The Road Transport Industry Awards have recognised community spirit and innovation in the sector.
The awards were held last night at a gala dinner in Dunedin after day one of the Road Transport Forum’s annual conference.
The evening’s premier award, the VTNZ Outstanding Contribution to Road Transport was won by Dunedin’s Greg Inch from Greg Inch Earthmoving for his work establishing and running Special Rigs for Special Kids.
Special Rigs for Special Kids gives special needs children an opportunity to ride in a truck and get up-close-and-personal with the machinery. It provides families with special needs kids a fun day out and attracts up to 200 trucks each year
“Special Rigs for Special Kids really is a fantastic community event and it is fitting that the industry recognises Greg’s hard work and the impact his event has for hundreds of Otago families through this award,” says RTD chief executive Ken Shirley.
The Teletrac Navman Industry Innovation Award went to Sysdoc and Fonterra for the development of the Transport Contractor Induction Training model used at Fonterra sites across NZ.
And the Safe Business Solutions won the EROAD Outstanding Contribution to Health and Safety Award for their E-Text health and safety system.
The Outstanding Contribution to Training Award was presented to Derek Nees of Nelson’s TIL Freight for a lifetime of work promoting and working on improving training and qualifications across the industry.
Finally, the Castrol Truck Driver Hero Award for 2018, which recognises a driver who has significantly contributed to the safety of others was won by Fonterra driver Phil Newton.
Phil exhibited extraordinary calmness and composure in stopping his truck to sit with and talk to a young woman who was sadly looking to jump off the Arapuni Dam in the Waikato.
“The NZ road transport industry is blessed with many exceptional people and organisations. I’m pleased that as an industry we can come together and appropriately acknowledge these outstanding contributors whether they be innovators, educators or just good people who make a difference in their community,” says Shirley.
