Neil is TR Group’s second longest serving staff member, just a few weeks behind Andrew Carpenter, the company’s Managing Director. Neil’s a family man and the General Manager in Strategic Development for both TR Group and Master Drive Services. He sees to it that the company’s top priorities are trucks, safety, people, and the environment.
A growing number of champion truck drivers
Another New Zealand Truck Driver Championship has come to an end. The finals were held at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on the 25th and 26th of September. Finalists from all over New Zealand, champions of their respective regions, came together for the culmination of the competition.
It gives us great satisfaction to see that more and more individuals are taking the initiative to become better drivers every day by honing their technical, practical, and theoretical knowledge in driving. As Andrew Carpenter, our managing director puts it, “The 2018 competition stands out because of the number of younger contestants and also both men and women competing and winning. All of the winners are great ambassadors for the industry, being proud of their achievements, yet humble, respectful toward their fellow competitors, and grateful for the recognition. If all of our industry were like these people we would be in great hands – they provide inspiration to all.”
The transport industry is of great value to New Zealand. It, quite literally, paves the way in building the country’s infrastructure, as well as bringing goods and services to where they need to be and of course, drivers play an essential role in making all of this happen.
The Road Transport Forum’s New Zealand Truck Driver Championship has brought some of the best truck drivers in the country together to showcase the skills necessary to make a difference in ensuring safety, efficiency, and compliance.
As New Zealand’s largest heavy transport lease and rental company, together with our sister company, TR Master Drive Services, we are passionate about spreading the word on driver safety, efficiency, and compliance. Seeing truck drivers showcase these qualities is a joy to see, and it’s been a great pleasure to be the competition’s major sponsor.
Our congratulations go to the winners - Darren Wilson, the 2018 New Zealand Champion Truck Driver, John Baillie who won the Tractor-Semi Combination Category and David Rogers, ERoad NZ Young Truck Driver of the Year.
Having a variety of champion truck drivers is a wonderful sight to see and we’re positive that more drivers will become passionate about improving their skills in the years to come. We encourage drivers of all ages to keep upskilling, not only for competitions such as this but also to make a difference to the country and the environment.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Road Transport Forum for hosting this annual competition, all the 2018 participants, everyone who’s volunteered and took the time to make this event possible.
We look forward to seeing more champion truck drivers, not only in the competition but also on New Zealand roads!