ANOTHER Work Truck Show, another record.
The 2016 edition drew 11,905 industry professionals to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis from March 1-4, breaking the event’s previous attendance record of 11,005, set in 2015.
Attendees came from all 50 states, eight Canadian provinces, and 19 countries to the Show, produced annually by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA).
“It was a great week,” said Steve Carey, NTEA executive director. “The Work Truck Show is the one event where everyone involved with vocational vehicles in North America comes together to share ideas, see what’s new and find opportunities for their business operations.”
The Work Truck Show 2016 was the largest event in NTEA history. Over the last five years, NTEA expanded the exhibit floor by more than 40%, but still had a sizable waiting list of potential exhibitors. In response to this demand, NTEA has maxed out all available room at the Indiana Convention Center for The Work Truck Show 2017 — and exhibit space has already sold out. The Show runs March 14–17, 2017, with registration opening in October at worktruckshow.com.
Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc used this year’s Show to unveil its 2018 FTR Class 6 medium-duty truck to a huge crowd. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America Inc debuted its prototype FUSO E-CELL all-electric truck and gave attendees the first opportunity to drive it in North America as part of The Work Truck Show Ride-and-Drive March 2–3.
Other truck OEMs making news at the Show included Ford Commercial Vehicles, International Truck, Kenworth Truck Company, Mack Trucks, and Ram Commercial. There were significant powertrain announcements made as well. Cummins Inc introduced its 2017 B6.7 and L9 medium-duty engines, and Daimler Trucks North America gave the public its first glimpse of the new Detroit DD5 medium-duty engine.
Matthew Wilson, chairman & CEO of Switch-N-Go, AmeriDeck & Bucks Divisions of Deist Industries Inc (Hadley, Pennsylvania), was installed as the 52nd NTEA president. He accepted this position from immediate past president Jeffrey Messer, president of Messer Truck Equipment (Westbrook, Maine), at the President’s Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting.
NTEA, Allison Transmission Inc. and key partners worked together to produce The Construction Event—a first-time experience held in conjunction with The Work Truck Show 2016. The event began Wednesday, March 2, with a reception at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Educational sessions were offered the next day at Allison Transmission headquarters. Participants were then able to take advantage of a plant tour, as well as an outdoor ride-and-drive — complete with product demonstrations.
The Work Truck Show 2016 Innovation Award was presented to Ranger Design (Ontario, New York) for the company’s Max View safety partition. The Work Truck Show Innovation Award goes to the product at the Show deemed “most innovative” by a panel of trade media editors and truck fleet managers. All products entered in The Work Truck Show 2016 New Product Spotlight or New Product Media Guide programs are eligible.
Max View is a safety partition with a top portion molded out of clear thermoformed ABS and polycarbonate to snugly fit Ford Transit Connect, Ram ProMaster City and Mercedes-Benz Metris cargo vans. The Max View partition’s see-through feature greatly enhances cargo space visibility, reduces blind spots, permits more light into the cab and creates the feeling of a more wide open, less claustrophobic cab space, according to the company. The product’s contoured design allows the seats to travel to the full back position, and its precision fit reduces drafts for improved cab climate control while reducing rattle noise. ♦
