The ATA has announced the finalists for its National Trucking Industry Awards to be presented at its Technology and Maintenance Conference in Melbourne later this month.
The ATA National Trucking Industry awards are in their … year and recognise outstanding achievements for a range of truck industry workers who serve the various operations that are truly the lifeblood of the nation.
New to the awards this year is the National Sustainability Award, whihc has been sponsored by Michelin Australia, which will recognise trucking operators with a demonstrated commitment to reducing their environmental impact.
“Sustainability is an increasingly important part of how trucking businesses operate, and the people and businesses leading the way deserve to be recognised for their efforts,” said ATA chair, Mark Parry.
“From the workshop to the office, the finalists for all our awards have shown initiative in looking for ways to do things better,” Perry added.
“Their expertise, commitment and willingness to share what they’ve learned helps strengthen the industry for everyone,” the chair said.
The finalists for the 2026 awards include nominees for the Castrol sponsored Craig Roseneder Award for Technical and Maintenance Excellence, the Truck Tech Training Excellence Award and ion course the newly Michelin sponsored National Sustainability Award.
Victorian Russell Borchard and Thomas Kenny from NSW are the finalists for the Craig Roseneder Award, while Border Crane Consultants from Barandula in Victoria and Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls from Geraldton in WA are the finalists for the Truck Tech Training Excellence Awards.
Meanwhile the Michelin Sustainability Award finalists are Formula Chemicals from West Ryde in NSW and the high profile transport and logistics operator Ron Finemore Transport.
In the Roseneder Award, the ATA says that Russell Borchard has been ‘around trucks since he was in nappies’. Borchard is a third-generation truckie, and started his heavy vehicle apprenticeship at 17 before establishing Borchtrans in 2010, where he remains hands-on as owner and mechanic.
It was noted that when Borchard heard that the livestock industry needed to do better on trailer braking, he acted. He was one of the first to invest in EBS diagnostic equipment, putting safer braking technology into practice across his fleet.
Borchard is president of the LRTAV, and he has championed safety, training as well as fostering the next generation, while giving back to rural communities by supporting events such as the Wentworth Show and Pooncarie Races. He’s also an advocate for education, taking trucks to Coomealla High School and donating subscriptions of Little Trucker Magazine to local schools.
The other finalist for the Technical and Maintenance Excellence Award, Thomas Kenny, is a highly respected professional across multiple facets of the transport and poultry logistics industry, and is known for his technical expertise, leadership, and commitment to safety and innovation.
Kenny is the national maintenance manager of Multiquip, and has led major engineering and fleet optimisation projects, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, safety, and compliance.
He is a champion of safety technology, and has spearheaded the rollout of Guardian by Seeing Machines across the truck fleet and Seen Sensors on forklifts, along with the introduction of key initiatives like park brake alarms, seatbelt interlocks, speed-limiting systems and remote PTO operations to save driver time entering and exiting truck cabs. His leadership in adopting these technologies has enhanced employee safety and reinforced the company’s commitment to proactive risk management and industry best practice.
In the Training Excellence Award Border Crane Consultants, was chosen as a finalist because ion its training record and the way it recruits for attitude and potential, then invests in structured learning, hands-on experience and ongoing development.
According to the ATA citation the results speak for themselves, with 23 apprenticeships and 12 traineeships having been completed, with 11 apprenticeships and two traineeships still underway.
The Association says that BCC’s impact extends beyond its current workforce, with more than 15 former employees having established businesses of their own, with many now employing and training others.
The company was founded in 2010 with one employee, and has since grown into a 37-person regional business with training at the heart of its success.
The other finalist is the high profile and well known Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Group (PHHGG), which was founded by Heather Jones. PHHGG is a female-owned organisation based in Western Australia, and committed to inspiring women and underrepresented groups to pursue careers in the transport industry.
PHHGG was born out of Jone’s personal experience as a single mother entering the trucking industry and the organisation is well known for offering comprehensive driver training programs, including new-to-the-industry courses, licence upgrades and refresher training, all with a strong focus on safety, compliance and practical skills development, with the company having successfully trained more than 350 drivers.
In the Michelin Sustainability Award , the NSW based and Australian-owned Formula Chemicals is a chemical manufacturing and distribution business which has more than fifty-three years of experience.
Since Leigh and Colleen Smart founded the company in 1973 it has grown into a nationally respected supplier of chemical products and transport services, and the Smart family remains hands-on in the business.
The company uses Teletrac Navman telematics to monitor fuel use, idling, driving behaviour and vehicle utilisation, identifying opportunities to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, while the business also evaluates tyre performance and integrates tyre management with its Navman fleet data to reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions and extend tyre casing life to minimise waste.
The company has also reduced its environmental footprint significantly by installing solar energy systems across all company buildings and establishing a comprehensive recycling and scrap metal recovery program.
The other Sustainability Award finalist is the high profile Ron Finemore Transport (RFT) which is still a family-owned and operated business, that re-emerged in 2004 to continue a transport legacy that began in the 1960s. The ATA says that RFT has made sustainability part of everyday trucking, using technology, data and long-term investment to reduce its environmental footprint.
RFT has reduced its diesel burn rate by more than 22 per cent over the past decade by combining real-time data, advanced fleet systems, operational expertise and employee engagement.
One of its standout initiatives has been at its Derrimut operation in Victoria where it operates a tyre retreading facility. This has operated for more than 26 years, with RFT now running about 75 per cent retreads across its fleet. The company produces about 16,000 retreads annually, extending tyre life and reducing waste. Its approach has twice been recognised with Michelin Factory of the Year awards, in 2023 and 2026.
Across its fleet, RFT uses telematics, tyre monitoring, renewable energy and water recycling to deliver measurable sustainability improvements.
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Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Group, Geraldton, WA
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Formula Chemicals (NSW) Pty Ltd is an
Ron Finemore Transport, Derrimut, VIC
