ATA names top tech contenders

The nominations for the 2019 Craig Roseneder Award have been announced by the Australian Trucking Association.

The annual awards pay tribute to those men and women who go 'above and beyond' in their technology and maintenance roles in truck industry workshops across the nation.

The nominations for the 2019 Craig Roseneder Award are Phil Cook of Whiteline Transport (Greenfields, SA), Shane Pendergast or Air Brake Systems (Hornsby, NSW), Jason Barry of Border Crane Consultants (Wodonga, Vic), and Laurie Brothers of Ron Finemore Transport (Wodonga, Vic).

"The Craig Roseneder Award highlights the outstanding calibre of the professional men and women who work behind the scenes in Australia's trucking workshops," said ATA CEO, Ben Maguire.

"Phil, Shane, Jason and Laurie have each demonstrated tremendous technical skill and a dedication to the industry that goes above and beyond."

The winner of the 2019 Craig Roseneder Award will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the US Technology and Maintenance Council's 2019 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition, including full registration, partners' program, return airfares and accommodation, A$1500 spending money and complimentary registration to the 2020 ATA Technology and Maintenance Conference, courtesy of Castrol Vecton

"I congratulate our award finalists and commend the other nominees for the important work they do," Mr Maguire said.

"These are the innovators providing safety and productivity solutions to keep our industry moving."

The winner of the 2019 Craig Roseneder Award will be announced on Tuesday, October 15, at the Castrol Vecton Awards Dinner, as part of the ATA 2019 Technology and Maintenance Conference.

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For more information on each of this year's nominees, see below…

Phil Cook
Whiteline Transport, Greenfields SA

Phil is Workshop Manager at Whiteline Transport and has been with the company for 18 years. Phil began his career as a warehouse manager in 1983, before starting work as a diesel mechanic in 1988.

Phil is known for his commitment to his role, patience in dealing with issues that arise, and his willingness to share his wisdom with others.

Always keen to help others and share his knowledge, Phil has worked with Tru-Shu to trial, test and report on a brake safety and wear device and take part in filming testimonials for use at trade shows, worked with suppliers in testing performance and wear of tyres, as well as collaborating with Refuelling Solutions on safe environmental management of bulk on-site tanks.

Phil is always looking for ways to improve safety and productivity and has engineered a number of devices including a road train dolly landing leg, a modified trailer tyre carrier, T-bar locking bars and a dolly locking mechanism. Phil has also designed kits for Whiteline drivers for use in remote places that include fittings, plugs and screws should they run into trouble.

Phil has a strong understanding of heavy vehicle accreditation schemes and the importance of thorough and accurate reporting of the work carried out on all equipment to meet the criteria to maintain accreditation.

Shane Pendergast
Air Brake Systems (Hornsby, NSW)

With more than 30 years' experience in the transport industry, Shane is NSW Sales and Service Manager at Air Brake Systems.

Shane's career started in 1984 working on heavy vehicle trucks and trailers before starting his own repair business once he was qualified. In 1994, Shane pursued an interstate truck driving career, working for Wickham Farms, Hardy's Haulage and Cootes Transport, before returning to the heavy vehicle repair trade in 2000 and joining Air Brake Systems in 2016.

Throughout his career, Shane has trained hundreds of mechanics on the importance of keeping ABS/EBS systems functional and is seen as an industry mentor and expert in this field. Shane has travelled around the country training and delivering presentations on ABS/EBS to owner operators and corporate fleets, RMS inspectors and the logging industry.

A member of the ATA's Industry Technical Council, Shane is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others, educating the industry about advanced braking and stability systems though online platforms such as LinkedIn.

Shane has also designed a brake angle tool for correctly measuring brake application angles as well as a brake shoe minimum tool.

Jason Barry
Border Crane Consultants (Wodonga, Vic)

Jason had an interest in all things mechanical from a young age, shadowing his motor mechanic uncle from age 12 before purchasing an LC Torana at age 13 to replace the engine and repaint it. Jason's career began in 1999 as a mechanical trades assistant and after completing an apprenticeship in 2003, Jason worked in a range of roles before establishing his own business in 2011.

Jason has numerous qualifications in engineering, training and assessment, and motorsports, and is an accredited vehicle engineer, providing truck dealers and body builders in the local area VASS inspections and engineering reports.

Jason specialises in the engineering and compliance of heavy vehicles and has developed a safety and compliance upgrade package on behalf of the Australian Defence Force that has been rolled out nationally across three Defence crane models and implemented on more than 200 cranes.

With a long history in transport maintenance and a dedication to the industry, Jason has been a member of the ATA Industry Technical Council since 2015, bringing extensive knowledge in areas of servicing, certification and repairs. Jason was also a finalist for the 2018 Craig Roseneder Award.

Laurie Brothers
Ron Finemore Transport (Wodonga, Vic)

Highly respected within the transport industry, Laurie is Chief Fleet and Maintenance Officer at Ron Finemore Transport.

Laurie began his career as a trainee livestock manager in 1973 in his family business before joining Finemore Transport in 1978, working with the group ever since.

Dedicated to the company and his team, Laurie is always actively seeking gains in safety, productivity and reliability by extending his own knowledge and using the latest equipment and technology.

Laurie has been a driver of change in the Ron Finemore internal fleet and maintenance area, significantly improving time servicing, maintenance and reliability. Laurie is a stickler for ensuring equipment is serviced on time, to schedule and at the required standard through a combination of OEM and internal maintenance.

Laurie mentors, coaches and develops his team by supporting internal and external training to meet the changes and demands of modern fleet maintenance practices.