Truck Makers, Suppliers Look Toward MATS to Help Spark Slumping Heavy-Duty Sales

This story appears in the March 4 print edition of Transport Topics.

North America’s heavy-duty truck makers and many major suppliers hope to reignite slumping heavy-duty sales when the Mid-America Trucking Show begins later this month at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

MATS organizers will display tractors, trailers, straight trucks and other equipment from more than 1,000 exhibitors, filling 1.2 million square feet inside the exhibit hall and 200,000 square feet outdoors.

The show is open to the public March 21-23, but related events begin as early as March 19.

In addition to the equipment displays, related events include safety and business seminars, a country music concert, a meeting of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association and a truck “beauty” contest.

“The Mid-America Trucking Show is often a bellwether for the industry, providing a snapshot of trends and priorities,” said Magnus Koeck, Volvo Trucks vice president of marketing and brand management.

U.S. retail heavy-duty truck sales expanded year-over-year for 32 months through August but have declined from September through January.

“Daimler Trucks North America looks forward to the Mid-America Trucking Show every year. It is our biggest show of the year,” said DTNA spokesman David Giroux.

Last year, the show drew 1,070 exhibitors, but this year, there may be fewer total exhibitors, said Toby Young, president of Exhibit Management Associates, the operator of MATS. Young said in February that more than 1,000 exhibitors already have signed up for space, but the average space per exhibitor has increased. So the show could well sell out with fewer exhibitors.

Anne Ferro, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will lead a listening session on March 22 to gather input on her agency’s proposed regulation to mandate on-the-road training for all new commercial drivers.

Trucking companies also rent space at MATS, using the show to recruit drivers.

The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association breakfast on March 22 will feature Troy Clarke, chief operating officer of Navistar International Corp.