2018 MATS offers opportunities for education, entertainment

There will be plenty of opportunities to be educated and entertained at the 2018 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky. The annual truck show, which will take place March 22-24 at the Kentucky Expo Center, features more than a dozen seminars on the trucking industry and performances by several country music artists.

A timely seminar on Thursday and Friday will discuss the new electronic logging device mandate. Joseph DeLorenzo and Bill Mahorney of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will lead the discussion from 3-4 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, and from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Friday, March 23.

Other seminar topics over the three days include “How to Run Your Business: Common Challenges and Solutions,” “Sharpen Your Negotiation Skills and Learn how to Truck for Profit,” and “Financial Impact of Owner-Operator Mistakes and how to Avoid Them.”

All of the seminars will be in room B-104 in the south wing lobby. A full seminar schedule can be found here.

Musical entertainment will be found at the Kentucky Expo Center’s Freedom Hall, as well as in the south A lobby.

Kellie Pickler, a country music star and “American Idol” alum, will headline the 2018 MATS concert on Friday, March 23, at Freedom Hall. The annual free concert is sponsored by ExxonMobil and the Mobil Delvac team.

Pickler boasts 11 songs that have made it onto Billboard’s country music charts, including five in the top 20. “Best Days of Your Life,” off her self-titled sophomore album, reached No. 9 on the charts in 2009. Her third album, “100 Proof,” was named the Country Album of the Year by Rolling Stone in 2012. She released “The Woman I Am” in 2013, which included the hit song, “Someone Somewhere Tonight.”

Free tickets for the concert will be available at the Mobil Delvac booth (No. 18160 in the North Hall) on Thursday and Friday during regular show hours.

The doors to the concert will open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 23, and the show will start at 7 p.m.

The south A lobby will feature performances from country musicians on all three days of the show.

Red Eye Radio is sponsoring appearances by Dustin Collins, Tanya Tucker, Tyler Jordan, Ray Scott, Lucas Hoge, Tony Justice, and Jayne Denham.

Tucker will have a meet-and-greet only, while all of the other musicians are scheduled to perform. A full schedule can be found here.

The times for performances by Justice, an OOIDA member, and Denham hadn’t been scheduled as of Feb. 27. Justiceand Denham have both been featured on Land Line’s Tandem Thoughts.

MATS will also include the Paul K. Young Truck Beauty Championship and more than 1,000 exhibitors.

Register for the show here.