UVA FM Fleet receives two Green Fleet Awards
Updated September 30, 2021
The awards were presented by the National Association of Fleet Administrators
The UVA Facilities Management Fleet has won two awards presented by the National Association of Fleet Administrators.
The National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) is a not-for-profit society for professionals who manage vehicle fleets for organizations in the United States and Canada. In conjunction with the Green Fleet Awards, NAFA recognizes excellence in the sustainable fleet community.
At the 2021 Green Fleet Awards, UVA Facilities Management Fleet won two recognitions:
- #31 (OUT OF 50) Green Fleet in North America. The Green Fleet Award is a comprehensive set of criteria tailored to the challenges and requirements of fleet professionals. This year's ranking at 31 out of 50 is FM Fleet's highest ranking to date, and represents a gain of 12 spots over their 2020 award position.
- Best Special Project: Mindful Driver Training. This award recognizes FM Fleet's Mindful Driver Training program for its innovation and effectiveness in promoting safe and sustainable driver behaviors. Formal notifications are forthcoming from NAFA.
Mindful Driver Training: an innovative collaboration with real-world performance improvements
The Mindful Driver Training effort began in 2020, with a collaboration between Facilities Management, professors at the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and a team of fourth year students. The SEAS students needed a real-world case study to complete their capstone project, and Facilities Management was eager to work with the students to test its telematics systems to improve driver and vehicle performance. At Facilities Management, the project was led by Fleet Manager Mike Duffy. The Mindful Driver program’s theme and training materials were spearheaded by Quality Assurance and Staff Development Manager Sandra Smith in late 2020 and continues in 2021. The first training session launched in 2021 and several additional sessions will be scheduled in the future.
At the conclusion of the student's capstone project, results showed significant performance improvements in the areas of driver safety and vehicle efficiency. After reviewing the project's success, Chief Facilities Officer Don Sundgren directed work to begin creating Facilities Management's first ever customized driver training program to be implemented throughout the FM organization.
Sandra Smith and Mike Duffy will debut the Mindful Driver Training Program at SRAPPA's annual conference this October to fulfill one of Don Sundgren's directives to Fleet in 2016: “Develop a high-value fleet that is a role model of efficiency for all institutions of higher learning.”
Avery Wagner
Multimedia Designer
UVA Facilities Management
(434) 982-5862
aw8jm@virginia.edu