Navistar Becomes 3rd OEM to Skip MATS Next Year
Navistar Inc. said it will not attend the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show, making it the third major truck manufacturer to pull out of the annual event.
“We’ve made the decision to not attend the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show,” Navistar, the maker of International trucks, said in a statement on July 13. “We look forward to returning to the Mid-America Trucking Show in 2017 to showcase our technology and products.”
Daimler Trucks North America and Volvo Trucks said previously that they would not exhibit at MATS next year.
“Navistar has been a strong supporter of MATS, participating every year since the first MATS in 1972. Their presence at the 2016 show will be missed,” said Toby Young, president of Exhibit Management Associates, which owns and operates the show in Louisville, Kentucky.
DTNA, Volvo Trucks and Navistar have each said they would prefer to see the annual show move to a biennial schedule, and all three truck makers said they plan to return to MATS in 2017.
Together, those original equipment manufacturers accounted for 63.4% of all Class 8 trucks sold in the United States in 2014, according to figures from WardsAuto.com.
Despite the absence of those OEMs, Young said the 2016 show, scheduled for March 31-April 2, will move forward as planned.
“MATS has a contract with the city of Louisville and the Kentucky Exposition Center through 2020, so the show will continue on an annual basis as scheduled,” he said.
Sales for the 2016 event began on July 15, Young said, noting that he has not heard from any other companies stating that they would not be exhibiting in next year’s show.
The absence of three OEMs also opens opportunities for new and returning exhibitors to have additional exhibit space, he added.
Mack Trucks, a sister company to Volvo Trucks, has not announced any decisions regarding MATS, nor have Kenworth Truck Co. and Peterbilt Motors Co., which are both part of Paccar Inc.
Mack spokesman Chris Heffner said, “No decisions have been made, as we’re still working through our evaluation process.”
“We are still evaluating,” said Ken Hastings, director of investor relations at Paccar.
Large trailer makers that have exhibited at MATS in previous years also were noncommittal.
“We will have to take a hard look at the [return on investment] of this show for 2016,” Craig Bennett, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., said, adding that he’s “not sure what value a truck show is without Class 8 trucks.”
Great Dane Trailers also is evaluating its options, said Chris Hammond, executive vice president of sales.
Hyundai Translead has not yet had its internal discussions about MATS but at this point plans to attend in 2016, said Glenn Harney, the trailer maker’s chief sales officer.
Thermo King has “a little bit of concern” about overall participation at MATS with some key exhibitors dropping out, but the supplier of refrigeration units and auxiliary power units still plans to attend the 2016 show, Doug Lenz, vice president of product management and marketing, said during a July 7 meeting with Transport Topics staff.
MATS organizers bill the event as the largest annual heavy-duty trucking industry event in the world. The 2015 edition, held March 26-28, drew a record 81,768 attendees.
At this year’s MATS, Navistar announced it would provide a credit for telematics hardware and two years of data service to support its OnCommand Connection remote diagnostics platform.
On July 7, the truck maker announced that that credit is now available as a standard feature with new International trucks ordered since the beginning of the month.
OnCommand Connection provides fleets and dealers with vehicle health data to help streamline maintenance and repairs.
DTNA said in May that it would not be exhibiting at MATS next year, and Volvo Trucks followed suit earlier this month.
DTNA, which builds Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Detroit engines and components, said it plans to alternate MATS exhibits with the IAA Commercial Vehicles show held in even-numbered years in Hanover, Germany.
