TORONTO, Ont. – Hino Trucks celebrated 30 years in Canada this April, and to mark the occasion the manufacturer presented awards for the Most Rugged Survivor Hino Truck.

The awards presentation was held April 16 at a gala dinner at the Fairmount Royal York in Toronto, attended by more than 340 Canadian Hino dealers, customers and suppliers.

First place, and a cruise for two to Greece, went to Karlis Kanins, the owner of a 1975 Model KL 440. Kanins hails from Vancouver, B.C. In its latest incarnation, the 29- year old truck serves as a travelling party centre, with a hot tub in the trailer it hauls.

Second prize, and a trip for two to London, England, went to the owner of a 1978 Hino 2.5-ton model, still in use as a working truck. The truck is owned by Maurice Bodin of Markerville, Alta.

Third prize and a trip for two to Las Vegas went to the owners of a 1982 FF195 model.

Owned by George and Rosemarie Balash, from St. Paul, Alta., the truck also continues to work, hauling on the family farm.

“Hino has customer testimonials stating that their vehicles have clocked more than one million kilometres with few repairs and are still delivering the goods! We wanted to find these amazing trucks and reward their owners for their outstanding loyalty,” said Alan Masters, vice-president of Hino Motors Sales Canada. Takao Inoue, Deputy General Manager of the Service Division for Hino Motors Japan presented the awards.