tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80169477331471605472011-07-31T01:49:12.356-04:00Can't make it to the Mid-America Trucking Show? Never fear, the Land Line and Land Line Now team will bring you bring it to life in the Pork Chop Diaries blog. Check back every day during the show for updates.Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-39293866991983966032010-03-29T12:39:00.020-04:002010-03-30T12:07:28.926-04:00

When the halls clear at the Mid-America Trucking Show each year, it's a little sad it's over and almost a little anti-climactic.That is until this year.The Inagural Parade of Lights Convoy to benefit Special Olympics Kentucky was held following the close of the show Saturday, March 27. It not only was the perfect end to the 2010 edition of the Mid-America Trucking Show, it was also the perfect

Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-31027442397843376142010-03-27T15:06:00.007-04:002010-03-27T16:55:22.646-04:00

Day Three at MATS is coming to a close and I see the crowd thinning out and exhibitors getting read to tear down booths and pack up. We've said goodbyes to many trucking friends, ones we see only once a year.In the press room, it's a 15-minute warning to pack up gear, finish stories. Most journalists are gone now. Dorothy Cox of The Trucker just finished pounding out a story, and I think she's

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-11331942354351066642010-03-27T14:18:00.005-04:002010-03-27T17:04:48.620-04:00

Women in Trucking members gathered in Louisville Saturday morning in numbers to celebrate the accomplishments of women in the trucking industry -- and to try to set a record, with a group photograph of the most women CDL holders together. Well, that world record was set in 2004 in The Netherlands as 416 women came together. While the WIT did not break the world record, they set a North American

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-16839349715799882852010-03-27T13:55:00.005-04:002010-03-27T16:53:35.434-04:00

The roads of the far north are nothing but solid bumps, ridges and cracks during warmer months ... and all gravel. "They are so bad that if you want to get any speed goin', you gotta take your wallet out of your pocket and put it between your teeth."That was the kind of frank fact and humor that truckers and others were treated to Saturday morning at the Paul K. Young Memorial truck beauty

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-2760563956647567362010-03-27T12:03:00.006-04:002010-03-29T11:33:12.104-04:00

The media arms of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association received numerous awards in the Seventh Annual Communications Awards sponsored by the Truck Writers of North America.The competition recognizes excellence in trucking industry journalism in both the trade and the mainstream press, as well as excellence in communication with the industry by public relations professionals. These

Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-26901749075225174512010-03-27T09:44:00.006-04:002010-03-27T11:15:21.076-04:00

More than 80 vehicles entered the Paul K. Young Truck Beauty Championship at the Mid-America Truck Show. Rigs ranged from a beautifully restored and maintained 1949 Kenworth cabover (which is in a LOT better shape than this writer, who shares a birthday with it), to virtually brand-new vehicles entered in low-mileage classes. There were extreme vehicles, such as an homage to all things John

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-35575028800076174182010-03-27T09:31:00.006-04:002010-03-27T10:57:04.507-04:00

Well, the third and final day of MATS is upon us, and the morning sun is beaming down upon the Land Line Now booth in the north wing lobby like a beacon of hope, summoning all truckers to come and join us in our mighty quest to ... ahem, sorry. I got carried away for a minute there. That's what this place will do to you.It's been a fun and informative ride so far, and it's not over yet. Late

Terry Scrutonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01288091448938406023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-63873471597695037362010-03-26T17:32:00.008-04:002010-03-27T11:52:16.844-04:00

An owner-operator from Gladstone, Oregon, is the 27th Goodyear North American Highway Hero. Junichi Shimizu helped save the lives of three people involved in a fiery traffic accident, including one driver who was trapped in his burning vehicle. The announcement was made last night at the Truck Writers of North America's industry awards.Land Line Now Senior Correspondent Terry Scruton and I joined

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-66598906965780025752010-03-26T14:10:00.006-04:002010-03-27T09:45:27.906-04:00

You can tell it is Day 2 of the Mid America Trucking Show. It's getting harder to move around as more and more people crowd the show floor. And the traffic moves at a shuffling pace as people stop and stare all of the goodies on display. The Land Line Now booth in the North wing lobby has seen a steady stream of traffic. Sadly, I have not been part of that stream today.You'll have to trust me,

Terry Scrutonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01288091448938406023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-6094185013756753162010-03-26T12:01:00.006-04:002010-03-26T14:12:27.259-04:00

Holy cow - it's already Friday and my good intentions have disappeared like exhaust from pre-emission regulation stacks. We're being inundated with the latest information. EGR vs SCR. New trucks and refurbished ones. HOS regulations. Ergonomics and aerodynamics. MATS is a veritable smorgasbord.2009 is being benchmarked as the bottom of the pit, and cautious optimism about 2010 and beyond is on

Suzanne Stempinskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01477341217051542239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-90655555478488831012010-03-26T11:48:00.014-04:002010-03-27T11:51:50.430-04:00

As State Legislator Editor, Keith Goble's everyday job consists of sending out OOIDA's constant messages of "be involved in the election process" and "know the issues" and "call your lawmaker with your input." In October 2008, with the nation at a crossroads and on the verge of the presidential election, Keith wrote "The Power of One," an article reminding voters that one vote could go a long

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-90131453014031797852010-03-26T11:48:00.013-04:002010-03-26T14:06:03.401-04:00

We're not quite to halftime of the 2010 Mid-America Trucking Show, but I think I may have seen the highlight for this year. It will be difficult to top Arrow Truck Sales' reveal of the 2010 Back on the Road winner. Owner-operator Robert Snyder of Dunnellon, FL, was announced Friday morning as this year's recipient. Robert was joined by his wife and daughter, who nominated her dad for Back on the

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-54503842724861355522010-03-26T09:17:00.004-04:002010-03-27T11:15:51.325-04:00

Daimler-Freightliner's Innovation Truck, which debuted at the 2009 MATS show, returned for 2010. The matte-black fiberglass body and tinted windows inspired comparisons to Darth Vader's helmet, and the colored gels of the spotlights enhanced the slightly eerie image. However, concepts tested on the Innovation Truck have already appeared on the road, such as Predictive Cruise Control. The force

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-9937471695104851942010-03-25T22:07:00.007-04:002010-03-26T10:47:35.189-04:00

The Land Line staff - print, Web and radio - were recognized Thursday night for their efforts to assist Arrow Trucking drivers with the first-ever "Extra Mile" award from the Truck Writers of North America. In making the presentation, TWNA noted that:"The first full day of winter 2009 was a cold one for more than 1,400 Arrow Trucking drivers and their families. Three days before Christmas, the

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-60396243070875495712010-03-25T14:37:00.003-04:002010-03-25T15:48:44.473-04:00

As much as I want to deny it, I can't. I like the shwag at MATS.It is easy to make fun of the little kids scrambling for the treasures. It's fun to watch them smile from ear to ear when they score a light-up bouncy ball.But a grown woman? It really is almost embarrassing.I hide it as best I can. I blame some of my finds on needing to bring home stuff for my kids, for my colleagues holding down

Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-69504142729307234662010-03-25T12:47:00.004-04:002010-03-25T14:03:13.680-04:00

The first official day of MATS is now under way. Most of the major press conferences are over and the real stars of the show - the truck drivers - have been pouring in all day.I just spent the last hour at the Land Line Now booth in the North Wing lobby, meeting and greeting all kinds of great people. For starters, I met Lee and Jazzy Jordan for the first time face to face. I had interviewed both

Terry Scrutonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01288091448938406023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-83614322994938643262010-03-25T10:03:00.005-04:002010-03-25T12:01:17.926-04:00

Minneapolis' ThermoKing today announced a battery-based APU system to power heating and cooling for truckers. The TriPacE Electric APU cooling phase is powered by four batteries. The truck's own batteries provide backup, and there is a shore-power hookup capability as well. Two Smart Charger control modules monitor two batteries each, oveseeing the charging, discharging and shutdown modes; in-cab

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-90908347002567700552010-03-25T09:36:00.006-04:002010-03-27T11:52:42.261-04:00

At the Freightliner -- Daimler Trucks North America -- press conference this a.m. in Louisville, Andreas Renschler began his comments to the media by talking about the weather. Renschler, head of Daimler trucks and buses, said he felt like 2009 was one major blizzard. "By now, with the fog lifting, we can finally get a clearer view of the state of our industry."Renschler reported that Daimler

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-61812806182167147992010-03-25T09:16:00.004-04:002010-03-25T12:05:27.157-04:00

Media day at the Mid-America Trucking Show is a ton of fun. We get a preview of all the cool new products and trucks that attendees will experience over the next three days.The only group that might be a bit harder to impress than truckers is the trucking media. But, we have to give a nod to Kenworth for giving it a shot with its rollout of the T700.Check out this video Keith Goble shot during

Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-46711679243733276642010-03-24T21:11:00.005-04:002010-03-25T09:12:55.866-04:00

The wake-up call came a tad early this morning for Media Day in Louisville. In town for the Mid-America Trucking show, the Land Line Magazine and Land Line Now staffs got a "bright" and early start on the day. Waking up in an area with a time zone an hour ahead of my body clock didn’t hit me until I drew open the curtains and noticed the sun still hadn't popped up over the horizon. Then the

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-51253764194240539322010-03-24T17:58:00.006-04:002010-03-24T21:24:39.922-04:00

Early Wednesday morning, Kenworth unveiled a couple of major new products - the PACCAR MX engine, which will begin appearing in KWs later this year, and the company's new T700, an aero-styled road tractor that is the heir to the now-venerable T2000 and the much older "Anteater" - the 660 - which started the aero revolution. In announcing these products, the builder stressed the various percentage

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-2472414259787039742010-03-24T17:47:00.004-04:002010-03-24T18:00:22.771-04:00

Just in time for Mid-America, the National Association of Show Trucks has relaunched its Web page, outfitting the site with social media capabilities and greater interactivity for viewers.In years past, NAST has held its final competition at MATS, with finalists in the previous year's contests gunning for major prizes and the organization's truck of the year award. Longtime sponsor TruckLite did

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-3493704364852029262010-03-24T16:35:00.005-04:002010-03-25T09:14:59.541-04:00

With the 2010 MATS VIP tour set to kick off at 10 a.m. on Thursday, the Kentucky Expo Center was a beehive of activity on Wednesday afternoon as booth setup continued at a frenzied pace. Packing crates stood in aisles, plastic covered pristine carpeting in the booth areas, and the beepbeep of front-end loaders, trash carts and hoists jarred the senses repeatedly. At the Ford display, booth

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-78828440233160068302010-03-24T16:33:00.000-04:002010-03-31T15:38:38.503-04:00

Webasto? The BlueCool people? They introduced an interesting hybrid in Louisville in March – bringing shore power to their BlueCool Thermal Storage APU. Webasto introduced the original BlueCool APU in 2006 as an alternative to diesel-powered APUs. It produces cool air using thermal energy stored in a frozen graphite/water matrix – like a giant ice cube. Then fans circulate the air.With IdleAire

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-48855422526654672492010-03-24T15:05:00.005-04:002010-03-25T09:15:27.890-04:00

It's Media Day at the big show, and that means a long day of press conferences as the companies line up to unveil their latest and greatest products for the trucking media. There is plenty being unveiled this year, and an air of cautious optimism from most of the companies involved.I had the good fortune to spend much of the day with Land Line Magazine's own Paul Abelson. You always learn

Terry Scrutonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01288091448938406023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-31982905348414608212010-03-24T12:53:00.003-04:002010-03-24T14:18:17.971-04:00

Day 1 for me at Louisville has already been an eventful one. Bendix had a lot to say at their press conference, and Kenworth had a good follow-up. Terry Scruton and Jami Jones are out at Peterbilt seeing what new things they have to offer while the rest of us do some preparation work for the other press conferences and get ready for what's coming this afternoon.But while the big event for me

Mark H. Reddighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06150146873022175695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-38620289613140785942010-03-24T12:36:00.004-04:002010-03-24T14:05:05.754-04:00

Goodyear announced the four finalists for its Highway hero award of 2009, but the winner is still a secret. A double-dog secret. That secret will see the light of day this week at the Mid-America Trucking Show here in Louisville -- on Thursday evening, in fact.Goodyear will introduce the final four nominees tomorrow night at the Truck Writers of North America industry awards banquet. As everyone

Sandi Soendkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17820827250292466881noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-25225493121188565222010-03-24T11:11:00.005-04:002010-03-24T12:43:47.280-04:00

It's Media Day in Louisville. Shortly after Sandi Soendker and I wrapped up our morning run of press events for Bendix and Kenworth, we both came away with similar reactions. We couldn't help but think about how many truckers will soon be adding products and a new truck from the companies to their wish lists during the next few days.Bendix touted their stationary object alert system to warn

Keith Goblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01008390464524334391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-87139259958743183342010-03-23T22:26:00.003-04:002010-03-24T11:03:05.575-04:00

Are we at Louisville yet? You bet: Land Line staffers and contributors began rolling in Tuesday from all points of the compass prepared to hit the first event of the day on Wednesday - a press briefing by Bendix starting at 8 a.m. EDT. In its invitation to the briefing, Bendix described the objectives of the meeting as follows: "As signs of an economic recovery begin to show in the commercial

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-65555875279517817862010-03-21T20:09:00.003-04:002010-03-23T17:11:56.454-04:00

This will be something like the 15th time in 16 years that I have been to MATS, and every year has been a guessing game as to the weather and what to pack. Louisville weather in mid-March is harder to call than the winner of the Sweet 16. MATS veterans can tell you that they've seen sleet, snow, thunderstorms, and heat and humidity - sometimes at the same show. I started tracking the weather

Bill Hudginshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07304635630430168214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-88123348310998595022010-03-20T18:19:00.005-04:002010-03-23T17:07:12.995-04:00

Well, it's the first day of spring, I'm about to go to Louisville, and it's snowing.As I look outside, I'm seeing that at least 6 inches of snow have fallen here in Independence, MO. You can see it on this picture of my garage, looking out the kitchen window. And more is falling every single minute. Oh, and it's not that nice, dry kind of snow. It's that get-your-feet-wet, soak-your-coat, and

Mark H. Reddighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06150146873022175695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8016947733147160547.post-41357124919285176652010-03-19T13:16:00.003-04:002010-03-19T14:51:57.122-04:00

In the days leading up to the Mid-America Trucking Show, something starts to stir inside you. With all of the prep work and scheduling, it can be overwhelming. This is one place every year that you will find darn near everything imaginable you need to make, build or continue a successful trucking business.With the wide array there of equipment, products, services and professional organizations

Jami Jonesnoreply@blogger.com1