Record Crowds Attend 52nd Annual NTEA Work Truck Show

Fri March 25, 2016
Truck and Trailer Guide

The National Truck Equipment Association held its Annual Work Truck Show at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on March 1 to 4. This year's event, which marked the 52nd National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Convention, attracted the largest attendance on record for the show.

The event featured more than 500,000 sq. ft. of exhibit hall space filled with the latest vocational trucks, vans, equipment and services presented by hundreds of exhibiting companies along with a variety of industry focused educational and training sessions held throughout the course of the show. Many of the industry's leading manufacturers selected the show as an ideal format to unveil their new product launches focused on vocational trucks and transportation equipment from Classes 1 to 8, including chassis, bodies, components and accessories.

In addition to the NTEA Work Truck Show, the Green Truck Association (GTA), an NTEA affiliate division, conducted its Green Truck Summit. With a number of special events and receptions, both the Work Truck Show and Green Truck Summit offered outstanding opportunities for attendees to meet with sales and technical representatives and industry peers in a variety of structured and casual settings.

The educational sessions covered a range of topics including an industry overview and market trends, courses geared toward fleet and maintenance management, methods for improving productivity and profitability and the latest advances in truck design and telematics.

During the president's breakfast and NTEA annual meeting comedian and former host of the Tonight Show, Jay Leno served as the keynote speaker and Matthew Wilson, chairman and CEO of Switch-N-Go, AmeriDeck & Bucks Divisions of Deist Industries Inc. was installed as the 52nd president of NTEA. Wilson accepted the position from immediate past president Jeffrey Messer, president of Messer Truck Equipment.

This year's Work Truck Show also featured the Inaugural Construction Event, produced by Allison Transmission Inc. and sponsors including Odyne Systems LLC, Palfinger North America, Palfleet Truck Equipment Inc., Roll-Rite LLC and Truck Bodies & Equipment International Inc. The event opened with a reception at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 and followed with educational sessions and a plant tour held at Allison Transmission headquarters.

Established in 1964 and currently representing approximately 1,600 manufacturers, distributors and installers involved with the work truck and trailer industry, the NTEA produces the Work Truck Show and provides in-depth technical information, education and member programs and services.