Dozens of service truck-related companies — including body makers, accessory manufacturers, and service providers — will be among the hundreds of exhibitors at the 2016 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis this March.
The annual show, organized by the National Truck Equipment Association, takes place March 1-4 at the Indiana Convention Center. It coincides with the NTEA’s Green Truck Summit also taking place that week at the same venue.
Among the exhibitors at the Work Truck Show will be well-known service body makers such as The Knapheide Manufacturing Company, Iowa Mold Tooling Co. Inc., Maintainer Corp. of Iowa Inc., and Wilcox Bodies Ltd. Also exhibiting are accessory makers like Miller Electric Mfg. Co. Ltd., Vanair Manufacturing, VMAC, Boss Industries, and Parker-Hannifin. Chassis makers with displays include Ford, Freightliner, and Hino. (See related story for more info.)
“Our many successful years in Indianapolis have allowed us to expand the Work Truck Show in both size and scope, and we look forward to returning to the city in 2016 and 2017,” NTEA executive director Steve Carey said via email. “The show continues to garner high professional attendance, product and technology introductions, and new exhibitor participation. This is the leading event for the work truck industry, offering resources and solutions to help make operations more efficient, productive and profitable.”
The 2015 Work Truck Show set an attendance record of 11,005, surpassing the previous record of 10,408 at the 2012 show.
According to the NTEA, which markets itself as the Association for the Work Truck Industry, the 2015 show featured 496 exhibiting companies from 23 countries, and more than 350 commercial trucks on display. The total exhibition area was equivalent to 9.8 football fields and boasted 11 acres of carpet and around 40 miles of carpet tape.
Drop by the magazine’s booth
Service Truck Magazine will have a booth (2635) for the first time at the show. Staffing the magazine’s booth will be publisher Tom Henry, sales manager Nick Moss, and editor Keith Norbury. The trio attended the 2014 show and were impressed by what they saw.
"I learn more at the NTEA show than I do at any other single event of the year,” Henry said. “It gives me a better understanding of the issues affecting the service truck industry and how they affect our readers and advertisers. The show is a lot of fun too, so it isn't hard to convince the staff to get on the plane to Indianapolis!"
Moss, who will be attending his third straight Work Truck Show, said he expects it will again be “a great showcase” for products and services related to mobile service and repair.
“If you want an annual show to attend, head to Indianapolis for new innovative designs and to connect with industry insiders,” Moss said. “Really, this show has it all.”
The year’s Work Truck Show kicks off with an opening reception at the JW Marriott Hotel next door to the Indiana Convention Center. The reception, which requires a ticket, takes place March 1 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Tickets for special events, such as the opening reception and the president’s breakfast, are included in the Work Truck Show & Green Truck Summit Complete Event Package and Work Truck Show Complete Event Package. The tickets can also be purchased separately.
No ticket is necessary to take part in the Work Truck Show Ride-and-Drive. Anyone wishing to test drive, though, needs a commercial driver’s licence, although those without a CDL can ride along. Participation is first-come, first served. The ride-and-drive takes place in conjunction with the Green Truck Summit from noon to 4:30 p.m. on March 2 and 3.
“To keep pace with the evolving advanced truck technologies and alternative fuels market, the Work Truck Show Ride-and-Drive will include a closed-access driving area in addition to the traditional open-road test-drive course,” says a posting on the show’s website.
New products in the spotlight
The 2016 Work Truck Show again features a New Products Spotlight. Among the products in the spotlight will be a fiberglass body insert from Altec Industries; an Infinity35 rotary screw air compressor from Boss Industries Inc.; a contractor body from Caseco Manufacturing Inc.; a RamDrive 4x2 PTO; an enclosed lube skid from Taylor Pump & Lift; the FST 3000+Air unit from Vanair Manufacturing Inc.; the HT66KX service crane from Venco Venturo Industries LLC; and the Raptair-G30 rotary-screw gas-driven air compressor from VMAC.
The NTEA credited new product introductions as a major draw in 2015. They included the new Metris mid-sized van from Mercedes-Benz; Hino’s new class 4 model, the 155; and the Razorback composite service body from Stahl.
“Recognizing that we had multiple global reveals, a record-breaking 24 press conferences and more equipment on display than ever before is a testament to the critical role the Work Truck Show has come to play in the commercial truck industry,” NTEA executive director Steve Carey said in a news release announcing the attendance record. “The energy and excitement on the show floor reflects an industry that is expanding and economically sound.”
Organizers weren’t prepared to predict what attendance might be in 2016. However, all booth space has sold out with a wait list being taken.
Indy hosts for sixth straight year
The NTEA, which was founded in 1964, now represents more than 1,750 companies “that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial trucks, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories.” Members also include major chassis manufacturers and buyers of work trucks.
While the NTEA typically had an annual general meeting in its earlier years, the Work Truck Show in something resembling its present form dates only to about 2000. (A photo posted recently on the show’s Facebook page reveals that a precursor to the Work Truck Show took place in New Orleans in 1971.)
In the past, it has alternated among several cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando, St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis.
Since 2011, the show has made a home in Indianapolis at the Indiana Convention Center in the city’s downtown. The 2017 Work Truck Show will also return to Indianapolis, March 15 to 17, with education programming starting March 14. Those dates avoid a conflict with the triennial ConExpo-Con/Agg heavy equipment trade show in Las Vegas, happening March 7-11, 2017. In 2014, the two shows took place the same week, a snafu that made it difficult for some exhibitors and visitors to attend both shows.
Even so, the NTEA reported that the 2014 Work Truck Show drew more than 10,000 attendees, similar to the 2013 attendance. Indianapolis also hosted the Work Truck Show in 2005 and 2007, breaking attendance records in those years as well. The convention center’s trade show floor covers over 500,000 square feet.
“Largest gathering” of work trucks
The show is “North America’s largest gathering” of class 1 to 8 vocational trucks and equipment, “including chassis, bodies, components and accessories,” says a posting on the show website. According to the Work Truck Show Twitter feed, 15,251 hotel nights were booked in Indianapolis during the 2015 show.
The NTEA has arranged for blocks of room at discounted rates at several hotels near the convention center. Show attendees can reserve rooms through the show website by clicking on the Hotel & Travel button and then the “Reserve Your Hotel” banner.
As in the past, an interactive floor plan provides information about exhibitors. A My Show planner enables visitors to plan their own agendas.
New features at the 2016 show, according to the NTEA, include the following:
• an expanded educational curriculum that unites concurrent sessions of the Work Truck Show and the Green Truck Summit;
• an immersion session on integrating millennials into the industry;
• workshops on lean techniques for up-fitters;
• an immersion session on the fundamentals of fleet management;
• courses on effective maintenance and repair programs.
The 2015 Work Truck Show was a busy occasion and an unqualified success, according to interviews with exhibitors and other attendees
“I think this is our 17th or 18th year and this is by far the best one we’ve had,” said Lee Hurlbert, one of the original partners of Dakota Bodies Inc., who now works in sales for the Watertown, S.D.-based company. “We’re extremely pleased. And the turnout, the quality of people stopping in at the booth and talking, it’s been great.”
Jim Phillis, product support manager with American Hydraulic Compressor, attended the show for the first time and was impressed. (The company is back this year in booth 5971)
“We’ve had a lot of interest, not only met a lot of possible customers but other vendors as well,” Phillis said. “So it’s been very interesting for a first-time visit.”
Educational sessions abound
As in the past, the 2016 Work Truck Show will feature dozens of educational sessions, many of them held concurrently with the Green Truck Summit.
According to the NTEA, educational topics include the following:
• Workforce development and stability.
• Maximizing return on equipment dollars.
• Upcoming government regulations.
• Current market and equipment trends.
• Controlling fuel and operating costs.
• Strategies to enhance fleet productivity.
• Vocational truck productivity and sustainability solutions.
Among the special sessions, which require a ticket, are “Integrating Millennials into Organizations for Long-term Success,” presented by Amy Hirsh Robinson of the Interchange Group; “Straightforward Approach to Lean Implementation for Truck Equipment Upfitters,” presented by Ed Hlava and Art Thomas of Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership; and “Generation Next Leadership Workshop & Networking Reception: Flying in Formation,” present by Greg “Boss” Wooldridge, former commanding officer of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration team.
The Work Truck Show also includes update sessions from various chassis manufacturers, including Western Star, Chevrolet, Freightliner, Mack, Isuzu, Kenworth, and Ram.
Leno to play to breakfast crowd
Also requiring a ticket is the President’s Breakfast and NTEA annual meeting the morning on Thursday, March 3. The 2016 speaker will be comedian Jay Leno, formerly host of TV’s The Tonight Show, and an avid car collector.
A Work Truck Show “Blues Bash” takes place at the historic Slippery Noodle Inn, said to be the oldest bar in Indianapolis, from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 — the eve of the show’s final day. The bash features the Jeremiah Johnson Band.
The many tips for show goers on the Work Truck Show website include the following:
• Bring plenty of business cards.
• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Dress as business casual but also pack something to wear for a night out on the town.
For much more about the show, visit www.worktruckshow.com.