The ATA board of directors made the decision this morning Monday 16 March), after considering advice about the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
The ATA says the decision to cancel Trucking Australia 2020 was not an easy one, but it was the right one.
The Association says that for thirty years, it has argued that it is good business for trucking companies to implement health and safety measures that go beyond government requirements.
“We could do nothing else but apply the same ethos to our event,” said ATA chair Geoff Crouch.
“The board understands the disappointment this will cause our delegates, sponsors and presenters. We share this disappointment,” he added.
“Our team has worked extremely hard over the past six months to develop a fresh and exciting conference program and great social events. But the only responsible course is to cancel the event.”
“All delegates will receive a full refund of their Mega Deal or registration fees. The ATA will announce arrangements for the next Trucking Australia when the situation becomes clearer. We will keep delegates and our stakeholders up to date. ”
“I would like to thank all our event sponsors: BP, National Transport Insurance, Volvo Group Australia, PACCAR Australia, AEI Transport, Brighter, Cummins South Pacific, Daimler, EROAD, KPMG, Telstra, MaxiTRANS, Penske, Pickles, Seeing Machines, Teletrac Navman, Sutton Road Training Centre and Thermo King.”
“Over the coming weeks, the Australian Trucking Association will focus on, providing government decision makers with accurate and timely information about the impact of the pandemic, advocating on behalf of our members, and providing authoritative information to industry,” he concluded.