Five finalists have been named in the Product Innovation Award category of the 2026 Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia National Awards.
The Product Innovation Award recognises HVIA member organisations that have designed, developed or applied innovative products, technologies or systems that deliver real-world benefits to the freight and heavy vehicle industry.
The solution may enhance safety, environmental performance or productivity – or deliver benefits across several of these areas. It may be implemented within the business, offered to customers, or contribute more broadly to improved performance across the industry.
The 2026 finalists are:
Jamieson: Automated Discharge Control
Unloading a pneumatic dry-bulk tanker has traditionally relied heavily on driver knowledge and technique. Jamieson’s Automated Discharge Control brings automation to the process, managing key elements of unloading to improve consistency and reduce operational risk.
The system combines sensors, electronically controlled hardware, proprietary software and a touchscreen interface to manage tank pressure, airflow, product flow and valves during discharge.
Now operating in commercial fleets, the system is designed to reduce risks including over-pressurisation and hose blockage, simplify operator training and reduce variations in unloading time. By translating an experience-dependent task into a more controlled and repeatable process, the technology has the potential to deliver benefits across safety, training and productivity.
KIRIN Industries: ALLYPAN
KIRIN Industries has developed ALLYPAN, an Australian-designed lightweight aluminium pantech body system that uses structural aluminium components and honeycomb panels to reduce body tare.
A typical six-pallet ALLYPAN body is reported to weigh approximately 440 kilograms. That reduction is particularly significant on 4.5-tonne GVM vehicles, where the weight of the body and equipment can substantially constrain the amount of freight a vehicle can legally carry.
By reducing the weight of the body itself, ALLYPAN increases the proportion of the vehicle’s legal gross mass available for payload – providing additional carrying capacity without increasing vehicle GVM.
Protran Solutions: Sunswap Endurance Battery-Electric TRU
Protran Solutions has introduced the Sunswap Endurance battery-electric transport refrigeration unit to Australia and New Zealand, providing an alternative to the diesel engines traditionally used to refrigerate trailers.
The system combines a 71 kWh battery, roof-mounted solar generation and electric refrigeration equipment to maintain chilled and frozen freight temperatures across metropolitan and line-haul operations.
Protran has tested the technology under Australian operating conditions, including grocery, frozen-freight and longer-distance applications. By removing the separate diesel refrigeration engine, the system is designed to reduce fuel consumption, noise and refrigeration-engine maintenance while retaining the flexibility required for demanding cold-chain operations.
Volvo Trucks Australia: First Australian-Manufactured Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks
In July 2026, Volvo Group Australia commenced Australian manufacture of heavy-duty battery-electric trucks at its Wacol facility – extending local heavy-vehicle manufacturing capability from conventional diesel models into zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles.
Local production allows electric trucks to be incorporated into the same Australian manufacturing and customisation environment as conventional vehicles, enabling them to be configured for local operating requirements.
The initiative represents more than the introduction of another vehicle technology. It also extends Australian manufacturing capability and develops the local skills and experience required to build and support heavy-duty electric vehicles as the freight task evolves.
WHG Technologies: AssetIQ-730 Intelligent Trailer Platform
WHG Technologies has developed AssetIQ-730, an Australian-designed intelligent trailer platform that connects trailers with fleet and maintenance management systems and brings information about individual assets into one environment.
Integrated with WHG’s iLinkAIR platform, AssetIQ-730 combines location and hubodometer data with trailer utilisation, battery monitoring and compatible sensors including tyre-pressure, temperature and door monitoring.
Developed with TR Group and specialist technology partners, the platform uses actual trailer utilisation and operating patterns to help forecast maintenance requirements rather than relying solely on fixed service intervals. Around 200 units have been deployed across the TR Group fleet, with a planned rollout to 2,500 trailers.
Its modular design allows the technology to be configured for different trailer types and fleet requirements, giving operators a central source of information for asset location, utilisation and maintenance planning.
The winners of the 2026 Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia National Awards will be announced at the HVIA Gala Dinner on Thursday, December 3 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.