In March, my husband, Steve, and I were lucky enough to join the inaugural NatRoad Study Tour – a 12-day adventure hosted by Tod Collins from Echuca Travel Centre.
The itinerary was packed with visits to PACCAR, Cummins, and Kenworth, tied in with a two-day trip to the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS), plus general sightseeing.
After the tour concluded, we hired a car and stayed on for another two weeks, rounding out a full month in the USA.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever expectations I had were exceeded. America certainly turned it on for us!
We landed in Seattle, where we visited PACCAR’s Mt Vernon facility. In typical Seattle style, the weather was wet and gloomy, but our diverse tour group – a great mix of men and women from various trucking businesses – was not deterred.
2024 National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year, Jenny Fellows from Fellows Bulk Transport, was there too, attending as part of her prize sponsored by Cummins.
She was thrilled to test drive four vehicles at PACCAR’s private track: a single-drive gold DAF prime mover, a white electric rigid, a silver Kenworth T680 with a pantech trailer, and the crowd favourite – a blue Peterbilt loaded with concrete blocks.
Even those without truck licences could drive, as all test vehicles were automatic and the track was private.
After the drive, the factory tour showcased PACCAR’s rigorous testing processes, including the noisy “shaker,” simulating rough road conditions. More than one person joked that they must have modelled it off the Newell Highway!
A visit to the Boeing Future of Flight factory provided stark contrast. Seeing full-sized 787 planes assembled under a single roof was breathtaking.
While photos weren’t allowed inside, we were lucky to witness the Dreamlifter take off – a rare sight, given it only flies a few times a month from the Everett site.
Blast from the past, a 1923 Flatbed Kenworth.Next, we headed south to Kenworth’s Renton factory, where they build about 15 trucks a day – predominantly “special vehicles” like the rugged Kenworth C500, which can achieve a GCM of up to 90.7 tonnes without special approvals. It’s not pretty, but it’s built for extreme conditions across Alaska and Canada.
From there, we flew into Nashville, arriving at 3.30am thanks to storms in Dallas. Despite the sleepless night, we stuck to schedule, visiting several historic Nashville sites before unwinding with a drink at one of the city’s many live music venues.
In Nashville, bands aren’t paid by venues – they rely on tips from the audience via a bucket placed at the stage.
We thought the streets were busy, but Tod informed us that on weekends, the crowd can swell to over 300,000 people, with police closing streets for safety.
The following day, we boarded the bus northbound to Louisville, stopping at the Corvette Museum and Jim Beam Distillery en route.
The Corvette Museum showcased the brand’s evolution, and if you buy a new Corvette, you can arrange delivery there.
At Jim Beam, even as someone who doesn’t prefer bourbon, it was fascinating to learn how white oak barrels are charred for single-use bourbon aging, before being sold to other distillers to lend a smoky flavour to their spirits.
We arrived in Louisville late afternoon and spent the next morning visiting historic sites before the highlight of the trip: the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS).
At MATS, even the car park was an exhibition of spectacular trucks. Inside the 22-acre exhibition hall, more than 1,000 exhibitors vied for attention with the newest and best products on display.
But Steve and I had our priorities – we headed outside first to view the 175 entries in the PKY Truck Beauty Championship.
American trucks just hit different. They’re bigger, shinier, longer – next-level compared to Australian shows. Even livestock trucks were immaculate, floors gleaming without a speck of dust.
Given these trucks were bumped into the show a week before, which allows plenty of time to clean and get the shine on, it’s a testament to Australian drivers attending our truck shows, where most arrive and add the final polish on the same day.
Drivers and owners at MATS were incredibly welcoming, keen to learn about Australian trucks and proud to share their own rigs.
There were some stunning builds, including the Big Rig Build-Off Champion, a 1987 Peterbilt 359 built by 19-year-old Luke Rethwisch, and the People’s Choice winner, Brant Arnold’s caramel tri-coloured 1970 Peterbilt 358M. In total, 38 awards were handed out, ranging from Best Use of Chrome to Limited Mileage categories.
However, my personal favourite was a truck that wasn’t part of the PKY show. Fittingly parked outside the Freedom Hall, driver AJ proudly displayed the Bennett Trucking Kenworth W990 tri-drive.
A true tribute truck, the imagery on this truck paid homage to America’s war vets, in particular, those who served on USS Texas, and the medics within the armed forces.
AJ’s wife, a nurse in the army, featured in a number of the photographs, and I couldn’t help but tear up as the big gentle Texan told her story.
Thankfully, she’s alive and has retired from the armed forces, but it is clear AJ has a deep pride for the service she provided to their country. While the shiny trucks in the show vied for the various prizes, this tribute truck and its humble driver won the hearts of all he spoke to.
Inside the halls, we spent time chatting with historical truck organisations and admired some unique rides, like Mike Taylor’s 1979 Kenworth W900A bearing a “Certified Dirty Idle” label – a cheeky dig at Californian clean-idle regulations.
When Steve admired his red KW-centred hubcaps, Mike proudly revealed he’d ordered them from Twin City Truck Centre in Wodonga, Australia – speaking highly of the team there!
The driver shortage topic drew mixed views. Some said it was critical, others blamed poor operator conditions and training. Semi-trailer drivers can earn upwards of US$120,000 annually (around AUD$185,000), and Steve and I were even encouraged to sign on as a two-up team – despite me not having a truck licence yet!
Day two at MATS flew by even faster. Knowing the layout now, we focused outside again, trying to see every truck, suffering a serious case of FOMO.
If Steve had a dollar for every time I took a photo or said “Wow!”…
Of course, it wouldn’t be America without some eccentric characters. We met a biker couple proudly showing photos of their (highly illegal) home-built moonshine still – “You know it’s a good one when the flame burns blue!” he grinned.
There was also a woman arguing with security after they found her missing husband… who didn’t want to be found! Honestly, I could see why. The show was incredible, a true candy store for truck enthusiasts.
All too soon, we were back on the bus, heading north to Chillicothe, Ohio, for a tour of the Kenworth factory that produces an incredible 140 prime movers a day – with plans to expand to 73,000 trucks per year once extensions are completed.
Red engines for as far as the eye can see at the Cummins factory in Jamestown, New York.Next stop: Jamestown, New York, where we dined with Cummins Jamestown team members, including Chief Engineer Peter Quanz, before touring the plant the following morning.
The walking tour covered about 1.5km, with miles of iconic red Cummins engines stretching as far as the eye could see. The sense of pride and team spirit among the staff was tangible.
Our final group stop was the breathtaking Niagara Falls (from the Canadian side), before everyone departed from Toronto airport for home.
But for Steve and I, the adventure continued.
We hired a car and embarked on a two-week road trip, starting from Niagara Falls to Dearborn, Detroit, where we toured the Henry Ford Museum.
Then it was onward to Grand Rapids, meeting my relatives that I’d never met before. From there, we drove north through very snowy weather to Mackinac, around the top of Lake Michigan, then down to Green Bay (we’re loyal Packers fans!).
After that, we headed south to St Louis for a night, then onto Memphis for a night of music and history.
The final week was spent crisscrossing Texas, soaking in southern hospitality, incredible barbecue, and iconic country towns before flying home from Dallas to Melbourne, arriving Easter Sunday morning.
Throughout our two-week road trip, the volume of trucks on American highways was staggering. Between major cities, trucks outnumbered cars by at least 5 to 1, maybe even more. Peterbilt dominated the highways, closely followed by Kenworth, with other brands trailing far behind.
One thing that stood out was the heavy-duty pickups – RAMs, Ford F250s, and similar trucks towing everything from massive 5th-wheel caravans to full 20-foot containers, metal reels, irrigation pipes, and livestock. It seemed there was nothing these vehicles couldn’t move.
This trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but if given the chance, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Jodie Broadbent is the founder of Know the Road, which provides consulting auditing and training services for road freight supply chain partners, and the Co-CEO and Director of Department of Future.
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