With $30,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, many truck drivers were motivated to get off the couch and head to St. George, Utah for the annual PDI Customer Appreciation Truck Show, held on October 7-8 at PDI’s headquarters in beautiful St. George, Utah. In past years, they had paid an organization to host the event, but this year PDI decided to produce the event themselves and give the competitors an opportunity to win the cash instead. And with almost 50 trucks jammed into their parking lot, it turned out to be a very good decision.
Last year’s show was hot, but this year the weather cooperated. With sunny skies and cooler temperatures, it was perfect truck show weather. The early birds, who came from as far as Missouri, Wisconsin and other states, rolled in on Thursday to get a head start on all of the rubbing and scrubbing to get their rides picture-perfect. A few vendors, including us, Dynaflex and Big Strapper’s Apparel, set-up early on Friday and then watched the trucks roll in. The day flew by, and before we knew it, the much-anticipated light show was in full glow.
After a colorful sunrise on Saturday, the crowds showed up mid-morning and enjoyed a great day, which included a free full-on BBQ for all in attendance. A local radio station was on-hand to play the hits, and a few trucks made their way into the dyno to see what they were made of. As the day began to wind down, it was time to find out who was going to take home those big, beautiful trophies, made by Rockwood – and the cash!
BEST OF SHOW ($7,500) went to Bill Rethwisch of Tomah, WI for his yellow and white Peterbilt 389 tanker; LIMITED MILEAGE BOBTAIL ($2,500) went to Doug Jameson of J&L Contracting in Springfield, MO and their red and black Peterbilt 389; LIMITED MILEAGE COMBO ($2,500) went to John Jay of Jay Transport in Ucon, ID and their copper and cream-colored Peterbilt 389; WORKING BOBTAIL ($2,500) went to Woods Trucking out of Enterprise, UT for their turquoise Peterbilt 359; and WORKING COMBO ($2,500) went to Chad & Lisa Berry of Medford, WI and their black and purple Peterbilt 386.
In addition to the trophies and cash, each entrant received a free PDI duffle bag filled with all kinds of goodies. And, just like that, with all the trophies and hard-earned cash awarded, it was time to hit the road – until the next show. This customer appreciation show is always a great family-friendly event. We would like to thank PDI for allowing us to be a part of this fun show in the beautiful state of Utah. If you missed it this year, we hope to see you in 2017.
