FleetOwner is seeking nominations for its annual Private Fleet of the Year Awards, which will be presented at the 2021 National Private Truck Council show this June in Cincinnati.
Winners of the annual award are selected by FleetOwner editors based on private fleets’ accomplishments, safety records, technology adoption, community outreach and other factors. Private fleets of all sizes are eligible to enter the contest by self-nomination or by another interested party. It’s all about appreciating excellence in trucking regardless of the size or the duty cycle of the vehicle involved, and how that excellence helps keep our nation rolling forward.
- Link: Contest entry form and rules.
Recent winners include Safelite, Frito-Lay and H-E-B Grocery. Along with a top winner, FleetOwner will honor two other fleets as Private Fleet of the Year finalists during an NPTC awards ceremony. All honored fleets will also be featured in the July 2021 edition of FleetOwner magazine and at FleetOwner.com.
Private fleets are thriving right now, according to Gary Petty, NPTC’s president and CEO. He added that private fleets have had an opportunity amidst the COVID crisis "to shine even brighter." For that reason, Petty believes private fleets will see continued growth and devote even more attention to finding and keeping quality drivers.
“Everybody involved in our profession and running a private fleet feels that the transportation side of the company is getting more attention and more scrutiny about managing costs and efficiency,” Petty told FleetOwner. “There’s more sophistication in understanding the best ways of measuring a fleet that makes a difference in terms of optimization, cost, and safety. We know there is a correlation between customer service quality and safety quality.”
After COVID-19 forced the cancellation of its annual 2020 show, NPTC is still planning on holding a live, in-person event for the 2021 Education Management Conference and Exhibition at the Hilton Netherland Plaza in downtown Cincinnati from June 13-15. The show also coincides with the annual release of the FleetOwner 500: Top Private Fleets, which recognizes the largest of the more than 200,000 companies operating private fleets in the U.S.
To enter the 2021 FleetOwner Private Fleet of the Year contest, fill out this online entry form by May 7, 2021. There is no entry fee. Entries will be judged on a private fleet’s operation objectives as it relates to safety culture, community outreach, environmental initiatives, and how the fleet has overcome any challenges over the past year (such as COVID). All the rules are listed in the survey link below.
“The private fleets that are growing more successful are on a path of continuous improvement, and they’re on a system of continuous training and engagement,” Petty said. “They’re keen on looking for new ways of doing things. It takes a sophisticated fleet manager to keep track of all the growing costs. The bar and expectations for fleet managers seems to rise every year.”
Link: Contest entry form and rules.
