Community Shows
One of my favorite perks at Team Run Smart is attending community truck shows. It is something that I did not do until I joined the team. Sure, as a magazine writer I attended the big shows. Those are great. You get a mix between drivers, owner operators, engineers, and corporate types. One of my favorite things to do at those events is to get drivers and engineers together. As cool as the big shows are, I still find something special about a community show.
Community can be about a small town like Waupun, WI. That community can be about a truck stop like Iowa 80. It can even be about a bridge like St. Ignace. Whatever, it is it is also about the community of trucking. These shows are where us Evolution drivers can admire the show trucks. The show truck drivers are skeptical of the Evolution. Many of them have seen the numbers that we, especially Henry, are putting up. When they 
see all that has been done to both the Evolution, and Henry's trailer they understand.
It is a two way street. We genuinely admire the quality and imagination of their work. Places like River States Customs do simply amazing work. Personally, I love looking at the historical trucks. The design and aerodynamics of the truly classic trucks are amazing. You learn that technology has always had its detractors. Drivers rebelled against the idea of putting air in tires. “Those things will never work. They are always breaking down.” Funny thing is that at one time they were right about the second part. Flat tires were a common occurrence. At some point technology will catch up to a good idea and make it work.
The best thing about these shows are what we discover that we have in common. We have a love of the 
industry and a pride in what we do. That is what we show off at these shows. People bring their children and grandchildren to the shows. We let them see the inside of the trucks. They get an understanding of what we do. They get a kick out of blowing the air horn. We can show the parents how much we care about safety. We can explain to parents just how the electronic stability system works. We can show them our anti-lock disc braking systems. They talk to drivers with millions of miles with no violations or accidents.
We show the outside world just how much we care. These local shows raise millions of dollars for charity. The local economies get a boost. The hotels and restaurants are full. Conversations between drivers and the locals go on. They see us as people who care. I don't know who gets the most out of these shows, but I know that I feel better about us after a great show.