The American Truck Dealers will kick off its Convention & Expo Friday at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The conference runs through April 26.


On Saturday, the winner and runner-up for the ATD/Heavy Duty Trucking Truck Dealer of the Year will be announced. Seven commercial truck dealers from across the country were nominated by their peers for the annual award, presented by ATD and HDT magazine. The award recognizes excellence in business practices, industry leadership, civic contributions and community service. The winner and runner-up were chosen by a panel of professors from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

The organization will also announce the winners of the ATD Commercial Truck of the Year for new medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold in the U.S. The entrants were judged by a panel of magazine editors, led by Steve Sturgess, executive editor of HDT.

Nominees on the medium-duty side are Freightliner MZ tractor with a Cummins Westport natural gas engine; the Hino model 268; Kenworth's T370 hybrid; and the Peterbilt 337.

Entrants in the heavy-duty weight class include a Freightliner Coronado, a Kenworth T660 extended day cab, and a Peterbilt 384 sleeper cab. Last year, ATD presented the award to the International LoneStar.

Aside from these big announcements, the event will feature keynote speakers ATD Chairman Kyle Treadway; Dennis Slagle, president and CEO, North American Trucks (Volvo and Mack); Jim Meil, economist for the Eaton Corp.; and Dan Baker, a nationally known speaker, teacher and consultant to the truck industry. Stu MacKay, president of a market research and consulting firm, will present his "State of the Industry 2010" workshop on Friday.

"The ATD convention is a time for dealers to come together, meet with their manufacturers, talk to the suppliers and business partners," said Pamela Hall, ATD convention chairwoman and dealer-owner of Hall Volvo, GMC, Isuzu and Hino in Tyler, Texas.

Dealers will also have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with their manufacturer representatives at 12 franchise meetings and with suppliers on the expo floor. More than a dozen workshop sessions will be offered for dealers and their managers to learn ways to improve their business operations.

For more information, visit www.atd.org/convention.