Navigating Truck World
Tom is sitting at his desk in training school nodding off in a day dream when the instructor makes an announcement about a truck show. Sounding like a host from a giant carnival he says. ‘This is the greatest show on Earth and you want to make sure you attend.” Tom lifts his head from his day dream and says, “What’s so big about it?”
‘It’s the biggest show on Earth, well maybe Canada anyway”, says the instructor, “ and you have to be there because it only comes to Toronto every second year.” The instructor hands Tom the brochure for the show outlining five huge halls of trucks, carriers booths, trade show exhibits, seminars, and more. Tom looks it over leans back in his chair and says, “Where do we even start?”
Truck World is produced by Newcom Media and comes to Toronto 
every second year with the shows being in Montreal every other year and is renamed Expocam. As the show only comes to Toronto every other year and Newcom is the largest media company within the industry it is a show everyone in the industry attends. The show is three days long and is an inside show and corporate show for Thursday and Friday with Family Day being on the Saturday. Many industry professionals will attend all three days making connections and reuniting with old friends and colleagues.
The show is divided into 5 Halls and each hall is themed to a point. One hall might have all the truck manufacturers, another hall may have all the carriers, with other halls having aftermarket parts. People can request to be anywhere they want and you will find a mix scattered throughout the show. For instance on Friday and Saturday of the show there is a Recruiting Pavilion for carriers all in one place. So how do you navigate a show that size?
Depending on your goals for the show you may want to attend multiple days. Let’s assume you’re Tom sitting in a training school and you’ve just heard about the show. You have a young family and the trucking industry is new to you. Then Saturday would be the day I would go and here is the reason why. Saturday of the show is Family Day and many of the vendors will have things for the kids and all the Halls will be open. The Recruiting Pavilion will only be open on Friday and Saturday of the show. If you’re new to the industry it is good to get your family involved and this is a great way for them to get an idea of the industry you will be getting involved with.
If you are in a school such as Tom you also want to use this time to network with carriers and recruiters to find out what they have to offer. Make sure you have copies of your resume in case you see an opportunity at the show. I always suggest that people looking for a job have their resume in both traditional and electronic forms, but certainly in electronic form on your phone or device of your choice. This way when you meet a recruiter you can send the information instantly while talking to them and possibly fast forward the process. There are many opportunities at a show like Truck World. Checking out the show map upon arrival or before arriving is a good way to target the important parts of the show or find particular vendors.
How do you get to Truck World? Truck World is in Toronto at the International Centre and has a charge of $20 for entry, however I don’t know anyone that pays that since it is fairly easy to get in for free. Depending on when you’ve read this you may still be able to get free tickets through Truck World themselves. Click here to go to the Truck World website https://www.truckworld.ca
If the school you are attending or people in their network are exhibiting they also may offer free tickets with a certain code. Almost every vendor registered for the show has a code to get people in for free. If you’re new to the industry, a veteran looking to improve connections, or just want to get an idea of the people involved in the industry then Truck World is the place to be. It won’t be back for another two years.
Here is another event that will be of interest.
About the Author
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years. He is an author of the books Driven to Drive and Running By The Mile, and host of The Lead Pedal Podcast. TTSAO also known as the Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario has certified member schools in the truck training vocation ensuring quality entry level drivers enter the transportation industry. To learn more about the TTSAO or to find a certified school in your area visit www.ttsao.com