Leading members of the fleet trucking industry were hosted at Peterson Manufacturing’s Grandview MO headquarters during its fifth annual Fleet Forum on June 14-15. Forum participants included representatives from nine national trucking fleets as well as featured speakers from the American Trucking Associations.
As a major supplier of vehicle lighting and safety systems for customers worldwide, Peterson holds its annual event to provide a Forum for the frank and open discussion of a wide variety of issues impacting the trucking industry. Topics included trailer lighting, harnesses and wiring, corrosion, equipment performance, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, emerging technology, future electrical systems and power demands, and field service.
In the Forum’s casual atmosphere, participants shared information and ideas via presentations and breakout groups geared to identify emerging industry needs--insights that guide Peterson’s development of exciting, new, higher-performance products. Fleet topics were moderated by Peterson’s director of heavy duty sales, Pat Clift.
The two-day Forum featured a presentation by Pat Thomas, current chairman of the American Trucking Associations. The ATA is a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking groups and provides the voice of the industry America depends on most to move the nation’s freight. Danny Neal, ATA vice-president of national sales, was also in attendance at the Forum and spoke to the group.
Included on the agenda were tours of Peterson’s vertically integrated facilities, where the company’s “Core Four” subsidiaries control every phase of production from engineering design to delivery. Forum attendees also had time for some R&R featuring a reception at a classic automobile museum and a night at Kauffman Stadium to watch the Kansas City Royals.