News

" Truckfest is an image booster for the road haulage industry"

Those were the words of Commercial Motor’s editor-in-chief Brian Weatherley in describing Truckfest, which this year celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Very few road haulage based events attract or embrace such a wide cross section of the industry. The organisers of Truckfest can be rightly proud of such an achievement in the ever changing and increasingly difficult market place as the road  haulage industry.

So how did Truckfest commence and why is it so popular among operators and drivers alike? What is there to see and enjoy at the 25th anniversary celebrations?

The whole idea started way back in the early 80s when Colin Ward, MD of Live Promotions, was talking to some operators in a local pub.

At the time there was no CV show, and the discussion, revealed various vital ingredients that became the format for Truckfest.

The first and most important ingredient was that the operators wished to mix with like minded operators, and exchange stories.....some wished to bring their trucks along and use Truckfest as a shop window for their own business, ....where-as others wished to come along with their families, and be proud of the industry that they worked within.

All of the operators and drivers that Colin and his team spoke to wanted a "relaxed festival" atmosphere to the event,  where business and pleasure could be combined.

So from that early discussion...Truckfest was born.

Rhe first ever Truckfest was held at the Newark and Notts Showground, adjacent to the A1 over Easter in 1983, and to top it all, it even snowed, so you can imagine Colin and his teams thoughts as they drove to the showground in the early hours, in near blizzard conditions, especially when the company had risked everything in creating and promoting the very first event.

But British weather being what it is....the sun some-how appeared, the snow slowly cleared, and the queues at the gates became longer and longer, so much so that they stretched right back onto the A1 and the police promptly came along and demanded that the gates should be opened immediately.

So Truckfest had arrived.

During the following years, Colin’s fellow director Bob Limming became instrumental in keeping in touch with the industry, especially the chassis manufacturers.....and he soon became a familiar figure in the offices of Daf, Volvo, Iveco, Mercedes etc, spreading the Truckfest word, and getting the manufacturers to support Truckfest with either sponsorship or with exhibition space.

To this date, the manufacturers have been keen supporters of the event, valuing the important audience that Truckfest delivers.

Quotes from the industry:

• Truckfest is a key element within the marketing activities of Isuzu Truck (UK) Ltd, says Isuzu’s marketing director Keith Child..."as we are introducing even heavier trucks to our current range Truckfest will play an even more important part in our brand development."
• Tony Pain, marketing director of DAF, says: "Truckfest has been an integral part of building the DAF Trucks image in the market for many years and, as well as giving us a good medium to have direct contact with the people who drive them every day, it provides us with a central point of attraction where the audience really cares about trucks and transport, which is what our company is all about."
• Volvo’s PR and marketing director Stephen Kirk says: "Truckfest is still one of the best ways to get your brand in front of truck operators and drivers."

So the Truckfest formula is still stuck to this very day, providing a meeting place on a Bank Holiday event for operators and drivers alike.....and over the years the promoters have made no secret in the fact that the event has played host to some pretty big celebrity  names, all of whom have made a special visit to meet the operators over the weekend.....names such as Chris Tarrant, Noel Edmonds, Jimmy Saville, Jim Davidson, and even Robbie Williams once sung at the event when he was in Take That, and the group made a special visit for a daily newspaper.

It’s not unsual to see some of the most influential names within the industry at Truckfest either, people such as Edward and William Stobart, James Irlam, and Ken Morrison, have all personally visited Truckfest the over years with their fleets on display. Many operators now make Truckfest Peterborough an annual pilgrimage.

Such is the demand for trucks to enter the various competitions that the entries are always full before the actual deadline.

Trucks now come to the event from all over Europe, and one of the most popular trucks at the show this year will be from Norway, which has won all the awards in Scandinavia.

"Overseas trucks tend to be rather lavish with their paint work and decoration." says Colin. "Since we have been bringing these colourful trucks to Truckfest, many UK operators have also taken up the trend, and moved away from the traditional livery into highly customised trucks."

The main arena is also very important to Truckfest.....it’s there, that the latest trucks are displayed from the manufacturers, and where the awards ceremonies are held for the various competitions, for the Best Kept trucks and Fleets....it’s also the in main arena that the promoters like to put on some of the more interesting or entertaining trucking item. This year Truckfest plays host to French driver Patrick Bourny, who will be bring his very unusual Renault Le Looping Camion - a specially made show truck that performs somersaults - along to the show. It has been shown on television throughout Europe.

Away from the main area visitors will attend Truckfest to keep track of the latest developments within the industry, product launches, and new innovations from new companies.

The success of Truckfest has produced numerous regional Truckfests throughout the UK, and the inevitable "copycat" shows.

Colin says: "We will always be proud of the fact that we were the first on the scene, we risked all to create Truckfest and copied no-one. So we’re justly proud of our creation and especially proud to be celebrating our 25th anniversary"

• Commercial Motor and Truck & Driver are Truckfest’s media partners, and the event is held at The East of England Showground in Peterborough on 6 and 7 May.
• Visit the Truckfest website.
• For further details call the Truckfest Hotline on 01775 768661