The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA) recently announced that Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD) will now be held as a completely virtual conference.

The event, co-presented by HDMA and MacKay & Company, will be held on Monday, January 25, 2021, immediately preceding the fully virtual Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2021.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, HDAD’s virtual event will feature presentations and panel discussions on:

• A real-world view of pandemic strategies, successes and failures, and looking towards what’s next

• What to expect of the 2021 DC administration

• Macro-economic trends that will impact the industry

• MacKay & Company’s Truckable Economic Activity report

• Technology changes forced into the distribution chain by the pandemic and what will stick

• The fleet perspective on changes in the aftermarket and lasting lessons from the pandemic

Speakers currently scheduled will include:

• John Blodgett – Vice President, Sales & Marketing, MacKay & Company

• Al Dragone – Chief Executive Officer, FleetPride

• Gerry Mead – Executive Vice President, Maintenance & Equipment, Hub Group

• Chris Patterson – Independent Director

• Mari Roberts – Senior Director, Transportation, Frito-Lay

• Tyler Robertson – Chief Executive Officer, Diesel Laptops

• Amanda Schuier – Senior Vice President, Quality Transport Co.

• Ann Wilson – Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, MEMA

The HDAW virtual conference will feature opening sessions with the HDAW 2021 co-chairs, as well as sessions on doing business in the current environment, including SOLD! (Service Opportunities & Learning Day), which is designed for distributors with service and repair technicians. Also, pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings between distributor and supplier executives will also be held virtual this year, with more virtual programs to be announced soon.