HVIA recognises industry best and brightest

Date: 19.11.2019

Buchholz gives due praise to award winners at gala event

HVIA recognises industry best and brightest

Scott Buchholz

The heavy vehicle industry’s appetite for innovation was quenched at the recent 2019 HVIA Gala Awards Dinner held at South Brisbane’s Emporium Hotel.

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz praised the quality nominations competing for HVIA’s suite of awards.

"The heavy vehicle sector is a real Australian success story in manufacturing," Buchholz says.

"Some terrific innovation and designs are boosting the nation’s productivity and keeping Australia moving."

HVIA chief executive Todd Hacking highlighted the record number of nominations that had created a difficult but rewarding task for the judging panels.

"A big thank you to our judges for their generous time and application of their vast industry experience," Hacking says.

"Their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive about the calibre of nominees, every one of whom should feel extremely proud to be held up in such company.

"A huge vote of thanks also goes to our event and award sponsors, particularly National Transport Insurance and Truck Assist, Warby Tools, Moreton Hire and the Langworthy Family."

Five national awards were presented at the event.

Product Innovation Award (sponsored by NTI & Truck Assist)

Winner: Graham Lusty Trailers - High Volume Side Tipper

Southern Region Winner: ASET Services - TruShu

Eastern Region winner: Graham Lusty Trailers

Safety Innovation Award (sponsored by Moreton Hire)

Winner: Cummins South Pacific - Crankshaft Drilling Plates Kit
Developed by Neil Kinder

Southern Region Winner: Cummins South Pacific

Eastern Region winner: Teletrac Navman - Sentinel

Community Leadership Award

Winner: National Transport Insurance - Truck Restoration for Motor Neurone Disease Research

Runner-up: Scania – Women in the Workplace

National Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Warby Tools)

Winner: Mitcham Harper - Cummins South Pacific

Southern Region Winner: Mitcham Harper, Cummins South Pacific

North-Western Region winner: Waylon Tully from Cummins South Pacific

Eastern Region winner: Bill Thompson from Haulmark Trailers

Peter Langworthy Future Leader

Winner: Ryan Camera - Kennedy Trailers

Southern Region Winner: Ryan Camera, Kennedy Trailers

North-Western Region winner: Waylon Tully from Cummins South Pacific

Eastern Region winner: Mitchell Brooke from Daimler Trucks Brisbane

Read how the HVIA won two awards for the Brisbane Truck Show, here

The Community Leadership Award was a source of pride for transport and logistics insurer NTI.

The award recognises HVIA members that have engaged positively with the community, and NTI says it is humbled to accept the award, which acknowledged the 1946 Ford Jailbar restoration project ‘Roxanne’ that raised over $200,000 for motor neurone disease (MND).

The 1946 Ford Jailbar, fondly dubbed ‘Roxanne’, was custom built by the NTI team and project partners, and was the prize of a raffle, drawn at the Brisbane Truck Show, with 100 per cent of ticket sales going directly to MND & Me and the MND Research Institute of Australia.

NTI CEO Tony Clark says it’s an honour to be recognised for NTI’s work to raise donations for MND.

"NTI supports research into MND as a legacy to our late CEO, Wayne Patterson, who was diagnosed in 2015 and later lost his battle with the disease," Clark adds.

"We committed to supporting this great cause and that support is ongoing. The HVIA Community Leadership Award reaffirms that we’re making a positive impact. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can achieve for MND with our next truck restoration."

The Community Leadership Award comes off the back of NTI winning ‘Agency of the Year’ at the annual Insurance Advisernet conference last week.