Truck Show Report: By Daniel J. Linss For the 53rd year, the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) once again kicked off the truck show season – and this year like the last – the show made some moves. After moving the trucks from the back lot to the front last year and reintroducing the Big Rig Build-Off, show producers made another bold move this year when they took all the vendors that were in the somewhat isolated West Wing and moved them into the South Hall, effectively bringing everyone together. And although it sounds like a good thing, and it probably was, it also brought some new challenges – especially for us at 10-4 Magazine. Arriving in Kentucky on Tuesday, most of our travel day went pretty smoothly until we arrived at SDF airport in Louisville. Our flight came in a little late, so by the time we arrived, there were no rental cars – none! Even though we had made our reservation two months prior, since we came in an hour or two late, they gave our van away. People were literally sitting there waiting for cars to be returned so they could get them. Never mind what you reserved, you took what you got, and were happy you got anything. We ended up with a small SUV and had to rent a second car to make up for it the next day! Thanks to the guys at HD Shocks for keeping us company at the airport while we waited for a car (they were waiting, too). Setting up our booth on Wednesday and then walking around and talking to folks, this is my favorite day – the vibe is chill, and it sometimes is the only time you get to talk with people you might only see a few times a year. That night, the judging for the light show happens, and a few of us at 10-4 always volunteer to help take pictures for the MATS show program and awards ceremony slide show. It was a little cold, but I love taking night shots, so it was fun. Thursday morning came fast, and it was time to start working. Show hours that day were 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so it was a long day – but boy did it go fast. I spent most of this day in the booth or walking around inside the show. With over 850 exhibitors, stretched out over 1 million square feet of space, there was a lot to see and do. There were also many educational seminars, receptions, and an opening breakfast. After the show closed for the day, we headed out for a quick dinner, then back to the show lot for more light shots, as this was the night of the official light show. As mentioned in the beginning, the floor plan was changed this year, and it definitely had an impact on the flow of the show. Our booth has been located in the same corner of the North Wing for about ten years, and we have always loved it. It’s near a back door that a lot of people use, it was situated between the South Hall and the West Wing, and it was not too far from the show trucks outside. However, after moving the show trucks to a lot in front of the show last year and now this year switching up the floor plan, we ended up in no-man’s land. As much as we don’t want to move our booth, we are going to be forced to next year. Walking around the new layout, it was kind of weird, but good. The South Hall was very busy, and almost full. Checking out all the old iron at the far end of the room, we also were able to visit with a few of our advertisers, including Matt and his wife at Sticker Guard, our friends at CRUMS Leasing, Lyndel Martin of Linny Lights, and the folks at Dirks Classic Truck. We also got to see Valley Chrome, WTI, Lifetime Nut Covers, Grand General, National Truck Parts, Dynaflex, Time 2 Shine, Steering Creations, I-29 Custom Truck Parts, Zephyr, 4 State Trucks, Dickerson Custom Trucks, BullSnot and Pittsburgh Power. One booth inside had a Scania cabover truck, which is very popular in other parts of the world, hoping to start selling them here in the States, and Lifetime had a cool hot rod KW in their booth (white with red stripes) that had a powerful gas engine and a digital dash. Another standout thing at this year’s show was the amount of custom Peterbilt 589s parked both inside and outside. Being the flagship Peterbilt truck now – whether you love them or 18 10-4 Magazine / May 2025 MATS MAKES MOVES
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