The Australian Trucking Association has honoured Australia’s top truck driver and other leading industry figures in the 2013 National Trucking Industry Awards. The awards were presented at the ATA Foundation Sponsors Gala Awards Dinner on Hamilton Island on Friday 21 June.
The 2013 National Trucking Industry Award winners are
Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry
Mike Moylan – Johnstons Transport, Sydney, NSW
National Professional Driver of the Year
Robert Schalkwyk – EnergyTrans, Garbutt, QLD
National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year
Sharon Middleton – Whiteline Transport, Greenfields, SA
TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award for excellence in the TruckSafe program
De Gunst Transport – Bundaberg, QLD
Don Watson Memorial Award for conspicuous achievement in furthering the industry’s objectives
Simon Skazlic – K&S Freighters, Truganina, VIC
The National Professional Driver of the Year, Robert Schalkwyk, has spent more than 40 years as a professional heavy vehicle driver and has never had an accident in his vehicle.
“Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to be standing in front of you,” Mr Schalkwyk said.
The Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry Award went to Mike Moylan of Johnstons Transport. Mr Moylan is also the Chairman of the ATA NSW Container Section Committee, and is credited with reducing the average truck turnaround time at Port Botany to 30 minutes.
“The queues used to be four or five kilometres long. We’ve kept the pressure on and through everyone’s hard work we got results,” he said.
The winner of the National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year Award, Sharon Middleton, has been in the road transport industry for 30 years. In partnership with her husband, Bob, she has expanded their business from three trucks and a typewriter to one with depots in Adelaide, Cavan, Perth and Berri. She is also the President of the South Australian Road Transport Association.
Ms Middleton congratulated the other finalists for the award and its previous winners.
“I’m standing in some pretty amazing footsteps,” she said.
The TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award went to De Gunst Transport from Bundaberg, Queensland. De Gunst Transport began as a single truck operation in 1984. Today, its fleet includes 60 prime movers and 140 trailers, along with a range of earthmoving plant and equipment.
Bob De Gunst said he joined TruckSafe after his company started to expand.
“I asked ‘how can I control this to make sure the maintenance and safety are there?’ And that’s how I joined TruckSafe,” he said.
The winner of the Don Watson Memorial Award, Simon Skazlic, led the development of best practice guidelines to prevent accidents while trucks are loaded and unloaded. Thousands of businesses have downloaded the guidelines.
Mr Skazlic said he was surprised, humbled and stoked.
“I think it’s important to give back to an industry that needs so much, yet has so much,” he said.
The National Trucking Industry Awards are sponsored by ATA Foundation Sponsors BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Group Australia; Cummins South Pacific; Austbrokers AEI Transport; and Castrol.
The details of the award winners are below.
2013 NATIONAL TRUCKING INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Group Australia
Mike Moylan, Johnstons Transport
Sydney, NSW
The General Manager - Operations for Johnstons Transport, Mike has been an active member of the trucking industry since the early 1970s. As the Chairman of the ATA NSW Container Section Committee and part of the Sydney Ports Cargo Facilitation Committee, Mike is dedicated to improving interaction between NSW ports, stevedores and trucking operators. Mike’s tireless efforts to bring about sensible discussion between these parties is credited with reducing the average truck turnaround time at Port Botany from 50 minutes to 30 minutes – a massive time and cost saving for trucking and port operators. He was awarded the ATA NSW Outstanding Contribution Award in 2012.
National Professional Driver of the Year
Award sponsors: BP Australia, NTI and Volvo Group Australia
Robert Schalkwyk, EnergyTrans
Garbutt, QLD
First obtaining his heavy vehicle licence at the age of 16, Robert has since spent more than 40 years as a professional heavy vehicle driver and has never had an accident in his vehicle. He has a well earned reputation as a highly reliable, cheerful and immaculately presented driver, and has been described by a prominent industry figure as the most passionate driver they have ever met. Robert was awarded the Queensland Trucking Association Professional Driver of the Year Award in 2012.
Trucking Industry Woman of the Year
Award sponsor: Cummins South Pacific
Sharon Middleton, Whiteline Transport
Greenfields, SA
In Sharon’s 30 years in the road transport industry, she has partnered with her husband Bob to take the business from three trucks and an old typewriter to a business with depots in Adelaide, Cavan, Perth and Berri. Their drivers are treated like family, with many in their second decade of employment. In her role as President of SARTA, Sharon has worked to improve access, operating conditions and deliver fair treatment for drivers and operators alike. Sharon is the co-founder of Foundation Shine, which raises funds to address mental health issues.
TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award to recognise excellence in the TruckSafe program
Award sponsor: Austbrokers AEI Transport
De Gunst Transport
Bundaberg, QLD
De Gunst Transport began as a single truck operation in 1984. Today, the De Gunst Transport fleet has grown to include 60 prime movers and 140 trailers, along with a range of earthmoving plant and equipment. A TruckSafe member since 2002, the company found that using the clear TruckSafe procedures helps them save time on paperwork so they can spend more time looking after their customers. De Gunst Transport’s prime movers are replaced every three to five years, ensuring drivers are using safe and modern equipment when driving through our communities.
Don Watson Memorial Award for conspicuous achievement in furthering the industry’s objectives
Simon Skazlic, K&S Freighters
Truganina, VIC
Simon joined K&S Freighters as its Victorian Administration Manager in 1990, and is now the company’s General Manager, HS&E/Compliance. Simon made a major contribution to improving the safety of truck drivers and other personnel, by leading an industry committee to develop clear and simple guidelines to prevent loading and unloading accidents. The guidelines have been downloaded by thousands of businesses across the world. Simon is now leading a team to develop guidelines for roadside safety when trucks break down.
