A safety award set up by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has been named after a former National Transport Insurance manager.

The TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award is named after the insurer’s NSW Risk Manager, who died in 2007. Austbrokers AEI Transport Insurance will sponsor the award.

ATA CEO Stuart St Clair says Mr Kelly was heavily involved in the early development of Team 200 (the predecessor of TruckSafe), helped in the development of fatigue management programs and assisted in implementing a number of driver training programs.

The award will recognise an operator who has successfully implemented Trucksafe, a business and risk management system aimed at improving the safety and professionalism of trucking operators nationwide.

“Independent research shows TruckSafe-accredited operators are twice as safe as other trucking businesses,” Mr St Clair said. “This award will go one step further and recognise the best of the best.”