The ATA has announced the 2017 winners of the prestigious National Trucking Industry Awards.
The awards were presented at the ATA Foundation Sponsors Gala Dinner at the Darwin Convention Centre on June 23, 2017.
“I would like to extend my congratulations to all of the winners; these awards recognise individuals, and businesses that go above and beyond in their service to the trucking industry,” ATA CEO, Ben Maguire, said.
The winners are:
Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Trucks
Roger Pickering, Pickering Transport Group (Swan Hill, VIC)
National Professional Driver of the Year
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Trucks
Danial McFee, Gilbert’s Transport Services Pty Ltd (Cavan, SA)
Trucking Industry Woman of the Year
Award sponsor: Cummins South Pacific
Tracie Dickenson, Daryl Dickenson Transport (Archerfield, QLD)
National Training Excellence Award
Award supporter: DECA
De Bruyn’s Transport, (Burnie, TAS)
TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award
Award sponsor: AEI Transport
Collins Adelaide (Adelaide, SA)
Don Watson Memorial Award
Ray Ablett, Abletts Transport (Queanbeyan, NSW)
Media contact: Donna Jeremiah/Karolina Firman 02 6253 6900 / 0417 211 441
Trucking Australia 2017 was supported by the ATA’s Foundation Sponsors: BP, NTI and Volvo Trucks.
Other sponsors included AEI Transport, Bridgestone, BPW Transpec, CIMC, Cummins, Daimler Truck & Bus, Darwin Port, DECA, Land Development Corporation, King Bars, MaxiTrans, MTData, Norton Rose Fulbright, NT Convention Bureau, PACCAR, Thermo King, Tourism Top End and TMW Systems.
The ATA media partners for Trucking Australia 2017 were BigRigs and Prime Mover.
The official graphics supplier was Rice Graphic Images.
The details of the award winners are attached.
Images are available by emailing Karolina Firman (Karolina.Firman@truck.net.au).
2017 NATIONAL TRUCKING INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Trucks
Roger Pickering, Pickering Transport Group
Swan Hill, VIC
Roger grew up in Swan Hill and district until he moved to Melbourne at age 15 and began his working life. After a few months of experience in the transport industry, his father got him to join the family business.
Currently based in Mildura, Roger’s business provides employment for hundreds of regional people.
Whilst Roger sits in an overall management role, he keeps closely involved with the buzz, pressure and excitement of operations – matching customers’ and drivers’ expectations and capabilities with the movement of freight.
Roger is dedicated to his business, his wife, two children and two grandchildren.
National Professional Driver of the Year
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Trucks
Danial McFee, Gilbert’s Transport Services Pty Ltd
Cavan, SA
Danial has worked with Gilbert’s Transport for 31 years. The son of a truck driver, Danial started as a local driver based at the company’s depot at Strathalbyn in Adelaide Hills, doing abattoir related work. Danial then progressed to interstate work, driving to Brisbane and Sydney and driving double road trains to Perth.
In 1996, Danial started doing the regular triple road train run from Adelaide to Darwin and Tennant Creek. He averaged 288,000 kilometres per year and racked up six million kilometres on that route alone.
Danial has done the Adelaide to Darwin run week in and week out incident-free, proof of his high level of skill, care and expertise and his ability to deal with the challenges of operating a triple road train on a road with little margin for error.
Trucking Industry Woman of the Year
Award sponsor: Cummins South Pacific
Tracie Dickenson, Daryl Dickenson Transport
Archerfield, QLD
Tracie’s father was a long-haul owner driver, so her association with road transport began early in her life. In 1990, she met Daryl, an interstate driver, and started travelling with him full-time, where she learnt about working interstate transport.
In 2001, operating from home, Tracie and Daryl formed Daryl Dickenson Transport with one truck and one full-time employee. In 2003, Daryl Dickenson Transport set up operation from its first depot in Wacol. Today the company has grown to a fleet of 40 trucks and more than 60 employees with storage facilities in Yatala.
Tracie is a hardworking, tenacious and passionate transport woman. She takes every opportunity to highlight the industry and promote its opportunities. To increase the professionalism of her personnel, Tracie supports workforce skilling and training in her business.
Tracie is also a long-time supporter of RACQ LifeFlight.
National Training Excellence Award
Award supporter: DECA
De Bruyn’s Transport
Burnie, TAS
De Bruyn’s Transport in Tasmania is operated by bothers John and Dirk, together with their cousin John. Cornelius de Bruyn, the great uncle of the present owners, established the company in 1965.
It is TruckSafe, NHVAS Mass Management and Basic Fatigue Management accredited.
De Bruyn’s Transport employs 200 people across five depots and utilises some 120 heavy vehicles, 200 trailers, two fish farm support vessels as well as numerous forklifts and other specialised pieces of equipment.
Strong customer relationships coupled with modern employee relations and a strong training philosophy helps De Bruyn’s Transport achieve its aim of ‘Safely Delivering the Goods’ productively and efficiently.
TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award
Award sponsors: AEI Transport
Collins Adelaide
Adelaide, SA
Collins Adelaide is a wholly family owned company that commenced operations in 1965, with John Collins operating one tray truck between Adelaide and Melbourne.
The company has now expanded to more than 300 employees across South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. The company maintains the motto of ‘a family tradition of customer service’ and has proudly been a member of TruckSafe since 1997.
Don Watson Memorial Award
Ray Ablett
Abletts Transport,
Queanbeyan, NSW
Ray was born in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria where he watched his dad start his trucking business. Before long, he was driving for his father.
He started carrying timber and general goods in regional Victoria and this continued till he purchased his own truck in the late 1970’s; sometime later Ray and his dad combined their businesses to form what is today a national company, Abletts Transport.
Ray is a hard-working man, dedicated to his business and the trucking industry as a whole. Whenever there is an industry event or community event that needs help or support, Ray and his team are there.
