Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) says its Truck of the Year Competition is kicking off with renewed vigour for 2024.
Now in its 28th year, the competition originated with the first editions of Isuzu’s hardcopy Truckpower magazine in the mid-1990s.
Isuzu’s competition continues with the intent of celebrating life on the road, businesses around the county and the trucks that support them.
IAL marketing and advertising manager Sam Gangemi says Isuzu Australia is proud of the enduring competition, which connects the OEM with the grassroots of its customers.
“Truck of the Year is where the spirit of the trucking community has met passion for product for almost 30 years,” Gangemi says.
“Our customers come from some of Australia’s most demanding working industries. From our point of view, it’s great that the competition can bring these people together in the limelight and recognise their achievements.
“This year is all about giving your truck another chance to work for you—whether you’re a tradie, cattle farmer or a driver in national logistics chain, we encourage you to tell your story,” he says.
Winners are grinners
The competition opens on May 10, 2024, and runs until 11:59 pm on December 1, 2024.
Entering the competition is as straightforward as visiting the landing page at isuzu.com.au, following the prompts and reading the terms and conditions.
Winners are rewarded with a range of cash and merchandise prizes, plus further opportunities to partner with Isuzu Trucks to promote their business.
‘Monthly’ winners are selected from the pool of entries each month of the competition, with each receiving an Isuzu merchandise pack valued at $300 RRP.
These monthly winners go in the running for the ‘Series Prize’ according to their relevant Isuzu truck model series.
The Series Prize winners—each taking home a $1,000 Visa gift card—then duke it out for the title of Isuzu’s 2024 Truck of the Year and the grand prize of a $6,000 Visa gift card.
“In 2024, there are multiple ways to win as we reward loyal Isuzu fans for their dedication and their part in making Isuzu Trucks the number one-selling truck brand in Australia.
“Over the years, we’ve been delighted to receive all manner of entries, from Ready-to-Work trucks in trade, tankers, and crane trucks, to highly customised waste and recycling units and concrete agitators.
“The entries that go far in the competition combine two key things: a photo that shows how the truck is working for the business and a caption that gives us a sense of why this person loves their rig,” Gangemi says.
A little competition history
With a great snap and a line or two about how their trucks are doing business, these recent Truck of the Year Grand Prize Winners found their place on the top list at Isuzu Australia.
Top End contender
VTG Waste & Recycling scored top gong in 2023 with an outstanding FYJ 300-350 8×4 waste compactor used in recycling and commercial waste disposal in Darwin in the Northern Territory.
“Isuzu trucks are reliable, functional and well-suited to the tough environment of the Top End,” VTG Waste & Recycling manager director James Prakash says.
Heavy-duty hero
The 2022 competition saw Craneworx, a family-run business located in Adelaide, South Australia, take out the top spot as Grand Prize Winner with their hardy yellow FYJ 300-350 tilt-tray truck fitted with an eight-metre tray and 2.5-tonne Hyva loader crane.
“Isuzu are very well respected in the trucking industry, and the reliability of their product is why we chose them to support Craneworx,” Craneworx operations manager Daniel Lockwood says.
Team player
In 2021, Adelaide Liquid Waste Solutions dressed to impress with an FXZ 240-350 vacuum tanker flying the company’s slick grey-and-blue colour scheme.
Since then, the business has rapidly expanded its fleet, introducing several new Isuzu trucks to its waste collection operation.
“With our busy schedule, we now have one dedicated driver for each truck, and an extra driver which covers holidays and personal leave or can be an extra driver as needed on a job—we don’t want to say ‘no’ to our customers when they need us,” Adelaide Liquid Waste Solutions co-director Suzanne Magro says.
