This year saw the 33rd Motor Transport Awards take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel situated on London’s Park Lane. Over 1,500 guests gathered to celebrate the achievements of the industry and recognise innovation, outstanding service, efficiency and quality.

The Technical Excellence Award, sponsored by Hankook Tyre UK celebrates whoever is responsible for managing the specification, acquisition, repair and maintenance and disposal of an operator’s fleet. To win this award entrants have to demonstrate industry-leading levels of cost efficiency, reliability, availability, safety and first-time annual test pass rates. Demonstrating innovation is also essential, such as reducing fuel consumption, being more efficient or using technology creatively to solve specific technical fleet challenges.

Brett Emerson, Managing Director for the UK commented “As the UK’s market leader on truck tyres and at the forefront of technical excellence ourselves, this is the finest award for Hankook to sponsor and I would like to again congratulate Cartwright Group for being named as the winner of the Technical Excellence Award at the 2019 Motor Transport Awards. The Hankook team always look forward to attending this prestigious event with some of our key customers, and this year was no exception. Furthermore, we were delighted to help international charity Transaid to raise much needed funds during this event to provide professional driver training, transport management systems, and rural access to transport, in economically developing countries”.

In a close category, Cartwright Group, which is the UK’s leading trailer, commercial vehicle body and conversion manufacturer was crowned winner of the Technical Excellence Award. Judges commended the company’s low-height refrigerated double-deck trailer, commenting “this was a clever solution to the problem and noted that many of these innovations could be carried over into 4m high fridge trailers to get the benefits of reduced fuel consumption.” Cartwright Group dedicated the award to their workshop and office staff, believing the group’s success is driven by its’ people, treating every single member of staff with respect, openness and honesty.

Transaid, an international charity which tackles poverty and disadvantage by building transport skills and knowledge in the developing world, hosted an auction at the event, and Hankook as a corporate sponsor of Transaid, donated a VIP trip for two to watch Real Madrid play at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium next season, as part of the Football Lovers Package which raised £4,500. Overall, Transaid raised a record-breaking £36,825 on the evening.

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising at Transaid said “The Motor Transport Awards is always a fantastic evening for Transaid. This year we were very lucky with the quality of prizes, and the Football Lovers Package donated by Hankook was particularly well received by the audience. We are all absolutely delighted that these helped us raise a record breaking £36,825 in total – money that will make a huge difference to our work in sub-Saharan Africa.”