10-4 Magazine December 2022

Truck Show Report: By Tim Sieben As I write this show report, I am realizing fall is coming to a close and the winter holidays are upon us as we prepare to close out another year. One of the final truck shows of 2022 was the California Trucking Show, which was held on October 15-16, 2022. This convention-style truck show is always held at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA just off Interstate 10, about 40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. And with three major truckstops nearby, an international airport, large industrial and shopping complexes, and four major freeways within a fewmiles of each other, this is the perfect place for trucks and a truck show – even if all of the real estate in the area is prime. With 235 vendors, which was up from 214 vendors last year, the show filled two rooms of the convention center, along with a connecting hallway between the different areas. More than 225,000 square feet of vendor space offered all services related to trucking including job hirings, truck insurance, freight factoring and schooling, just to name a few. There were also parts and accessories, new products, a lot of chrome, and all the toys that truckers really love. The majority of the vendors were from the Southern California area, which really gives this show a local feel. Oscar Medina and his crew from the California Trucking Show did a great job putting on this event again, as they have done for many years. Admission was free to get in, and even with the cloudy skies and some rain, the total number of attendees for the Saturday and Sunday show was up significantly from last year with over 20,000 local and industry attendees. This convention style truck show has a lot of activity, both inside the convention center and outside in the connected parking lot, where the truck beauty competition is held. Inside the convention center, from opening to close, there was a constant hum of vendors sharing info about their company and giving away more free products and swag than you could carry in one bag. Most participants left with multiple bags of merchandise. While most of it was free, there was again many vendors selling quality products that included pillows for your cab, Bluetooth headsets, tires, and straps, just to name a few. If you like to gather information about the industry, this was the place to be. And to encourage people to show up, many vendors gave away great prizes like smart TVs, dash cams, electronics, and other items for those that entered the many raffle drawings held during the busy two-day event. The 10-4 booth was in a different location this year, but still ended up on the corner of Main St. and Coolsville Lane. In typical 10-4 fashion, we gave away tons of magazines, posters, and centerfolds, along with some leftover swag from our annual Truckin’ for Kids Charity Show & Drags, held the month before in September. Making sure the 10-4 family of friends and advertisers got all the items they needed, the folks that took care of the booth while I was out and about shooting photos and taking in all the sights, both inside and out, were Jean, April, and Kenny. The So Cal RC and West Coast Mini Truckers were there again and have become a staple at several Southern California shows. They had a smaller space this year, but still got the attention of the kids and the adult kids at heart, driving RC trucks around not only their booth, which featured all sorts of city scenes to maneuver around, but also through the convention center aisles on many occasions, as well. Everyone in attendance loved it! Many trucks were parked inside and showcasing new lines of products including the latest in EV technology, new trailers, and other accessories, but 72 10-4 Magazine / December 2022 PRIME REAL ESTATE