Technology is playing an increasingly important role in fleet safety, but the finalists in the 2026 Fleet News Group Safe Fleet Award are demonstrating that collecting data is only the starting point.
The three finalists operate very different fleets, ranging from local government vehicles and plant to construction assets and heavy trucks, but each is using better information to understand what is happening behind the wheel and intervene before an incident occurs.
The finalists are:
- CV Services
- Townsville City Council
- Elite Group
CV Services
CV Services operates a growing fleet of more than 500 assets supporting construction, infrastructure, asset management, power and renewable energy activities.
The organisation uses the Geotab telematics platform to monitor driver behaviour across more than 800 active drivers and millions of kilometres travelled each year.
Rather than relying purely on the number of speeding or driving events, CV Services uses frequency-based reporting to compare risk between business units with different fleet sizes and levels of vehicle use.
Its risk team converts telematics data into detailed reports covering speeding, seatbelt compliance, fatigue, driver risk scores and at-fault incidents.
The information is then linked to a structured Safe Driving Matrix that provides managers with a consistent approach to coaching, retraining and escalation.
Real-time audible speeding alerts have also contributed to a substantial reduction in speeding behaviour, while CV Services is trialling forward and driver-facing video technology to identify issues such as distraction.
The result is a safety program where fleet data is connected directly to management action rather than simply being stored in a dashboard.
Townsville City Council
Townsville City Council uses GPS and telematics across approximately 1,000 tracked fleet assets, covering everything from passenger vehicles and trucks to refuse vehicles, construction plant, mowers and specialist equipment.
Geotab data is used to produce monthly scorecards covering speeding, harsh braking, harsh acceleration, cornering, idling and other fleet behaviours.
A key part of the council’s approach has been gaining employee acceptance of the technology.
Rather than positioning telematics as a disciplinary tool, Fleet Services initially focused reporting on the vehicle and used the information to support conversations between managers and drivers.
That approach has helped change attitudes towards the system while producing measurable reductions in speeding events.
Technology is also being applied to specific operational risks. Refuse trucks have been fitted with AI-enabled pedestrian detection around the bin-lifting area, with the system subsequently expanded to provide additional blind-spot detection following an incident investigation.
Real-time audible alerts provide another layer of intervention by allowing drivers to correct behaviour as it occurs rather than finding out about an event in a monthly report.
Elite Group
Elite Group operates a fleet of more than 60 heavy tipping trucks delivering quarry products throughout New South Wales and beyond.
For the Penrith-based operator, technology provides visibility over drivers who can begin work as early as 3am and spend much of the day away from the depot.
After changing telematics providers, Elite Group gained greater visibility of speeding, harsh cornering, seatbelt use and other driving behaviours.
Driver identification tags allow management to know who is operating each truck, while serious events can generate alerts that enable managers to contact drivers immediately.
The business has also introduced QR codes inside truck cabins to make incident and defect reporting easier.
Drivers can scan the code with their phone and submit information directly into a central register, giving management significantly greater visibility of incidents and near misses.
Telematics also supports fatigue management by allowing the business to verify vehicle movements against driver work and rest records.
Combined with daily licence checks, driver training, maintenance controls and regular toolbox meetings, the technology is helping Elite Group manage safety across a fleet that operates well beyond the boundaries of its depot.
Technology is only part of the answer
What separates the three Safe Fleet Award finalists is not simply the technology they have installed.
Each organisation has developed a process for turning information into action.
CV Services has connected telematics data to driver risk classifications and a formal consequence framework. Townsville City Council has used regular reporting and employee engagement to change attitudes towards fleet data. Elite Group has combined real-time monitoring with simpler incident reporting and direct management intervention.
Together, the finalists demonstrate how technology can provide fleet managers with earlier warning signs of risk — but the biggest safety gains come when that information leads to conversations, coaching, corrective actions and better decisions.
Industry voting for the 2026 Fleet News Group Awards will give fleet professionals the opportunity to decide which finalist should receive the Safe Fleet Award.
