Leading recycling and resource management company SITA UK has beaten off stiff competition from businesses across the UK to win the Smarter Driving Award at this year's Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Awards for a joint project with leading telematics and driver behaviour specialist CMS SupaTrak.
Held at the Institute of Directors (IoD) in London on 20 November, the awards identify public and private organisations that are successfully reducing fuel bills and lowering carbon footprints through better transport policies and improved fleet efficiency.
SITA UK went up against MITIE, Qdell & LHR Express Cars Limited, Severn Trent Water and Z-Tech Controls systems, to take the Smarter Driving Award that recognises organisations promoting safer and more fuel-efficient driving.
Through a combination of implementing driver training programmes, measuring driver performance with CMS SupaTrak's EcoTrak solution and carrying out vehicle and licence checks, SITA UK was praised for taking pro-active measures towards managing their fleet and improving the way their employees drive.
SITA UK also came runner-up in the Commercial Vehicle Management category, which recognises organisations that have implemented a broad range of measures across fleet operations to help cut emissions and improve efficiency.
Over the past 18 months SITA UK's fleet has reduced its carbon emissions by around 3,000 tonnes per year and fuel consumption by around 11 per cent through a mixture of tracking vehicle and driver performance, changing driver behaviour, vehicle allocation policies and the installation of innovative technology.
Almost the whole SITA UK fleet - over 850 vehicles, across 32 sites nationally - has now been fitted with the EcoTrak Driver Behaviour Management system from CMS SupaTrak.
Paul Shipman, Head of Fleet at SITA UK, said: "We are delighted to have been recognised in this way. It is a credit to the drivers that they took all the advice on board and applied it to their driving immediately.
"We are grateful to everyone involved in the scheme; we wouldn't have been able to achieve this if it wasn't for their commitment and determination to help us drive down our carbon emissions and fuel use."
Jason Airey, managing director of CMS SupaTrak, said: "It's great to see our technology contributing to this well-deserved recognition of SITA UK's commitment to improving the efficiency of its fleet. This is a true example of how changes, including the introduction of a telematics and a training programme, such as EcoTrak, can impact hugely on fuel usage and subsequently, carbon emissions."
Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, added: "I would like to congratulate SITA UK on winning an Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award.
"SITA UK has set a great example to others and has shown how innovation, leadership and effective management in this area of the business can not only help us meet the UK's sustainability targets but also make significant cost savings in the process."