Work Truck Show 2007 attendees can take part in a Ride-and-Drive event on March 7–8, 2007, at the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind., featuring the highest level of advancement in hybrid technology or alternative fuel applications.

All trade show attendees are eligible to take part in the Ride-and-Drive. However, participation will be limited and handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Ride-and-Drive sign-up information will be provided to attendees when they pick up their badges on site.
Attendees can also check out the latest hybrid or alternative fuel technology initiatives and products on the show floor in a special “Stepping into the Future Pavilion” March 7–9. Leading-edge suppliers will expose attendees to new technology through a state-of-the art look at what is happening on a commercial basis.
The National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), producer of The Work Truck Show, also announced that it will kick off four days of hybrid awareness-building with a “Hybrid Truck and Alternative Fuels Summit” on Tuesday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The summit includes several information and training sessions covering a variety of alternative fuel and hybrid vehicle technology topics. Attendees will be updated on technology development and important considerations for deployment of alternative fuels and the hybridization of vehicles. Challenges and opportunities for integrating work truck components and controls with hybrid vehicles will be covered, as well as information on determining if attendees’ current applications are appropriate for hybridization.
Sessions will be led by hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle experts including: Bill Van Amburg, senior vice president, WestStart-CALSTART (Pasadena, Calif.); Thomas Grothous and Andy O’Neil, College of Technologies deans, University of Northwestern Ohio (Lima, Ohio); Christopher Amos, commissioner of equipment services, City of St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.); Altec Industries representatives; International Truck and Engine Corp. representatives; Doyle Sumrall, director of strategic opportunities, Bob Raybuck, technical services director and Bob Johnson, director of fleet relations, National Truck Equipment Association (Farmington Hills, Mich.).
Directly following the summit, participants are invited to attend a networking reception and view the latest hybrid offering from International Truck and Engine Corp. from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The summit and networking reception are sponsored by International Truck and Engine.
“We are excited to offer this new dimension as part of The Work Truck Show and 43rd Annual NTEA Convention,” said Tom Rawson, NTEA convention chairman and CEO of RKI Inc. “As a Work Truck Show 2007 attendee, you have the opportunity to learn how design will be impacted to accommodate new vehicle technology.”
Attendees will also discover which suppliers and OEMs have taken the leadership role in providing alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles during the 43rd Annual NTEA Convention and The Work Truck Show 2007. The Convention begins March 6, with the trade show running March 7–9, 2007.
In spring 2006, the NTEA was asked if it would be willing to facilitate the development and activities of a group of fleets interested in forming a light-duty hybrid truck group. The association agreed and began contacting all NTEA fleet members, other key fleets and several member companies that had expressed an interest in hybrid work trucks. The NTEA is currently working with 23 fleets that have come together to work toward integrating light-duty hybrid work trucks into their companies.
A kick-off meeting was held in May, attended by seven NTEA fleet members, to solidify a project statement and identify the fleets willing to participate. The Group is beginning by measuring the performance of current trucks and establishing drive cycles that define the daily work activities of the trucks they feel have the best potential to take advantage of hybrid technology. WestStart-CALSTART’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF), a user-driven program to assist commercialization of heavy-duty hybrid technologies, provided key data developed over the last five years of leading successful hybrid working groups.
The Group is currently gathering data on hybrid systems and identifying OEMs, hybrid system suppliers and upfitters that can provide support and information. A meeting of Group participants is planned in conjunction with The Work Truck Show 2007.
“There are currently a significant number of alternative fuel and hybrid work truck initiatives throughout the U.S. Many of these projects are on the verge of being more than just tests: they are moving into viable, cost-effective work vehicles,” said Robert Johnson, director of fleet relations for the NTEA. “The industry as a whole supports new technology and bringing potential fuel savings and environmentally sound technologies to market in the most effective way.”
The hybrid-awareness activities at The Work Truck Show provide attendees with a key opportunity to weigh the cost and benefits of these new technologies to determine whether there is a fit for their operations.
Register online for The Work Truck Show 2007 and NTEA Convention at www.ntea.com, or call 1-800-441-NTEA (6832).