The Mid-America Trucking Show will be held this week, from March 26-28, at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Ky. Organizers are expecting possible record attendance.

MATS is an annual heavy-duty trucking industry show that brings in more than 70,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services. Organizers have said there is a good chance of breaking the previous attendance record of 80,972, set in 2012, according to published reports.

For attendees, there are panels and other opportunities to learn about current topics affecting the trucking industry. The event also provides an opportunity for members of the industry to meet and network.

MATS is host to a wide variety of special events and educational seminars for industry members.

The day before the show opens, the sold-out Fleet Forum will be produced and hosted by Heavy Duty Trucking and Fleet Owner on March 25. As part of a full afternoon program, HDT's 2015 "Truck Fleet Innovators" will be officially honored for the award and participate in a panel discussion.

There is also a Ride-N-Drive event offering test drives of new trucks equipped with the latest technological advances in braking, driveline, engine, suspensions and transmissions. The 26th annual PKY Truck Beauty Championship will feature a large grouping of show trucks vying for honors in the beauty competition in Lot J behind the west wing of the Expo Center.

Every day, there will be discussions and seminars given by fleets, manufacturers and industry associations on several topics related to regulations, driver retention, safety, technology and health. Top equipment and product manufacturers will have booths on display as well as some special events planned.

Heavy Duty Trucking will deliver the latest news, analysis and photos from the show floor, including new product announcements from manufacturers and suppliers, on Truckinginfo.com, many of which will be announced to the press the day before the show.

A sampling of events includes:

• Women in Trucking’s 6th Annual Salute to Women, where female drivers will be honored for their role as pioneers in the trucking industry on March 26 at 11 a.m.

• Bendix will offer several 15-minute Tech Talks sessions on a range of topics from brake maintenance to safety systems. The talks will take place at Bendix’s booth in the South Hall.

• Thermo King will discuss food safety and profitability in the transport industry in an educational seminar that will include Doug Lenz, vice president of product management at Thermo, and other industry experts. This seminar will take place on March 26 from 2-3 p.m.

• The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau's "Spot The Retreads" competition will enter participants who can correctly identify a range of new and retreaded tires into daily drawings for sets of eight commercial truck tires to be retreaded on the participants' own casings.

• Double Coin is hosting Alex Debogorski of History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers at the tire manufacturer’s booth to sign autographs.
  

For complete information on the event including announcements and schedules, go to the Mid-America Trucking Show Website or download the official MATS 2015 app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.