Every Booth Is a Tool: How to Actually Win at the Mid-America Trucking Show
Every spring, the trucking industry converges on Louisville, Kentucky for the Mid-America Trucking Show — three days that can change the way you run your business, push your technology forward, and strengthen your network in ways email threads and Zoom calls never will.
Now, I know what some folks think:
“Truck show = free pens and a pork cutlet sandwich.”
But that’s like saying your toolbox is just a place to stash old bolts.
The real power of MATS isn’t what you bring home with you.
It’s what you walk away with that actually moves your business forward.
At MATS, every booth is a tool.
Some tools are dull. Some are overrated.
And a few — used correctly — can widen your vision, tighten your operation, and reduce your cost per mile.
The key is knowing which ones you’re picking up.
Before you step onto the show floor, download the MATS Toolbox Checklist to help you focus on the conversations and tools that actually matter.
Stop Treating MATS Like an Event
Start Treating It Like a Toolbox
Most people attend MATS the same way they scroll social media — no plan, no filter, no objective.
That’s how you leave overwhelmed instead of equipped.
Here’s the mindset shift that changes everything:
Every booth is a tool.
And just like the tools in your truck or shop, if you don’t know what problem you’re trying to solve, you’ll come home with a lot of things you don’t need — while missing the ones that could actually improve your business.
MATS isn’t about impulse buying.
It’s about education, evaluation, and decision-making.
The goal isn’t to collect stuff.
The goal is to gain clarity.
The Booths Where the Right Conversations Happen
There are vendors at MATS who don’t just sell products — they help you think differently about how you run your operation. These are the booths where you slow down, ask better questions, and look beyond the next load.
Truckstop.com - BOOTH 16160
This is where most conversations should start.
Truckstop.com isn’t just about finding freight — it’s about understanding markets, timing, and data so your decisions stop being reactive and start being intentional.
If freight still feels like a guessing game, this is where clarity begins.
Better data leads to better questions.
Better questions lead to better decisions.
And better decisions show up on your bottom line.
This is a foundational tool — not because it tells you what to do, but because it helps you decide when and why.
Pittsburgh Power - BOOTH 37209
If you care about engine performance, fuel efficiency, emissions strategy, and long-term reliability, this is a must-stop.
This isn’t about bolt-on gimmicks or miracle fixes. It’s about understanding how your engine actually operates, what’s stealing efficiency, and how small improvements compound over hundreds of thousands of miles.
This is where assumptions get challenged — and where fewer guesses lead to better outcomes.
FASS Diesel Fuel Systems - BOOTH 14112
Fuel problems rarely announce themselves.
They just quietly cost you money.
FASS focuses on clean, consistent fuel delivery, protecting injectors and supporting stable performance under real working conditions — not brochure conditions.
This is one of those tools you don’t notice right away.
But over time, it shows up in reliability, uptime, and fewer expensive surprises.
Foundational tools aren’t flashy — they’re profitable.
Truck Parking Club - BOOTH 37223
Parking is one of the most overlooked tools in trucking — until it controls your day.
Truck Parking Club focuses on planned, predictable parking, helping drivers remove one of the biggest unknowns from their schedule. When parking is no longer a last-minute scramble, decisions improve — from hours of service to load acceptance to personal safety.
This isn’t about convenience.
It’s about control.
Like most good tools, it doesn’t make noise. It simply reduces stress, improves compliance, and gives you back margin where most drivers don’t even realize they’re losing it.
If parking has ever forced a bad decision, shortened your day, or dictated the load you took — this is a conversation worth having.
MD Alignment - BOOTH 37824 & 37612
Alignment isn’t exciting.
It’s not flashy.
And it quietly drains your wallet when it’s wrong.
Proper alignment reduces rolling resistance, improves fuel economy, extends tire life, and keeps small problems from becoming expensive ones. This is one of those tools that pays you back mile after mile — if you’re paying attention.
Fleet Air Filters - BOOTH 30180
Air filtration rarely gets attention — until it becomes a problem.
Fleet Air Filters offers lifetime, washable, high-flow air filters designed to be completely taken apart, cleaned thoroughly, and reused instead of replaced with disposable paper filters. This isn’t about a quick fix — it’s about a component that protects your engine’s breathing system while cutting ongoing operating costs and waste.
Clean, high flow air supports consistent performance and helps reduce wear on critical engine components. Because these filters can be taken apart and thoroughly cleaned, you avoid throwing away multiple disposable filters over time — and you keep airflow where it should be: uninterrupted and efficient.
This isn’t flashy.
It’s preventative discipline.
If protecting your investment, reducing waste, and keeping your engine breathing clean air matter to you, this is a tool worth understanding.
You Probably Won’t Find Us Behind a Booth — And That’s Intentional
Every year at MATS, someone asks: “Where’s the Let’s Truck booth?”
The answer is simple. We don’t have one.
Let’s Truck isn’t about selling from behind a table. It’s about helping drivers and carriers think differently about their business — and choose the right tools for the right reasons.
Kevin will be at the show. But you probably won’t find him standing still.
He’ll be walking the floor.
Having real conversations.
Spending time in booths where the thinking runs deeper — places like Truckstop.com, Pittsburgh Power, FASS and MD Alignment.
That’s where the value is.
Most booths exist to sell something.
Let’s Truck exists to help you decide.
The real work doesn’t happen under a banner.
It happens in conversations that don’t feel like sales calls.
How to Actually Win at MATS
Before you step onto the show floor, ask yourself one question:
“What is costing me the most money right now?”
Not what’s annoying.
Not what’s trending.
What’s actually draining your business.
Fuel.
Downtime.
Poor freight decisions.
Lack of strategy.
When you know your problems, the right booths stand out immediately — and the rest becomes background noise.
MATS gives you access to the people who build the tools.
Your job is to decide which ones belong in your toolbox.
Final Thought
The Mid-America Trucking Show isn’t about the size of the show floor.
It’s about the quality of the conversations you choose to have.
Go with curiosity.
Go with intention.
Go ready to challenge what you think you know.
And when you leave Louisville, make sure you’re carrying fewer trinkets — and more clarity.
Because if you leave MATS the same way you arrived, you didn’t really use it.
