Dallas delivers

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives will perform Friday, the second evening of the show. Stuart made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1972 as a 13-year-old mandolin prodigy in Lester Flatt’s band, the Nashville Grass.

Country music performances, show trucks and the industry’s leading owner-operator business training program will highlight the 2008 Great American Trucking Show, Aug. 21-23 at the Dallas Convention Center.

Four-time Grammy award winner Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives will headline the Aug. 22 concert at 6:30 p.m., sponsored by Mobil Delvac. Stuart is well known in Nashville as a producer, songwriter, session musician and solo artist. The Mississippi native also hosts “Marty Stuart’s American Odyssey” on XM Satellite Radio.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will perform at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23, sponsored by Volvo Trucks North America. Formed in 1966, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is one of the nation’s most venerable country-folk-rock bands. The band’s album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume 2” won two Grammy awards and Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards.

Tickets to both concerts are free to attendees and will be distributed in the lobby at 9 a.m. the day of each show.

Despite high fuel prices, GATS is expected to be well attended and productive, says Alan Sims, head of the Randall-Reilly Events Group, which produces the show.

“We expect well over 500 exhibiting companies representing all major truck OEMs, major trailer manufacturers, all engine manufacturers and a host of other components, parts and services catering to the heavy- and medium-duty truck industry,” he says.

Members of the Chrome Shop
Mafia, a division of 4 State Trucks made famous by Country Music Television’s “Trick My Truck” series, will be on hand to sign autographs.

Radio’s Bill Mack, Grammy Award winner and host of the Overdrive Top Ten Countdown, will sign autographs at the Overdrive booth. In addition to the countdown, which airs on 80 stations coast to coast, Mack hosts a show with his wife, “Sweet Cindy,” on XM Satellite Radio’s Open Road Channel 171. Larry Shannon, the voice of Overdrive Trucking News, also will be sign autographs at the Overdrive booth.

Partner Insights
Information to advance your business from industry suppliers

The Midnight Trucking Radio Network booth also will feature autographs sessions and performances by three artists. Stuart will meet attendees and sign autographs prior to his concert. The Roadhammers will appear at 1 p.m. Friday. Katie Armiger will meet truckers and perform Saturday. Matt Coleman will be at the booth every day of the show to perform and meet drivers.

The Partners in Business workshop will be 2-4 p.m. Aug. 22. The industry’s leading seminar for owner-operators is presented by representatives from owner-operator financial services company ATBS. Attendees will receive a free copy of the 2008 Partners in Business manual. The program is produced by Overdrive, ATBS and Castrol.

Other educational seminars include How to Survive a Safety Audit; Lease or Buy: Pros and Cons; and Fuel Management for Fleets/Owner-Operators.

Overdrive’s Pride & Polish will feature many of the nation’s top show trucks in an indoor competition. Bobtail and combination trucks will be judged in working, limited mileage and grand antique classes. To register, visit www.prideandpolish.net.

LOCATION
Dallas Convention Center

SCHEDULE
Noon-6 p.m. Thursday, Aug, 21;
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22;
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23.

ADMISSION
Registration online or over the phone is free. A three-day pass at the door is $10.

PARKING
Free truck parking will be available at the Reunion Arena parking lot, adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center, where there will be a Navistar-sponsored refreshments tent. As in the past, the city does not allow owners to stay in their trucks overnight in this location. New this year is a citywide ban on idling punishable by a fine of up to $500, except for truckers taking a mandatory 10-hour rest.

LODGING
Visit the Hotel Travel section at the show website or call (800) 221-3531 for access to special rates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit www.gatsonline.com or call (888) 349-4287.