Peterbilt, Kenworth to skip 2016 MATS, join all other major truck OEMs in doing so

Updated Oct 25, 2015
Kenworths Icon 900 was unveiled this year at Mid-America.Kenworths Icon 900 was unveiled this year at Mid-America.

Both Peterbilt and Kenworth announced in recent days they too will be sitting out the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show, joining all other major North American truck manufacturers in doing so. Both also have indicated they intend to return to the show in 2017.

“After carefully considering our marketing strategies for next year and beyond, Peterbilt has decided to exhibit at the Mid-America Trucking Show on a bi-annual schedule,” Peterbilt Public Relations Manager Derek Smith says. “We wish MATS success in 2016 and we look forward to participating in the 2017 show.”

Kenworth GM Preston Feight made his company’s announcement this weekend at ATA’s annual conference, held in Philadelphia this week. “We’re not going to MATS,” said Feight during a press conference. “We will continue to invest our money into making sure our customers have experiences with our products.”

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Peterbilt and Kenworth are sister companies, both owned by Paccar.

Daimler, maker of Freightliner and Wester Star trucks and Detroit engines and transmissions, in May became the first OE to announce it will be skipping next year’s MATS. Navistar, Volvo and Mack announced their intentions later this summer.

Several of the truck makers have signaled they would like to see the show move to a bi-annual format. Mid-America management, however, says it intends to keep the show as an annual event.

The 2016 edition of MATS is scheduled for March 31-April 2 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.