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GATS: bigger, better than ever

The Great American Trucking Show will be held Aug. 21-23 in Dallas. GATS, one of the top truck shows in the country, offers attendees the opportunity to meet prospective employers, attend educational seminars, check out new products, trucks and accessories from hundreds of manufacturers and even attend a concert or two by top country music artists. The Ramp Publishing Group—publishers of Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines—will be among the hundreds of exhibitors (booth #19160).
     This year marks the 10th anniversary of GATS. Some of the special events that will be held during the show include the Pride and Polish Truck Beauty Competition, the 4th annual Fleet Forum and exhibits from leaders in the heavy-duty trucking industry. The Fleet Forum will feature sessions aimed at helping fleets survive and prosper, such as: fleet fuel-saving measures, key financial tactics, managing risk, what’s happening in safety and negotiating in a tough market.
     Show times—Thursday, Aug 21: noon-6 p.m.; Friday, Aug 22: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, Aug 23: 10 a.m-6 p.m.
     Show highlights:
•    The Great American Trucking Show will have more than 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to the recruiter pavilion. This is your chance to meet recruiters and interview numerous prospective employers.
•    Cutting-edge Internet applications will headline the high-tech services you can explore at the GATS Internet & Technology Center. Through hands-on demonstrations, exhibitors will display online routing, fuel optimization, freight matching, truck tracking, repair services and more. Attendees will learn how to use online information directories to access information, such as how to purchase wholesale consumer goods over the Internet.
•    Free concerts by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (Friday night) and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Saturday night). The concerts will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Dallas Convention Center’s Ballroom C. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Limited tickets will be distributed to GATS attendees in the lobby starting at 9 a.m. the day of the show. The theme of this year’s show is “We’re in it for the long haul: celebrating 10 years of promoting the best in trucking!”
     For the 3rd consecutive year, The Great American Trucking Show has been named to Trade Show Week magazine's “Fastest 50,” which lists the 50 fastest growing trade shows in the United States and Canada. Last year, GATS played host to 47,980 attendee registrants, with nearly 600 of the top companies in trucking on display at the Dallas Convention Center. This year promises to be bigger and better than ever.
     Along with the truck show, attendees will enjoy some of the nation’s best restaurants, upscale nightclubs and other attractions such as museums, amusement parks and golf in the Dallas area.