By Erin Hounsel & Kim McQuade
BDA program managers

Big rigs draw big crowds.

BDA was among the 1,040 exhibitors at last week's 40th Mid-America Trucking Show at the Kentucky Exposition Center. The three-day event is billed as the world’s largest annual heavy-duty trucking tradeshow.

Or as the Louisville Courier-Journal called it, "a bonanza for truck junkies."

While the public is offered the rare chance to peek under the hood and inside the cab of custom 18-wheelers, the show provides manufacturers and trucking companies a venue to introduce new products, services and technology.

BDA displayed a selection of apparel and collectibles in the Peterbilt/Kenworth and Cummins booths. Cooler than usual weather boosted sales of hoodies and sweatshirts to the point where we had our Plainfield, Ind., fulfillment center overnight a second batch. Belt buckles and hats were also in high demand among the show’s 76,000-plus attendees.

Photo courtesy of Frankie Steele and the Louisville Courier-Journal.