Trailer Makers to Show Products At Truck Show Las Vegas

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railer manufacturers and trailer-component suppliers were expected to display their latest products at The Truck Show Las Vegas Thursday through Saturday, along with about 300 other industry suppliers including manufacturers of tires, fuel-saving technology, electrical equipment and brakes.

Roger Sherrard, president of Independent Trade Show Management, told Transport Topics the show would not include heavy-duty truck makers or their top suppliers, but that for owner-operators and fleet executives, “the real reason they go to truck shows is to learn about new products.”

Abbott Lighter, vice president of marketing for American Diesel & Gas, said his company would display its patented thermal insulation at the Las Vegas show. The product is designed to protect intake air from the high heat in the engine compartment by covering the air intake tube and other parts with the insulation.

Sherrard said he expected the show to draw 17,000 attendees, about the same as last year.

He said that he had contracts for the show’s return to Las Vegas in 2006 and 2007, and had reserved dates through 2015.

He also told TT that he planned to launch a show called The Truck Show Latino on Oct. 13-15 at the Los Angeles County fairground in Pomona, Calif.

The new show would be aimed at Latino drivers, whom many fleets have said they view as a pool of potential new drivers in the coming years.

The Truck Show Las Vegas was the successor to the International Trucking Show, which previously had been held in Las Vegas, but returned to California last year when the California Trucking Association relocated it and assumed its management from Sherrard’s group.

Sherrard said he was “working with [the heavy-duty truck makers] right now. If I can bring in enough attendees, they will have to support it. If I can put on a strong show, I can win them over.”

The 44th edition of the International Trucking Show on Sept. 8-10 at the Anaheim Convention Center is expected to feature more than 400 exhibitors and draw 25,000 attendees, according to California Trucking Association’s Web site.

CTA said other industry-related associations representing dump truck owners, the grain and feed business, warehouse operators, florists and egg and poultry operations would co-sponsor the 2005 event.

This story appeared in the June 13 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.