Even though our country quite literally runs off of the horsepower of these trucks and the backs of their drivers, the trucking industry in its true glory has been dying out. Never dead, but aging.

Much like cars, engineers and designers have been bleeding the soul out of these rigs over the years. To support mass production, to “reduce costs”, and to quite frankly, strip any sort of character from a world that’s seemingly growing to resent individuality.

Instead of sacrificing classic aesthetics for the sake of ‘aerodynamics and functionality’, why don't we implore them to bring back square hoods, steel, polished chrome, and manual transmissions? Because after what I saw two weekends ago, I’d be willing to bet that trucks like that will outperform their younger plastic counterparts by a landslide.

I had the pleasure of going to Louisville, Kentucky to attend the 2026 Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) for the second time with my Dad. The first time, I was pregnant with my son, and this time, I got to bring him along with us.

My Dad has been driving (legally) since he was eighteen, but he was born into a tried and true trucking family. A trucker nepo-baby, if you will.

His grandparents on both sides, his parents, and even his uncle and other family and friends drove for years. Eventually, his parents started up their own company, Carolyn’s Trucking, and found a beautiful measure of their own success during that time.

In the 70’s and 80’s, trucking was in its golden era, fueled by movies like “Convoy” and “Smokey and the Bandit”, and even songs like “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” by Alabama and “Prisoner of the Highway” by Ronnie Milsap.

Naturally, all of that passion surrounding the job and the lifestyle from those he loved and looked up to sparked his own interest and eventual love for the career. He was holding wrenches and helping out in the garage since he was in diapers, and he still uses them to fix his own trucks and to help others to this very day.

Those boys that are born into it, turn into men, who turn into fathers that typically repeat the cycle with their kids.

Don’t get me wrong, hardly any of these drivers will tell you that it was overtly glamorous, or that they were living in luxury, but it can be a beautiful life if you do it well.

Most of these boys don’t get to pass down generational wealth of the kind that most people aim for, but they do have generational chrome - beautiful trucks that their daddies gave to them, that they’ll keep polished and running well until it’s time to pass them down to their boys.

I say this because, at MATS, there is the exposition that takes place inside, and the one that takes place outside.

Inside, you have hundreds of vendors, selling truckers, dispatchers, company owners and the like all sorts of goods, from brand new trailers, steering wheels, all the way down to new chicken lights and lugnuts -

- but outside is where you’ll find the real show.

As I mentioned earlier, that true sense of pride that these men and women found in their jobs, and in their rigs, has started dying off - but its heart still beats loudly and proudly, especially on weekends like these. It lives on in the hearts for those it's passed down to, and those who pick it up all on their own.

What kind of pride could be had in trucking you ask?

The pride in having a beautiful truck that you take care of, customize, and polish up every chance you get.

In being able to get compliments at the Petro because some other driver really liked your truck enough to actually tell you.

For long-haul truckers, these trucks are their homes at least 75% of the time while they’re out providing for their families, or just trying to make a living on their own.

I’m sure you like getting compliments on your house, or the color you painted your cabinets. It's essentially the same feeling, but better because it often means so much more.

I take the liberty in saying that it means so much more because of what it means to them.

As you walk through the outside exposition, you see this displayed firsthand. Each truck often has some sort of sign or poster displayed next to the truck that details its year, make, model, and any other details or specifications regarding the truck and its modifications that they wanted to share. Additionally, the trucks that have been proudly passed down often highlight their generational history on these signs, and how many years that truck has been in the family business.

So these shows aren’t just about the pride that they have in well taken care of trucks - it’s about the pride they have in their family, and generations that have stuck together and taken care of something that means the world to them.

The trucks are pretty, but they symbolize something far greater:

The hard work and dedication that each driver has to their family - in diligently taking care of the thing that allows them to provide and take care of the people that matter the very most to them: who they come home to after long days, weeks, and months of being gone.
Family, legacy, and old-school pride in provision.

The show and its expositions always start on Thursday of the last weekend in March, going until the following Saturday night. After the inside expositions end on Saturday, everyone heads outside to admire the show trucks one last time before they all head back home.

But oddly enough, Saturday night when everyone heads home is a true highlight of the weekend.

As I mentioned, these old-school truckers are known to enjoy a little flair when it comes to their trucks. By this point, they’ve already shown everyone how beautiful they are all polished up and on display, but they yearn to show them off in action, too.

Not only do these trucks look good, but they often sound even better. Even the smell of diesel burning is nostalgic for me.

So on Saturday night, they all file out of the show lot (the red section), and start making their rounds around the loop that circles the entire Kentucky Exposition center, “The Circle of Champions”.

(ABOVE: The Circle of Champions loop highlighted in yellow, the lot area for the show trucks outlined in red with a star.)

This part of the weekend is typically called the parade, since they really get the chance to show off all their trucks can do.

This is definitely my favorite part of the entire show for a few key reasons:

I love getting to see everyone showing off their hard work so proudly, by flashing their lights, honking their horns, revving their motors, and even flexing their hydraulic systems if they have them. There were a few trucks that literally dropped a few feet in height when they saw me recording with my camera.
The sense of community as the family, friends, and everyone else who found their way to the show gather around on blankets or in chairs on the roadside to watch as they all drive by. People come together to simply appreciate beauty and craftsmanship.
Getting to see little kids doing the pull-down arm motion to get truckers to honk their horns, just as I used to do, and might still do more than I’d like to admit.
Being able to experience it all with my Dad, and my own son, who has already taken a liking to all things “Pop Pop” and his big trucks.

Most importantly, I love being able to see the pure joy of the ones driving.

Even more so when it isn’t just the parents driving.

I may or may not have seen more than a few of the 'drivers in the parade that weren’t much taller than the steering wheel themselves, or got to steer on their father’s laps - all having the time of their lives.

It's the kind of thing that just can’t help but bring a tear or two to your eyes.

Even if your family isn’t the truck-driving breed, at some point, someone taught you how to drive, or will teach you. No matter when, or who taught you, it is often a precious memory.

For these kids, their parents probably have been working on teaching them, or at least letting them steer whenever they can, and surprised them by letting them drive or steer as they circled the loop.

Watching these memories unfold for them in real time reminds me of similar memories I’ll never ever forget.

(An old photo of me steering on my Dad’s lap on one of our many trips together.)

It all just brings so much joy.

So while my family, and many of those who attended that show, may not have true generational wealth by the millions, we will always have generational joy and sparkling chrome.