Council employee short listed for Fleet Manager of the Year

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 04 September 2006

Bury Council’s head of transport has been short listed for Fleet Manager of the year award at this year’s Vehicle and Plant Awards which will be held on September 13 at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.

Now in its second year, the awards celebrate the achievements of those working in the vehicle and plant sector of the recycling and waste management industry. The Fleet Manager of the year award is designed to recognise individuals who go the extra mile in their job, someone who can demonstrate a visible difference they have made to their organisation.

Steve Fleming was nominated for the award following his innovative suggestions which changed the way in which the council’s transport section operates, maximising efficiency and improving health and safety.

The council’s transport section provides over 300 vehicles and plant equipment across the authority, from waste management, grounds maintenance to highways. It is responsible for the procurement, maintenance, Operators Licence compliance, monitoring of all authority drivers and vehicle insurance claims.

Steve identified several areas of concern from vehicle overloading to understaffing and skills training requirements. He developed a strategy that led to the creation of a new post in the council, a Monitoring Officer whose role was equivalent to that of a visiting VOSA examiner, undertaking accident investigations following up any reported incidents and providing guidance and training to drivers and supervision where necessary.

Together with his team Steve developed new and revised documentation which covered areas of spot checks on vehicles and drivers, accident reporting and investigation, gross and axle weight checks, and a revision of the service and maintenance regime.

It was apparent from the outset that drivers and supervision viewed this as a "big brother approach", checking on drivers and questioning supervision on areas of their business expertise. A certain amount of opposition to the changes was apparent, but with each spot check any findings where discussed with the driver and any recommendations were presented to help the driver understand the need for change. This approach changed the response from a negative to a very positive one as drivers and supervisors now see it as a way of improving their image as well as having the knowledge of running the vehicles in a safe and legal manner and that the Transport Section is here to help.

Tachographs were also introduced across the entire Waste Management fleet, along with the new computerised recording system it can now provide the user departments with a computerised summary of all driver activities whether it be the old analogue or the new digital tachograph.

Steve said: "I am delighted to have been short listed for this award, although I didn’t expect this kind of recognition for implementing the new strategy it’s been really nice to have been nominated for such a prestigious award. I’m looking forward to the evening and I’m sure it will be a very special occasion."

Councillor John Byrne Executive Member for Environment and Transport said: "We have many dedicated individuals working within the council whose hard work and determination make a positive impact on the working lives of those around them. Steve has demonstrated that not only is he here to do a job, but that he is determined to improve the efficiency, health and safety of his colleagues and his team. His approach is very commendable and I offer my full congratulations to him."