Among the thousands of professional truckers planning to head to Louisville for the Mid-America Trucking Show March 25-27?
This is one place every year that you will find everything imaginable you need to make, build or continue a successful trucking business. In addition, the days are filled with educational and social events guaranteed to be show highlights.
Here’s some worth noting:
FMCSA will host a pair of seminars on CSA 2010. The first one will be on March 25 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. The second will be March 26 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Both sessions will be held in the South Wing Conference Center Room B-104.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will hold a fifth listening session on the hours-of-service regulations. The listening session will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 26, at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, South Wing, Room B101.
If you missed pregistering for MATS online, you can still attend. But registering the day of the listening session as part of MATS will require a $5 registration fee.
FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro will be a guest at the Truck Writers of North America industry banquet and communications awards ceremony on Thursday evening, March 25. She is expected to briefly address members of trucking’s trade press, who gather to recognize excellence in trucking industry journalism, as well as excellence in communication with the industry by public relations professionals.
A highlight of the TWNA banquet on March 25 is the announcement of the winner of the 2009 Goodyear Highway Hero. Click here to see who the finalists are and the story behind each driver’s heroic deed.
Another MATS happening to note on your calendar is the Paul K. Young Memorial Truck Beauty Championship where 100 entries will be vying for honors. The event, which has become a star attraction at the Mid-America Trucking Show, celebrates North America’s heavy-duty, working show trucks. Look for the action in Lot J on the west side of the complex.
Bud Farquhar with Stars & Stripes is directing the Paul K. Young and will be the host at the annual awards ceremony on Saturday morning, March 27. Farquhar said Wednesday that a special feature has been added to the “trophy dash,” which will begin at 9 a.m. rather than at its normal 10 a.m. slot.
“We are starting earlier as the ‘Ice Road Truckers’ people will be there and will do a slide presentation and Q & A,” said Farquhar. “It should be really interesting and entertaining for all. We will then proceed with the awards ceremony at 10.”
The National Association of Show Trucks kicks off its 2010 show season at MATS. Check it out at NAST Booth No. 91450.
The HTAA Health Awareness Walk is the first-of-its-kind fitness event to be held in the trucking industry. Drivers who are thinking about getting fit, wanting to stay healthy, or looking for tips to enhance their workouts are invited to join their fellow drivers, along with Bob Perry (“The Trucker Trainer”) and The Trucking Solutions Group Driver Health Council on a 1.5-mile fun walk on Friday, March 26, at 8 a.m. There is no cost, but registration is required. You will need to sign in by 7:30 a.m. The walk will be on the sidewalks outside the exhibition halls. The Pre-Walk room (West Hall No. 1 meeting room) will be open at 7 a.m. Registrants will receive walk packets, while supplies last, with health information and giveaways. For more info, go to driverhealth.org.
Each year Arrow Truck Sales gets behind a worthy driver who has been down on his luck or who for some reason has been sidelined from the road. The “Back on the Road” program has selected a 2010 winner, but it’s keeping it a secret until MATS. Country music star Aaron Tippin and Sirius XM radio personality Dave Nemo will be making the announcement at the truck show Friday, March 26, at 11 a.m. at Booth 32405.
OOIDA is one of the sponsors of this program. This year, Arrow Truck Sales celebrates 60 years in the used truck business, with branches located throughout the United States and Canada.
On Friday night, March 26, Mobil Delvac sponsors a concert in Freedom Hall featuring John Anderson and The Grascals. Complimentary tickets will be distributed, while supplies last, from Mobil Delvac's Booth No. 18160 in the North Wing.
FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro will be the featured speaker at the Women In Trucking Association’s “Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel,” to be held Saturday, March 27, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville.
All female professional drivers are welcome to attend. They will receive a free T-shirt to wear for a photo that will be taken in an effort to achieve a world record for the largest gathering of female drivers. These women and their families will receive complimentary items from the event’s sponsors, which include Daimler Trucks North America (www.freightlinertrucks.com), Frito-Lay (www.Frito-Lay.com), and Walmart (www.walmart. com).
The event is planned for Saturday, March 27, in South Wing conference rooms C201-C20. Doors open at noon; Salute photo at 1 p.m.Pre-registration is required and can be completed online at www.salute2women.com/.
Entertainment abounds in Louisville during MATS. Joey Holiday reports that the show is part of his big 2010 super tour. Leland Martin does not have MATS on his 2010 show schedule, but Land Line has learned that he will be there and he plans to entertain at Papa John’s parking lot on Saturday night. You can meet Leland at OOIDA’s North Lobby booth Saturday 10 to noon.
Where is OOIDA going to be this year? The Association will have three booths at the 2010 show: Booth 11128 in the North Wing, Booth 65229 is in the West Wing, and there’s another booth in the North Lobby. Runner Jazzy Jordan will be a special guest at the North Lobby booth every day from noon to 3 p.m.
You can also find First Observer at its booth in the West Wing. The Association’s Director of Security Operations, Doug Morris, will be there each day along with other representatives from the First Observer program. If you haven’t signed up for the First Observer program, put this on your to-do list.
OOIDA’s tour truck, the Spirit of the American Trucker, will be parked at Papa John’s, where you can meet OOIDA Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz and OOIDA Board Member Bill Rode of Eagle, ID. Ron Mermis will be close by in the OOIDA NASCAR simulator.
A number of trucker activities are expected to take place at Papa John’s, including the Trucker’s First Responder classes. OOIDA member and retired paramedic Jon Osburn is presenting a series of classes aimed at teaching truckers how to help at the scene of an accident. The classes will take place March 25-27 near the St. Christopher Fund tent in the Papa John’s parking lot. Classes are free of charge, but donations to the St. Christopher Fund are welcome.
Those courses are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, March 25-26, 9-11 a.m. near the St. Christopher Fund tent. On Saturday, the course is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Drinks (coffee, pop, and water) will be furnished by UniGroup Safety Department.
That’s not all that’s happening at Papa John’s. OOIDA Life Member and veteran owner-operator Rusty Wade, wife Mary and many trucking friends are planning a non-fundraiser, non-agenda-driven, three-day party at the stadium parking lot. Drivers and others are invited to enjoy the fellowship, share the fun. Bring your own food and non-alcoholic beverages if you want, but the word is that some well-known asphalt chefs will be grilling night and day.
A Parade of Lights – bobtails only – will take place about 6 p.m. (or sunset) on Saturday, March 27, with tractors staging at Papa John’s. Plans are for the bobtails to convoy around downtown Louisville and back to the stadium parking lot. All proceeds are going to Special Olympics Kentucky. Entry fee is $50. Register at the Special Olympics Kentucky booth, World’s Largest Truck Convoy booth or the Highway Angels tent in the Papa John’s parking lot.
Cpl. Norm Schneiderhan has announced two special honorary Grand Marshals – Toby Young and Jami Jones – who will lead the convoy. Young is the president of Exhibit Management Associates and the man behind the Louisville truck show. Jones is senior editor of OOIDA’s Land Line Magazine and chairman of the board, Truck Writers of North America.
If you aren’t able to make the show, members of the Land Line Magazine and Land Line Now staff will bring the feel and flavor of the show via our blog, “Pork Chop Diaries.”
– By Land Line staff
