Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has celebrated its premier carrier partners at its annual awards.
The evening held at the scenic Taronga Zoo consisted of two key award categories, Driver of the Year with one metro and one regional winner per state and the prestigious Transport Partner of the Year gong.
There were 21 awards in total.
Some 14 drivers were recognised for demonstrating the highest level of service and outstanding professionalism in their state.
Bevchain took home the award for Safety, which was presented to Michael Assaf, for its contribution to safety, sustainability, collaboration and customer service.
Toll Group received no less than five awards including CCEP’s Sustainability Carrier of the Year Award.
The award follows Toll’s recent rollout of new quad-axle skate and double-drop trailers, along with a joint initiative for new electric vehicles in the fleet.
“These awards are a testament to our long-standing partnership with CCEP and reflect the hard work, dedication, and safety-first mindset of our incredible joint teams,” Toll Group said in an online statement.
Toll also saw four of its drivers recognised for their exceptional service and commitment to safety.
Toll Group’s team led by Michael Freestone and Nick Vrckovski were highlighted for optimising large scale/high service logistics tasks with “innovative high productivity equipment designs and a meaningful sustainability design pipeline”.
CCEP named its freight forwarding partner Röhlig Logistics as its Transport Partner for 2025.
“Röhlig make the complex task of moving our raw materials around the world look easy,“ said Roland Simpson, CCEP Head of Transport Networks.
“Our Awards night acknowledges the dedication of all our drivers and transport partners that support our business to ensure our products reach our customers every day.”
Maxwell Richards at SRV Roadfreight Services was recognised as the linehaul driver of the year.
Team Global Express’ Ben Noll won QLD Regional Driver of the Year while Brian Salter won Tasmanian Driver of the Year.
“This event honoured the invaluable partnership between the transport industry and CCEP, recognising the outstanding contributions of individuals who form the backbone of customer service,” said TGE Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Wildblood.
“The awards highlighted the dedication and excellence of drivers nationwide, with categories including metro and regional driver of the year awards for each state, as well as carrier awards for top transport companies across the country.”
Northline’s Doug Sinclair won Northern Territory driver of the year. It was one of two awards the company received, the other going to Michael McKee for Regional Driver in South Australia.
Centurion’s Andre Van Rooyen won the Regional Driver for Western Australia with Paul Carrington of Toll taking home the Metro award in the state.
Keith Taylor (Regional) and Jalal Arabi (Metro) made it a clean sweep in New South Wales for Toll Group while Jack Morrison received the Metro driver award for Queensland and Paul Carrington won Metro in Western Australia.
Bevchain’s Dave Perry was awarded the Metro driver gong in South Australia. Not to be outdone, Navjot Singh represented the company with the Metro award for Victoria.
Wettenhalls driver Cory Andrew took out the Regional operator category for Victoria.
In the regional carrier categories, Wade Transport was recognised for NSW, Richers Transport for Queensland, Dyers Distribution for Victoria/Tasmania, Bishop’s Transport for South Australia/Northern Territory and McDonald’s Wholesalers for Western Australia.
“Our transport partners play a critical role in helping us deliver to our customers across Australia,” said Phil Parsons, Director of Logistics, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.
“These awards are an opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution of our carriers and drivers—those who consistently demonstrate excellence in safety, service, and sustainability,” he told Prime Mover.
“For nearly 90 years, we’ve been making, moving, and selling Coca-Cola products locally, reaching more than 98 per cent of Australian postcodes. That scale and reliability are only possible with the support of dedicated logistics partners like these.”
