Truckers love to show off. They also like to glimpse some of the other best-looking tractors and trailers around. That’s why truck shows are proliferating across the country, attracting significant sponsorships in the process.

When they gather at the Society of Automotive Engineers’ annual International Truck and Bus Meeting, engineers and academics from transportation disciplines at major universities pore over ideas that one day may strongly affect the way truck fleets operate.

When truck operators want to see new equipment on the retail market, they attend one of the major truck shows, such as the Mid-America or the International Trucking shows.