Live from the Work Truck Show: Everybody dance

OK. I'm being a bit tongue-in-cheek with the dancing thing, but I have hit just two press conferences in the wee "leading up to" hours for the Work Truck Show and both had background music that reminded me of the European dance scene---I would imagine for the "energy."

I expect the Work Truck Show, which officially opens in the morning, will have a lot of energy without the need for peppy upbeat underlying musical scores. But, heck, great underlying musical scores can't hurt, can they?

The Work Truck Show is held in conjunction with the 47th Annual NTEA Convention here in Indianapolis from March 8-10. (NTEA is the National Truck Equipment Association.) They are very self-explanatory: They have lots of work trucks---big, big ones, like the semi rig I saw unveiled during the Western Star press conference this evening and "normal" ones like the ones ringing the Ford booth during their press conference.

Western Star introduced its Class 8 vocational truck, the 4700. I can tell you this: It's pretty. And shiny. And, as said before, really, really big. They are serious with that marketing tagline: serious trucks. This one looks like it could haul a three-story house to the dump for you without breaking an automotive sweat. Mike Jackson, the general manager of Western Star Trucks also showed some pretty numbers to go with the pretty trucks: The company was up sixteen percent in retail for the industry last year (vs. 2009 numbers).

But, all detailed industry numbers aside, I think I most enjoyed the marketing campaign that helped debut the 4700. Sure there was the lovely video of the timeline of Western Star trucks (Ford did a similar video in their time slot). There was the requisite half house music/half heavy metal music soundtrack. (It's supposed to read "energy" and "hardcore" in one, I think.) But, it was the new tagline that was out of the ballpark: "Whole new truck. Same badass philosophy."

Sold. Now, who needs their house moved to the dump? We could split the cost of the 4700. I'd be nice about drive-time scheduling.

Ford took more of a fleet angle with their press conference---less giant "badass" truck philosophy, more going green. Opening with a short overview, Len Deluca, the company's director of commercial trucks, noted that Ford's sales are up nineteen percent in the commercial truck division and that the company gained over a full point in market share in 2010. They've also, delightfully, reduced their debt by $14.5 billion and delivered six consecutive quarters of profitability. Go Team Ford!

After the overview, Rob Stevens, the chief engineer of alternative fuel strategies discussed greening options, admitting that the time for one or two "examples" or "pilots" was in the past and that alternative fuels is now more than just for show.

"We're looking at the greening of fleets and the greening of commercial products," he said.

Ford offers a number of green options with fuel, from flex fuel to biodiesel to electric vehicles, and they expect that, by as early as 2012, half of Ford vehicles will be capable of running on alternative fuels.

All these fun, tough and green truck options are on display this week at the Work Truck Show, North America's largest work truck event that brings together vocational trucks and transportation equipment from some 560 suppliers.