)
Winners: HMRC
Runner-up: Northamptonshire Police

Best Public Sector Fleet (Small)
Winner: West Oxfordshire District Council
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Best Private Sector Fleet (Large)
Winner: Addison Lee
Runner-up: West One Cars

Best Private Sector Fleet (Small)
Winner: Qdell & LHR Express Cars Limited
Runner-up: Hannaford

Grey Fleet Management
Winner: Lake District National Park Authority
Runner-up: Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust

Industry Supplier Award
Winner: Green Motion
Runner-up: Lex Autolease

Business Mileage Management
Winner: Lake District National Park Authority [pictured]
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Smarter Driving Award
Winner: Qdell & LHR Express Cars
Runner-up: GE Capital

Innovation in Van and Car Manufacture
Winner: Ford Motor Company Limited
Runner-up: BMW

Innovation in Fleet Services and Systems
Winner: Civica UK Ltd
Runner-up: Arval

Innovation in Fleet Management
Winner: Addison Lee
Runner-up: Office Depot

Leadership Award
Winner: Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Runner-up: Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service

Van Fleet Management
Winner: Commercial Group
Runner-up: None

Motorvate Award
Winner: Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Runner-up: Hyndburn Borough Council

Nigel Underdown, Head of Transport for the Energy Saving Trust, underlined the importance of adapting a green focus in regards to fleets.

“About half of all new vehicles purchased in the UK are used in fleet operations, so the sector plays a vital part in determining the environmental performance of road transport overall,” he said.

“We were encouraged by both the quality and number of entries (which exceeded previous years). There are clearly a large number of fleet operators working on a wide variety of fronts to minimise the environmental impact of their operations.”

Julie Jenner, Chairman of the Association of Car Fleet Operators, was one of the judges on the panel and added: “Choosing the best entries was very difficult in some categories because of the intensity of competition.

“Fleet operators are increasingly aware of the fact that cutting costs and reducing carbon dioxide and other harmful emissions go hand-in-hand.”

Categories: Fleet news , Energy Saving Trust

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