Winners announced for National Trucking Awards

The Australian Trucking Association has announced the 2016 winners of six of its prestigious National Trucking Industry Awards

The Australian Trucking Association's National Trucking Industry Awards were presented at the ATA Foundation Sponsors 25th anniversary Gala Awards Dinner on the Gold Coast on Saturday (June 25). The dinner was part of Trucking Australia 2016.

The winners are:

Don Watson Memorial Award for conspicuous achievement in furthering the industry’s objectives

Doug McMillan (Wodonga, VIC)

Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry

Bryan Smith, Rocky's Own Transport (Rockhampton, QLD)

National Professional Driver of the Year

Nigel Felton, All Purpose Transport (Underwood, QLD)

Trucking Industry Woman of the Year

Melissa Taylor, Taylor's Removals and Storage (Toowoomba, QLD)

National Training Excellence Award

All Purpose Transport (Berrinba, QLD)

TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award for excellence in the TruckSafe program

Fellows Bulk Transport (Deniliquin, NSW)

The Don Watson Memorial Award honours conspicuous achievement in furthering the industry’s objectives. The award was presented to industry stalwart Doug McMillan, who retired from the ATA board at Trucking Australia 2016.

Among his many achievements, Mr McMillan led the campaign against an external Hume Highway bypass of Albury, in favour of a four lane freeway through the city and the construction of what is now the Spirit of Progress bridge across the Murray River.

"I am really pleased, and I am just proud," Mr McMillan said.

The Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry Award went to Bryan Smith, the CEO of Rocky’s Own Transport. Under Mr Smith’s leadership, Rocky’s Own has been involved in a wide range of safety initiatives, including piloting the fatigue management standards that went on to become Advanced Fatigue Management, implementing satellite tracking and developing a new integrated mapping system to plan safer routes.

"Successful organisations very rarely are the result of one individual. More times than not, it’s the result of a group of individuals with a common goal. That is very much the case with our organisation, and I thank them all," Mr Smith said.

The National Professional Driver of the Year, Nigel Felton, started as an owner driver in 1999 and first contracted to All Purpose Transport in 2003. Nigel was one of the first drivers to complete his Certificate III in Driving Operations under All Purpose Transport’s ‘Project APT’ program. He is now an in-house driver trainer for the company.

"If you were to ask all the drivers in the room, if they cut themselves, they don’t bleed blood, they bleed oil. Trucking is in our blood. This is an industry that is vital. If we don’t truck, Australia stops. And it’s true," he said.

The National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year, Melissa Taylor from Taylor’s Removals and Storage, said she wanted trucking to be an industry of choice.

"I want to give a pledge that I will do everything I can to bring the trucking industry to those generations that are now coming through, and to show them what an incredible industry we have," Ms Taylor said.

"I want it to be an industry of choice, not an industry that we just fall into because we’ve been born into it, or because there may not have been another option, but it’s been chosen because that’s where we want to be," she said.

The National Training Excellence Award was won by All Purpose Transport of Berrinba, Queensland. All Purpose Transport now has the most qualified driver workforce in Australia, thanks to Project APT.

"We all share the same kind of values, which are the safety and welfare of our people, training and great customer service. If we keep on investing in the safety and welfare of our people, and their training, the end result will be great customer service, and the profitability and sustainability of our businesses and the transport industry as a whole," Belinda Polglase from APT said.

The TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award honours excellence in the ATA’s safety and business accreditation program, TruckSafe. The winner was Fellows Bulk Transport of Deniliquin, NSW.

Accepting the award, Paul Fellows said he used to sit in the classroom and watch the trucks going up and down the Pacific Highway.

"I never dreamed that I would be here accepting such a prestigious award," Mr Fellows said.

He congratulated the other finalists for the award, Richers Transport and Shackell Transport.

"It’s quite humbling for us to be associated with two such great companies," he said.

The ATA will announce the winners of the Craig Roseneder Award for Technical and Maintenance Excellence in the Workshop and the Castrol Vecton Industry Technical Achievement Award at the Castrol Vecton Awards Dinner at the 2016 Technical and Maintenance Conference in October. Nominations for these awards will open in July.

Winners announced for National Trucking Awards

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