Unusually sunny skies reigned over this year’s Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, KY, which wrapped up Saturday evening with a Brooks & Dunn concert.

With around 1,000 exhibitors vying for the attention of the expected 70,000-plus attendees, booths used games, giveaways, pretty girls, demonstrations, money machines, the Michelin Man, the Exxon tiger and more to draw people to their booths.
Kenworth showed off CFI’s new Red Racer – a T2000 repowered by two Cummins Signature 600 engines, with twin turbos on each and 1,400 horsepower apiece. Not far away, Freightliner’s SelecTrucks showed off the Pikes Peak Hillclimb truck, a Freightliner Class 8 tractor specially designed for mountain racing that won last year’s “Race to the Clouds” up Pikes Peak.
Concerts each night were sponsored by truck manufacturers: Reba McEntire Thursday night hosted by Freightliner, Alabama Friday night sponsored by Kenworth, and Brooks & Dunn Saturday night courtesy of Volvo. There also were seminars on topics ranging from tomorrow’s trucks to doing business on the Internet.
In previous years, rain and snow often dampened visitor’s enthusiasm and flooded outdoor exhibits. This year, though, spring sunshine encouraged the viewing of show trucks, outside exhibits of trucks and trailers, and the consumption, picnic-style, of farm-grown catfish and Kentucky pork sandwiches.
A host of new products were introduced, many dealing with medium-duty, pickup-and-delivery trucks. Show attendees got their first look at heavy-duty trucks and sleepers that have been introduced in the last couple of months, such as the aerodynamic Peterbilt 387, Mack’s Vision, Navistar’s International 9000i Series, the limited edition 84-inch sleeper for Freightliner’s Classic XL, and Western Star’s Galaxy deluxe sleeper.
For more on Mid-America, visit http://www.truckingshow.com.