Produced annually by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA), The Work Truck Show attracts vocational truck fleet managers, truck buyers, and maintenance personnel in the Class 1-8 market with hundreds of manufacturers, distributors, and dealers that produce the trucks and equipment critical to their work environment.

"The Work Truck Show 2008 will be our largest event to date. We’re thrilled to have so much to offer attendees this year. More than 75 companies have announced that they’ll introduce new products at the show — everything from new chassis and bodies to all the equipment that goes on them," said Dennis Jones, NTEA convention chairman and vice president of sales and marketing for Auto Truck Group.

According to organizers, The Work Truck Show 2008 has sold out with a record of 534 exhibitors in Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center.

The Work Truck Show 2008 is held in conjunction with the 44th Annual NTEA Convention Feb. 25-28. Convention and educational sessions start Feb. 25.

Getting Ready to Roll Out Hybrids

Keynote speaker Clarence H. "Bud" Albright Jr., undersecretary in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will address the Hybrid Truck & Alternative Fuels Summit, Feb. 25. This special session will include a lineup of the trucking industry’s experts covering the latest in hybrid and alternative fuel technology. With environmental concerns, as well as rising gas prices, hybrid and alternative-fuel work trucks are becoming a vehicle of choice with fleets.

On Feb. 26 and Feb. 27, convention attendees can test drive 14 new hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles at the Hybrid Truck & Alternative Fuels Ride & Drive, sponsored by Eaton Hybrid Power Systems. Registration for the Ride & Drive will take place on-site on a first-come, first-served basis.

Now Featuring New Products

Ford Commercial Truck, Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products, and General Motors Fleet Commercial Operations, are among the more than 75 companies that have announced plans to unveil new products at The Work Truck Show 2008. Many of these companies are participating in the New Product Spotlight program, which provides a sneak preview of new products on the NTEA Web site.

Learning the Work Truck Industry

More than 40 industry-specific training sessions are scheduled at the conference, covering fleet management, business management, distributor-specific issues, technical topics, as well as techniques for increasing productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

An all-day Fleet Management Symposium, offered Feb. 25, will focus on financial and operational practices to reduce costs and increase shop labor productivity. The symposium will be presented by Kelly Walker, president of the Dallas-based Kelly Walker Associates.

Symposium goals include discovering how to compute a fleet meltdown and stoppage formula, how to use an eight-step technician recruiting and retention strategy, and learning why insourcing and outsourcing decisions are changing.

The conference session on "Surviving & Thriving: Trends Reshaping the Truck Equipment Industry," will explore important regulatory changes affecting multistage manufacturers. The session will explore real-world scenarios and present industry experts on certification and labeling issues. Attendees will receive a copy of the Truck Equipment Industry Assessment 2007 Strategic Study and Analysis Report.

The Truck Fleet Manager Training & Networking Luncheon will feature a presentation on "The Ever-Changing Role of the Fleet Administrator." The session will address the evolving dynamics of the fleet manager/administrator role over the past several years and potential strategies for the future. According to organizers, attendees will gain insight on how to successfully communicate internally and externally as a professional fleet administrator and learn the basic skills that should be included in the fleet manager’s arsenal to prepare for continued success.