This week, more than 950 exhibitors and more than 70,000 projected attendees representing the heavy-duty trucking industry head to Louisville, Ky., for the big Mid-America Trucking Show March 25-27.

Show Offerings

As an attendee, you'll have access to a variety of show offerings and events, including a lineup of informative, constructive, and trucking-oriented seminars. The featured seminars will cover such topics as sleep apnea, the FMCSA's Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010

, EOBRs, compliance, navigation, safety, roadside inspections, worker's compensation, and buying insurance. Seminars will also touch on a range of maintenance issues, including making your tires green and Busch metal buffing.

A driver recruitment and wellness center will be set up to showcase the nation's fleets that are looking to recruit. The center will also showcase products and services that will help drivers live a healthier lifestyle.

An Internet and technology center will be in the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center, where attendees can find some of the technology available to the trucking industry in one centralized location.

The U.S. EPA will showcase a variety of offerings from its SmartWay Transport Partners in the North Wing during the 2010 show. This includes products and services that promote innovative ways to save fuel, money, and the environment.

The 21st Annual Paul K. Young Memorial Truck Beauty Championship kicks off the show season with 100 entries vying for honors in this truck beauty show. The event celebrates North America's heavy-duty, working show trucks. This year's competition will be held in Lot J, located behind the West Wing.

Attendees can also attend the 6th Annual Mid-America Big Rig Build-Off at MATS. This year, teams from across the nation combine their craft and skill to design trucks.

The Mobil Delvac Concert

For those who enjoy country music and bluegrass, Mobil Delvac is presenting a concert, featuring country music singer John Anderson and bluegrass band The Grascals.

Anderson will headline the Mobil Delvac concert with hits from his new album "Bigger Hands" and country classics such as "Swingin", "Straight Tequila Night", and "Money in the Bank". The Grascals are slated to open with their blend of traditional bluegrass and classic country.

The Mobil Delvac team unveiled its year-long sponsorship of The Grascals on Sept., 28, 2009, at a media luncheon kicking off the 20th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn. As part of the sponsorship, The Grascals will tour the country in its Mobil Delvac branded tour bus, which will be filled with Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40, a high performance diesel engine oil formulated to help extend engine life in on-highway and off-highway applications. The tour bus will have oil analysis sampling and testing done on a regular basis.

The concert will be held on-site in Freedom Hall of the Kentucky Exposition Center, immediately following the Friday edition of the Mid-America Trucking Show.

The Midnight Trucking Radio Network will play host to a numerous country music icons during MATS, including Sammy Kershaw on Thursday, Lonestar on Friday and Suzy Boggess on Saturday.

Campaigns and Giveaways

Hundreds of exhibitors will also be on hand throughout the conference to showcase their products and services and give away prizes and gifts.

Some of the prizes include a 2006 customized Volvo Big Rig Truck, thanks to Great American Insurance Group; and a set of Yokohama SmartWay-verified, Zenvironment tires worth $5,000, thanks to Yokohama.

Yokohama's booth will feature a "living wall," consisting of natural plants, thanks to technology developed by NatureXhibits. The exhibit will leave virtually zero waste, according to Jim MacMaster, Yokohama executive vice president and COO.

"It's natural, biodegradable and lends an eye-catching, dynamic element to our booth," MacMaster said.

Cobra Electronics will hold a special sweepstakes at its booth to win a daily prize of the 29 LTD Series CB radio and the grand prize bundle of the 7700 Pro, a 7-inch navigation unit specifically designed for professional drivers and a 29 LTD Series CB radio. Cobra is encouraging participants to make a $5 donation in an effort to raise money for the Homes for Our Troops organization, but no purchase is necessary to take part in the sweepstakes. Homes for Our Troops is a not-for-profit organization that provides specially adapted homes to severely injured veterans at no cost to them by securing donations of money, building materials and professional labor and then coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility.

"This is one more opportunity for us to give something back to them for all the sacrifices they had made for us," said Jim Bazet, CEO and chairman of Cobra Electronics.

Arrow Truck Sales will be at the show to promote its Back On The Road 2010 campaign, presented by Volvo Trucks North America. Now in its third year, Back On The Road is an initiative designed to benefit a deserving trucker in need of a truck and a job. The 2010 campaign will also consider nominations from truckers who, consistently and unselfishly, help others in need or otherwise support the trucking industry.

Attendees can also stop by Eaton Corporation's booth to sign up for the engine manufacturer's ride-and-drive event. The company will allow participants to see the new UltraShift Plus transmissions on display and have the option of test driving vehicles from a mix of truck makers in linehaul, heavy-haul and vocational chassis configurations that have been built with the UltraShift PLUS.

Kost USA, a glycol-based technology company and supplier of specialty chemicals, coolants and lubricants, will have an educational exhibit at MATS in order to provide information and displays related to diesel exhaust fluid. FactsAboutSCR.com, a web site that features topics related to the uses and advantages of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), coordinated the jointly-sponsored exhibit of SCR-related information and events at MATS.

Health Awareness Walk

For the first time, MATS will feature a Health Awareness Walk on Friday, March 26. Drivers who are thinking about getting fit, wanting to stay healthy, or looking for tips to enhance their workouts can join Bob Perry, "The Trucker Trainer," for a 1.5-mile walk. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required. Registrants will receive walk packets, while supplies last, with health information and giveaways.

For more information about MATS, or to register, visit www.truckingshow.com.