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ATA Live: National Trucking Award winners for 2020

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Veteran Darwin-based truckie Russell Lee was named National Professional Driver of the Year at the National Trucking Awards, which were held online today for the first time due to coronavirus restrictions.

Lee has been a road train driver with Directhaul for more than 30 years and in that time driven an estimated 11 million kilometres while delivering more than 509 million litres of fuel.

It was a fitting acknowledgement of Lee’s standing in the trucking community in the NT.

A finalist in the same category last year, Lee is described by his colleagues and management as safe, dependable, professional, trustworthy and hardworking. He is well-known for his extremely positive influence on Directhaul’s workplace culture.

award winner
Driver of the Year Russell Lee.

“It’s been pretty awesome to be part of the whole journey, Lee said

“I have lots of people to thank, the office managers, the mechanics, tyre fitters, plus all my past and present workmates. It’s been awesome.”

Roslyn Anderson, CFO at Wales Truck Repairs, was named National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year.

Also a category finalist in 2019, Anderson grew up around trucks and has a long-standing passion for the industry.

Demonstrating a proven commitment to her business and relevant industry matters, Anderson is a member of the Transport Women Australia and Women in Transport Australia networks.

In 2018, Anderson also became a Transport Women Australia board member and was named winner of the Road Freight NSW Woman of the Year Award.

In the other individual award category announced during ATA Live – the online version of the annual Trucking Australia Conference – Robert Cavanagh, from Stockmaster Livestock Transport and Cavanagh’s Transport, won the coveted Outstanding Contribution to the Trucking Industry gong.

Cavanagh has more than 35 years’ experience in the industry and is an active and committed member of state and national rural road freight transport associations. He is a strong advocate for safety, technology and animal welfare and is often recognised for his future thinking, ability to adapt to change, and an early adopter of technology and modern business practices.

He has served as President of the Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association, and has also held the roles of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association. In 2018 he was awarded an ALRTA life membership in recognition of his significant contribution to the organisation and to the promotion of rural transport as a sustainable, responsible and safe contributor to Australia.

The two other award winners were Truganina-based Chemtrans which picked up the National Training Excellence prize, and SRH Milk Haulage, which won the TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award.

SRH Milk Haulage is a family-owned business from Rutherford, NSW, that began with one truck and tanker in 1996 and has grown to a business with 63 trucks and 110 tankers, servicing areas in NSW, Western Australia and Victoria.

SRH Milk Haulage has been a member of TruckSafe since 1998 and believe that their accreditation has helped shaped the business they are today in ensuring they are doing the right thing for their employees and customers.

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