Truck Show Report: By Kasey Aslinger Most women ask for fancy dinners or a spa weekend with friends for their birthday. For the past few years, my favorite way to celebrate my birthday on the first weekend in May has been at the Equipment Express Truck Show and Crawfish Boil in Caldwell, Texas. I also happen to share a birthday with one of the coolest four-year-olds around, Weston Novosad, son of Truett and Crystal, owners of Equipment Express. If you’ve ever attended the show, you’ve probably seen Weston bouncing around the grounds, usually followed by his Gigi or a whole gaggle of kids. What started a few years ago as a small, invite-only gathering of just 25 to 30 trucks has grown into a full-on community-wide event where everyone is welcome. Although the show didn’t officially begin until Friday, May 1st, trucks started rolling into the Equipment Express yard early in the week, giving owners the opportunity to have their rigs polished onsite by Okie Shine. Rain poured down for most of Friday as trucks continued filling the lot, but it certainly didn’t stop the party. If you’ve ever attended one of these Equipment Express shows, you know they make sure that no one goes hungry. Greg Titzman is one of the talented cooks who helps make it all happen. A “Driver Appreciation Fish Fry” was held Friday evening at 6:00 PM, followed by a light show at dusk. Saturday morning greeted us all with sunny skies and perfect truck show weather. Bounce houses went up for the kids, the taco truck opened for business, vendors set up their booths, and spectators filled the lot like I had never seen before. At one point during the day, I told Truett, “It almost feels like a small Joplin.” The vibe just felt different this year. We come for the 800 pounds of crawfish and longtime friendships, but we leave with memories of meeting incredible new people and seeing the beautiful trucks that leave us in awe. A few of my personal favorites this year were Zak and Eva Cooper’s black and teal Peterbilt, Tucker Jacob’s black and teal Peterbilt 389, and Kage Helton’s turquoise and white Peterbilt 359. I’m starting to notice a theme here! Vendors onsite included The Iron Rose Boutique, Hatermade Apparel, Okie Shine, and Monarch Mixology Co., among others. The Iron Rose Boutique was especially popular with the ladies, thanks in part to its custom hat bar, where visitors could create personalized trucker hats with patches, chains, and other accessories. Starting at 2:00 PM and going until 5:00 PM on Saturday, Jamie Jennings and Friends provided live music for the crowd. At 5:15 PM, raffle prizes were awarded and then the four show winners were announced. People’s Choice went to Kage & Kent Helton (1977 Peterbilt 359), Weston’s Pick went to Tucker Jacob of 5J Ranch (2024 Peterbilt 389), Longest Distance Traveled went to Philip Silvarole of Churchville, New York (1985 Peterbilt 359), and Best Heavy Haul went to Bryce Brown of Brown Trucking (2007 Peterbilt 379). Crystal was incredibly touched by the generosity shown by the winners. Philip Silvarole not only donated his prize money back to the event, but also sent her a card and a box of shirts. Caitlin Jacob, Tucker’s wife, mailed a printed photo of her husband and sons receiving their award, along with a heartfelt letter. After the show, Bria Brown, wife of Heavy Haul winner Bryce Brown, also reached out to express her gratitude for Bryce being selected. Truett and Crystal would like to extend a special thank you to all of the Equipment Express staff. They all do 54 10-4 Magazine / July 2026 MY BIRTHDAY BASH
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