The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has announced the six finalists for its two national technical and training awards for 2025.
The awards are the Craig Roseneder Award for Technical & Maintenance Excellence and the National Training Excellence Award.
“These awards shine a spotlight on the critical role that training and technical excellence play in shaping a safer, smarter and more resilient transport industry,” said ATA Chair Mark Parry.
“They also celebrate the unwavering commitment of the individuals who keep the freight task moving – despite rising demand, economic pressures and workforce challenges.”
The Craig Roseneder Award recognises technical and maintenance excellence in the industry and celebrates the people who work behind the scenes to keep the industry’s workshops running.
The award finalists are:
- Chris Montgomery, CMV Truck & Bus (Derrimut, VIC)
- Scott Gardiner, Australia Post Group (Chullora, NSW)
- Thomas Kenny, Multiquip (Oran Park, NSW).
Chris Montgomery has more than 21 years at CMV Truck & Bus and is an accredited Volvo Battery Electric Master Technician.
He played a pivotal role in securing CMV Truck & Bus dealerships as Volvo EV certified locations and has contributed to the company’s safety culture, ensuring a safer work environment for all employees.
Scott Gardiner more than 30 years in the Australian transport industry and, starting on the workshop floor, has risen through the ranks to become StarTrack’s National Multihaul Manager.
He now serves as National Fleet & Equipment Policy, Regulatory Compliance & Reporting Manager for both StarTrack and Australia Post.
He has led major advances in fleet safety and sustainability, including the rollout of PBS vehicles, DriveCam technology and underrun protection. He also led the rollout of UBCO electric motorcycles at Australia Post.
Thomas Kenny is a highly respected professional across multiple facets of the transport and poultry logistics industry.
As Multiquip’s National Maintenance Manager, he has led major engineering and fleet optimisation projects, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, safety, and compliance.
He also spearheaded the rollout of Guardian by Seeing Machines across the truck fleet and Seen Sensors on forklifts, along with the introduction of key initiatives, such as park brake alarms, seatbelt interlocks, speed-limiting systems and remote PTO operations.
The winner of the Craig Roseneder Award will attend next year’s US Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition, in Nashville, Tennessee in March 2026.
The prize includes full conference registration, return airfares, accommodation and AU$1,500 spending money.
The prize also includes complimentary registration to the 2026 Australian Trucking Association Technology and Maintenance Conference.
The National Training Excellence Award recognises transport operators with a strong and demonstrated commitment to training and development, thereby improving safety for all. The finalists are:
- Divall’s Earthmoving Bulk Haulage (Goulburn, NSW)
- Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Group (Wonthella, WA)
- Stef’s Transport (Millicent, SA)
Divall’s Earthmoving is renowned for its long-standing outreach to local youth through career fairs and taster days, and for providing training, re-skilling, work and job readiness opportunities to young people connected with the Police Citizens Youth Club, NSW Corrective Services and people with special needs.
The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls Group (PHHGG), founded by Heather Jones, is a women-owned organisation in Western Australia, committed to inspiring women and underrepresented groups to pursue careers in the transport industry.
PHHGG was born out of Jones’s personal experience as a single mother entering the trucking industry, with the organisation offering driver training programs, including new-to-the-industry courses, licence upgrades and refresher training.
Stef’s Transport is a nationally recognised freight carrier that began in 1996 as a one-truck operation in Broken Hill, NSW.
Now based in Millicent, SA, it operates a fleet of prime movers and high-cube tautliners servicing routes across Australia.
In 2025, the company launched a formal training and development program to support its expanding workforce and uphold industry standards.
The winner of the National Training Excellence Award will receive a $7,000 prize package to be used towards staff training initiatives or a business services package with a training consultancy.
Both ATA awards will be presented as part of the ATA’s 2025 Technology and Maintenance Conference, to be held in Melbourne on 14-15 October 2025, with the winners announced on 15 October 2025 at the Castrol Awards Dinner.
The Castrol Industry Achievement Award, which recognises exceptional technical innovation and industry achievement will also be presented on the night.
Past winners include Les Bruzsa from the NHVR, Ian Thomson from BPW Transpec and Bob Pearson from Pearson’s Transport Research Centre.
Read about other industry award ceremonies.
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