Expedite Expo 2011: 'A Huge Success'

The Expedite Expo seems to get better every year, and 2011 was no exception.

This year’s Expo, held July 22 and 23 at the Roberts Convention Center in Wilmington, Ohio, was a “huge success” according to show manager Lawrence McCord.

The 2011 Expedite Expo featured the largest exhibitor base in the show’s 11-year history, with 320 exhibitors on hand to display the latest products and information relating to the expedite trucking industry.

Altogether, more than 4,000 attendees and exhibitors took part in the show.

A highlight of the show was the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to the family of the late Jeff Jensen, editor for Expediters Online. Jensen had been an integral part of the Expo since its beginning in 2000.

A popular part of the show each year is the drivers workshops, and the trend continued in 2011 with standing-room only audiences for the workshops that covered a variety of topics ranging from truck financing to roadside breakdowns.

This year’s show also included a new feature, the TruckPro Seminar Series, which had exhibitors demonstrating maintenance techniques on a truck live on the show floor. The seminars proved extremely popular.

Another highlight of the show was the presentation of the Drivers Choice Award, which went to a 2012 Freightliner Climate-Controlled Expediter by Jeff Jones and Don Bentz with Stoops Freightliner and Bolt Custom Trucks.

Two lucky attendees went home with some extra spending money as well after winning $1,000 cash giveaways presented by CIS Commercial Insurance Solutions. The winners were Dean McClung, of Leighton, Ala. and FedEx Custom Critical on July 22; and Susan George of Stamford, CT, on July 23.

Patrick House, who has two tractors leased on with Panther Expedited Services Inc., was the winner of an Espar Heater valued at $1,200 and sponsored by EsparParts.com.