At the 2012 Australian Trucking Convention, Chris Richardson will demystify the budget with his hard-hitting and straightforward analysis of the economy.

Chris is one of Australia’s best known economists. A Partner in Deloitte Access Economics and author of the Business Review Weekly’s Eco column, he is a widely acknowledged expert in his field.

Chris’ presentation will examine the business forecast for the trucking industry over the year to come, highlighting the highs and lows and how to chart the best path forward for your business.

To attend this session, register for the Australian Trucking Convention for Thursday 17 May, or take full advantage of the many invaluable sessions by registering for the entire convention. Registrations close on Wednesday 9 May, so don’t delay or you’ll miss out.

The ATA has announced the finalists for the 2012 Australian Trucking Industry Awards.

The Chairman of the ATA, David Simon, said the prestigious awards are a highlight of the Australian trucking industry’s year, and recognise the achievements of some of its most dedicated people and companies.

“The quality of applications this year was extremely high. The finalists selected by the ATA’s judging panel represent the best our industry has to offer,” Mr Simon said.

“The finalists include men and women who have contributed to the industry over many years and millions of kilometres, as well as the two finalists for our Highway Guardian Award, whose actions in a single moment of crisis revealed their sterling character.

“Meanwhile, the finalists for the TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award are three of Australia’s safest trucking businesses. Companies in the TruckSafe program are twice as safe as non-accredited operators; these finalists are the best of the best.”

The 2012 National Trucking Industry Award finalists are:

- Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry – Bob Woodward (Wagga Wagga, NSW), Alan Yates (Dandenong, VIC) and Tony McGrath (Carrington, NSW).

- National Professional Driver of the Year – Raymond Barrie (Emerald, QLD) and William Watson (Colac, VIC).

- Trucking Industry Woman of the Year – Dianne Carroll OAM (Tarcutta, NSW), Rosalind Shaw (Wynnum, QLD,) and Jacquelene Brotherton (Laverton, VIC).

- Highway Guardian Award – Arthur Varsamidis (Oakley, VIC) and Tim Chellas (Parkes, NSW).

- TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award – Lloyd’s North Transport (Quoiba, TAS), Richers Transport (Maryborough, QLD) and Cleary Bros (Port Kembla, NSW).

The award winners will be announced on Friday 18 May at the ATA Foundations Sponsors Gala Awards Dinner at the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre, Sydney. The Training Excellence Award, sponsored by DECA Training, and the Don Watson Memorial Award will also be presented on the night.

The dinner is part of the Australian Trucking Convention, which will be held in Sydney from 16-19 May. To attend the evening, purchase a ticket or register as a delegate visit www.ataevents.net.au.

Delegates at the convention will hear from Lisa Sharwood from the George Institute for Global Health and Don Osterberg from Schneider National as they discuss the dangers of sleep apnoea in drivers, and how operators can help them.

Lisa is the lead author of a study into sleep apnoea in commercial truck drivers. Her research, recently published in international science journal Sleep, showed that while some 40 per cent of drivers may suffer from sleep apnoea, only 12 per cent are picked up under the current medical requirements.

A critical care nurse by training, Lisa is well aware of the dangers of sleepiness in long distance drivers. Her research highlights the risk of leaving these health issues unattended.

To find out how to address the issue, Don Osterberg from Schneider National in the US will outline the processes he has used to great effect in his own company.

Shortly after Don’s arrival at Schneider in 2004, he met with the grieving family of William Badger - killed when a Schneider driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

Don’s promise to the family was that the tragedy would not be in vain. Six years later, William’s daughter Dawn presented Don with the first ever Distinguished Safety Leadership award at the Sleep Apnoea and Trucking Conference in 2010.

In April, the Chairman of the Australian Trucking Association, David Simon, said dealing with sleep apnoea needed to be one of the ATA’s priorities in 2012.

The Australian Trucking Convention will be held in Sydney from Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 May 2012 at the Rosehill Gardens Event Centre. To attend the session, register as a delegate at www.ataevents.net.au.

Toyota will give an all new 2012 Camry Hybrid valued at $40,000 to the first golfer with a hole in one on Hole 3. It is the shortest hole on the course, measuring 170 metres and par 3.

The Hino Australia golf day marks the beginning of the Australian Trucking Convention, and is being held at St Michael’s Golf Club at Little Bay, one of the top 50 golf courses in Australia.

It’s a fantastic networking opportunity, bringing together trucking industry suppliers, operators and their partners in a sometimes competitive, but always enjoyable day out.

To take part in the day and have the chance to win the Camry Hybrid, purchase your ticket today!

The ATA’s auction for the Volvo FH540 Euro 5 Prime Mover closes at 5:00pm Monday 30 April, so get your bid in today.

This Prime Mover is rated for B-double combinations, and comes with an enviable list of specifications, including an active safety pack.

Don’t forget, the winning bidder for the Prime Mover also receives a Convention package, which includes:

• Full delegate registration to the 2012 Australian Trucking Convention;
• Return airfares and accommodation at the Australian Trucking Convention for you and a special someone;
• Special guest attendance at the Volvo Night at the Races Auction Dinner for the handover of the Prime Mover;
• A feature story in Prime Mover magazine;
• A feature story in Volvo’s customer magazine; and
• A business photographic session with acclaimed truck photographer Gavin Blue.

Register your bid for the truck online. All bids must be received by 5:00pm 30 April 2012.

To attend the dinner, purchase a ticket or register as a delegate for the Convention today!

You can’t afford to get speed management wrong.

Inappropriate speed causes almost a third of serious truck accidents. As a result, the penalties are very high. Company directors, executives and managers can be prosecuted personally if their businesses don’t take action to stop speeding.

But where can you get the information you need to protect yourself, your business, your drivers and other people on the road?

The answer is the 2012 Australian Trucking Convention.

At the convention, you’ll hear from the General Manager of Compliance and Enforcement at NSW Roads and Maritime Services, Paul Endycott, and the Traffic Operations Manager at the NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, Inspector Phillip Brooks.

They’ll explain how to spot speed limiter tampering, the penalties and what you can do to make sure your management systems comply with the law.

You’ll also be able to ask questions and have your say about what the police are doing.

This year’s Australian Trucking Convention holds a strong focus on leadership and change management, including a session by international key speaker Don Osterberg of Schneider National in the US.

Don received the first ever Distinguished Safety Leadership Award from the USA Truck Safety Coalition. In presenting the award, Governor Bill Graves of the American Trucking Association said “through his leadership there is now absolute, hard solid proof that safety need not be sacrificed to promote productivity.”

Don’s achievements are hard to ignore. Between 2007-2012, Schneider has documented significant safety improvements, productivity gains and business growth over multiple areas as a result of the belief-based safety leadership approach. These include a reduction of fatal crashes by 59 per cent, $24 million in productivity cost savings, and a 50 per cent reduction in potentially severe crashes, among others.

To find out how Don achieved these results, and how you can do the same for your business, register as a delegate for the Australian Trucking Convention today. With a whole host of other inspirational sessions ready with advice and information for the trucking industry, attending the convention is a smart decision for the future of your business.

For more than 30 years, Daryl Braithwaite, former lead vocalist of Sherbet, has been one of Australia’s most popular, award winning, premier performers.

Throughout the 70’s, Sherbet produced 20 national Top 40 singles including #1 songs like “Summer Love” and, “Howzat.”

Daryl returned in a very big way with the album “Edge” which spawned four hit singles with “As The Days Go By”, “All I Do”, “Let Me Be”, and the gold single “One Summer”. The album “Rise” and his version of “The horses” kept it going strong.

Karl Stefanovic has worked with the Nine Network since 2000. Recently, he won two awards in the 2011 Logies- the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality, and the Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter.

Chris Richardson is one of Australia’s best known economists. A Partner in Deloitte Access Economics and author of the Business Review Weekly’s Eco column, he is a widely acknowledged expert in his field. Chris’ presentation will examine the business forecast for the trucking industry over the year to come, highlighting the highs and lows and how to chart the best path forward for your business.

Leading Transport and Logistics adviser Brendan Richards returns as our highest rated speaker from the Australian Trucking Convention 2011. A Partner in Ferrier Hodgson, Brendan works is a specialist in corporate recovery, and leads the firm’s Transport and Logistics practice.

With experience as the Receiver and Manager of the Mannway Group of Companies and author of the ‘Cash Driver’ column in Australasian Transport News, Brendan is intimately familiar with the challenges facing today’s transport operators. His session, ‘Managing Change in your Business’, will provide operators with expert advice on issues like:

• getting prices right and reviewing them often;
• building the right fleet;
• diversifying to reduce risk; and
• managing gearing ratios and cashflows.

The 2012 Australian Trucking Convention will feature a unique session where delegates can build their own to-do list of things to check in their business.

The session will include a keynote presentation from the Project Director at the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) Project office, Richard Hancock.

“The NHVR will improve the efficiency, safety, and productivity of the trucking industry through one rule book rather than eight. To make sure we realise those gains, there’ll be some changes in the way operators go about their business and we are working very closely with industry to make sure that’s done right and that people are aware of them,” Richard said.

Together, Richard and a panel of industry experts will create a to-do list for operators to follow as they prepare for the new laws. Delegates at the convention will be able to take this list back to their business to check off as the new laws get closer.

Merry Manton from Simon National Carriers, a previous winner of the National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year award, will be part of the industry panel for this discussion, along with Fiona Baxter from Kelvin Baxter Transport and the ATA’s National Policy Manager, David Coonan.

David said the session will be essential for all trucking operators.

“As with all the sessions for the Australian Trucking Convention, this session will prove essential to any operator who cares about the future of their business. The NHVR to-do list will help delegates ensure a smooth transition from the current state of their business into the new laws next year,” David said.

“Delegates will also get the chance to ask their own questions of Richard Hancock and the panel, so if you have a question about the new national system, this really is an opportunity that should not be missed.”