HVIA awards put Australian truck and trailer innovation in the spotlight
Story · October 1, 2026
Australian heavy-vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, fleets and technology developers are in the running for the 2026 Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia National Awards, with finalists now confirmed across product, safety, sustainability, workforce and community categories.
For ACT readers, the product and safety categories provide a useful snapshot of current Australian truck, trailer and workshop development.
Five product innovations shortlisted
The Product Innovation Award finalists are Jamieson’s Automated Discharge Control, KIRIN Industries’ ALLYPAN, Protran Solutions’ Sunswap Endurance battery-electric transport refrigeration unit, Volvo Trucks Australia’s first Australian-manufactured heavy-duty electric trucks and WHG Technologies’ AssetIQ-730 intelligent trailer platform.
Volvo began Australian manufacture of heavy-duty battery-electric trucks at Wacol in July, while WHG’s Australian-designed AssetIQ-730 combines trailer location, utilisation and maintenance information. HVIA says about 200 AssetIQ-730 units have been deployed across the TR Group fleet, with a planned rollout to 2,500 trailers.
Safety finalists span trucks, workshops and components
The Safety Innovation Award finalists include CMV Truck & Bus’s roadside breakdown safety system, Redcat Industries’ linked wheel-nut indicator, Toll Group’s purpose-built low-profile beverage delivery vehicles and Volvo Group Australia’s hydraulic press ballistic curtains.
The range is notable because the shortlisted work extends from vehicle design and component-level controls to workshop and roadside operating systems.
More ACT coverage to come
ACT is examining several of the shortlisted products and systems individually where there is enough technical information to go beyond an awards announcement. Jamieson’s Automated Discharge Control and WHG’s AssetIQ-730 are among the technologies warranting a closer look.
The winners will be announced at the HVIA National Awards Gala Dinner in Brisbane on 3 December 2026.
Source: Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia, 2026 National Awards finalist announcements, 28–29 September 2026.