Ford Motor Co. has signed on as a sponsor of the Leading Fleets award, a recognition program for public sector fleet management launching this year. Ford joins Property Room in sponsoring the award.

Winners named as Leading Fleets in several categories will be announced at the Government Fleet Expo & Conference (GFX) in June. The application will be available at GovernmentFleet.com on Jan. 13. All public fleet managers are encouraged to submit an application for their fleet.

The Leading Fleets award recognizes operations that are performing at a high level in fleet innovation and leadership. Each year, Government Fleet magazine will name 50 Leading Fleets, with the top 20 being ranked. Additionally, there will be winners for No. 1 overall fleet, No. 1 small fleet (499 or fewer assets), No. 1 mid-size fleet (500-999 assets), and No. 1 large fleet (1,000 or more assets).

The judges for this award will be former managers of No. 1 ranked fleets (awarded by Government Fleet) including John Hunt, CPFP, fleet manager, City of Portland, Ore.; Sam Lamerato, CPFP, fleet superintendent for the City of Troy, Mich.; and Dave Seavey, CAFM, director of fleet operations, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), and former fleet management division director for the City of Seattle.

Criteria for the award will include, but not be limited to:

• How an operation prioritizes and exhibits leadership within their team, with customers, within their community and within the overall fleet community.

• How an operation ensures competitiveness and efficiency.

• The future vision of the operation and leadership steps taken to get there.

• How an operation addresses and overcomes it biggest challenges.

Government Fleet magazine is launching an entire series of new public fleet awards for 2014. The magazine is choosing to end its relationship with the 100 Best Fleets award program.

"After careful consideration, we came to the conclusion that we could no longer be associated with this program for a variety of reasons," said Eric Bearly, Government Fleet's publisher. "Our goal will always be to bring awareness to fleets and fleet managers that are leading the industry. Our new awards programs will allow us to accomplish this more effectively."

Designed for public fleet operations, the three new awards will recognize fleet operations as well as individual fleet managers who have contributed significantly to the industry.

The Public Fleet Hall of Fame will recognize public-sector fleet industry leaders and pioneers who have contributed significantly to the government fleet industry, similar to Automotive Fleet's Fleet Hall of Fame. Inductees are selected by their peers via an online ballot. Finally, the Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award will annually honor one Public Fleet Hall of Fame inductee who gets the most votes. These awards are sponsored by the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA).

The recipients of these new awards and the Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year award will be announced at GFX—the industry's annual event produced by Government Fleet magazine. Winners will be featured in Government Fleet magazine's special awards issue. The 2014 GFX will take place in San Diego from June 2-4.

"These awards are unique to the industry, and we look forward to learning about the achievements of outstanding fleet organizations and individuals across the U.S. and in Canada," Bearly said.