ATA announces tech finalists

The three finalists for the 2015 Craig Roseneder Award have been named by the Australian Trucking Association, with the winner to be announced on Tuesday, October 27, at the Castrol Vecton Awards dinner as a part of the 2015 PACCAR & Dealer TMC.

This year's finalists are: Christopher Knijff, Workshop Manager for Easter Group Pty Ltd in Wacol, Qld; Damien Allison, Maintenance Manager for De Bruyn's Transport in Burnie, Tas; and John McKnight, Fleet Maintenance Manager for Blenner's Transport in South Mission Beach, Qld.

The ATA's Craig Roseneder award recognises technical and maintenance excellence in the workshop by an individual and is named after the late Craig Roseneder, a strong campaigner for the development of a safer road transport industry.

The winner of the award will receive a trip to the American Trucking Association's 2016 Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee, including airfares, accommodation, and $A1500 in spending money.

ATA Chair Noelene Watson said determining the three finalists presented judges with an arduous task.

"The judging panel said the overall standard of this year's nominations was the highest they could remember seeing, which is very high praise indeed," she said.

"As an industry, we are very fortunate to have such dedicated, skilled professionals going the extra mile to put safety and preventative maintenance first. I'd like to congratulate all our finalists on their achievement, and I look forward to meeting them in person in October."

In related news, the ATA also recently announced the recipients of three Cummins South Pacific TMC youth scholarships, which will cover registration and accommodation for the 2015 Paccar & Dealer TMC for three heavy vehicle workshop technicians aged under 25.

The recipients of the scholarships are: Gemma Hartwig of Ostwald Bros Transport; Andrew Southern of Blenner's Transport and Storage; and Jacob Woods of Divall's Earthmoving and Bulk Haulage.

This year's TMC will be held in Melbourne's Docklands precinct over October 26-28. For more information or to register visit www.truck.net.au/tmc.