Heavy truck shows draw large crowds year round. People from all walks of life attend these expositions to look at all the mechanical monsters that fill the highways. The general public comes to climb into a truck and wonder what it’s like to spend your life on the open road.
And that’s a good thing because those people need to get a little education about trucks and drivers in order to understand what truckers endure on the roads. Any time people come together around trucks it helps to make them more tolerant of truckers and to get rid of negative attitudes especially when they rub shoulders and chat it up with trucking insiders.
Vendor Showcase
Some shows bring together vendors to promote their products and services to fleets and owner operators. All sorts of trucker services are made known and even sold at truck shows.
New trucks of all makes and models are on display to show off the latest advancement in technology, style, and aerodynamics. And of course to promote new truck sales. Often there are also a handful of used trucks being offered for sale.
Repair Shops Generate New Leads
Representatives from truck repair facilities-from small mom and pop stores to large fleet shops- attending to showcase their breakdown and truck repair services in hopes of attracting more market share. Even truck towing companies are on hand to show off their rigs.
You’ll find truck technician training colleges offering heavy truck repair programs for aspiring truck and diesel mechanics. And you can see the latest battery electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell powered units that provide zero tailpipe emissions for technicians to acquire specialized training on.
Parts Discounts and Deals
Parts vendors of all varieties come to display deals on their truck parts innovations and new developments in components and to show how to order them online. Internet is a boon to businesses in the twenty-first century.
You’ll see the recent breakthroughs in electronics, especially for communications with dispatch. Telematics devices and software for transmitting truck health data like driver habits, fuel economy, and truck performance.
Anything and everything for trucks is offered at truck shows. Dressed up owner/operator rigs show off their beauty and compete for prizes. Who says dogs are the only ones to vie for best in show?
Truck Driver Training Schools
And what would a truck show be without truck driver training schools on hand to help interested women and men to sign up for a Commercial Driver License course to become truck drivers?
Get hands on experience and excellent safety training to make one a certified truck driver ready to take to the open road in a new career as a professional driver. Learn everything from how to use air brakes to the strategy of backing up a tractor trailer successfully every time.
There is so much more at grand truck shows, we’ve barely skimmed the surface. Of course, you may have to wait to go to the next big truck show, as most have cancelled this year’s events due to the raging coronavirus wreaking havoc throughout the world and the possibility of large gatherings to become super spreaders. Better luck next year, we hope.
Shows Promote Fellowships and Camaraderie
When the pandemic is out of sight we know that shows will go on and people will flock to them. There will be renewed friendships and fellowships at the truck expos. Driver camaraderie will reign again. And the motoring public will gain a new appreciation of the people and their trucks who pressed on and risked their lives daily for us when we needed them most.
The majority of people were told to stay home and stay safe. But trucks kept rolling and bringing us everything we needed. Those drivers motorized the global economy and kept it chugging along in the face of great adversity.
Come to a truck show and you will see truck driver fellowship and camaraderie in the flesh. And don’t forget to thank the drivers for their unending service.