Truck drivers can be heroes – this was the message sent out around the country in last night’s episode of The Project featuring NZ Truck & Driver magazine’s ‘Truck Driver Hero’ Phil Newton.
It’s time to salute NZ’s truck driver heroes thanks to Truck & Driver magazine breathing new life into the Hero initiative, where companies or individuals are invited to submit their nominations for a Truck Driver Hero who has gone beyond the call of duty.
The first winner, a milktanker driver for Fonterra, Phil discussed with the panel on The Project his experience talking a young woman down from potential suicide at a dam 64 metres above the Waikato River.
Phil was awarded his prize at the Road Transport Forum conference in Dunedin last night.
“Launched in 1998, Truck & Driver magazine has long been the voice of New Zealand’s truck drivers, so this was a logical step to give them the recognition they deserve,” says Publisher Trevor Woolston.
This comes timeously, with Truck & Driver’s annual Truck Driver Appreciation Week having only just finished. All of last week drivers around the country were given thanks for their hard work in the form of free coffee and other goodies.
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is when New Zealand takes the time to honour professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in tackling one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs. These professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely and on time, they also keep our highways safe.
Both projects are part of Truck & Driver magazine’s We Love Trucks & Drivers initiative.
Nominations are invited for the next Truck Driver Hero winner. They can include drivers who have significantly contributed to the safety of others, such as protecting someone from danger, or even a driver who has contributed notably to the industry through advocacy or encouragement of others.
Part of the Allied Publications Ltd stable, NZ Truck & Driver Magazine is the official magazine of the Road Transport Forum New Zealand and is the only magazine that can give you access to the members of this strong industrial organisation. Its members are the major consumers of more than 90% of the consumables used by the road transport industry.