There is a common saying used in the Midwest in reference to the weather, regardless of the season. That is, “If you don’t like the current weather, stick around for a bit, because it’s going to change.” That proved to be the case at the 2024 Amcan Truckfest that took place at Union Grove, WI, at the Racine County Fairgrounds on June 7-8, 2024.
This was the fourth event that I have attended organized and hosted by Amcan Truck Parts and JX Enterprises. I was looking forward to this truck show with much anticipation because it’s always a good show, very well organized, a great venue, plus Nick and Julia at Amcan do a phenomenal job of planning, organizing, and hosting this fun event. I knew the caliber of trucks participating in the event would be outstanding, and by the conclusion of the truck show this year, my expectations were confirmed.
There were 82 trucks registered in this year’s show, and a few additional trucks drove in for the show that were not registered. In total, I counted 86 trucks participating in the event, which was down slightly from the 2023 event. This was probably due to the inclement weather on Saturday. And although the number of trucks was a bit lower than 2023, the quality of trucks was even higher than what I thought was a good group of trucks from the previous year. The trend seems to be that the quality of trucks at this event improves quite noticeably every year. Many of these trucks are show quality working trucks, and the pride and care taken by their owners is reflected in the high quality.
With over 1,000 attendees to the Amcan Truckfest, food and drinks were available over the weekend of activities for a hungry crowd. Vendors that came out and provided food for the weekend crowd included A-1 Showtime, Bruno’s, Culinary Gangster, Chocolate Moonshine Fudge & Chocolate, DW Coffee, and Mo. I sampled the cheese fries topped with pulled pork from A-1 Showtime, and they were delicious!
Several events were scheduled for the weekend that provided entertainment for the entire family. Friday night, the Southeast Wisconsin Showdown Truck & Tractor Pulls took place on the track of the Racine County Fairgrounds. This is always a big draw event and brings additional fans to the truck show grounds. Even with rain all day on Saturday, the show went on with the truck and trailer light show, and the evening concluded with a Tony Justice concert. There were activities available for kids throughout the weekend including a bounce house, kids bingo, a scavenger hunt, and many other children’s games.
Truck shows are first and foremost about showcasing the incredible trucks and equipment displayed by all the hard-working owners and drivers of these beautiful rides, but, just as important, are the relationships we develop, nurture, and support along the way. With the steady downpour of rain on Saturday, I spent most of my time in the 10-4 booth patiently waiting for the rain to subside. However, this rain break allowed me some extra time to spend talking with people at our booth (and on the show grounds), which proved to be my most favorite part of the weekend.
Kevin Voight from up in northern Wisconsin dropped by the booth and helped me pass the time by talking about a variety of subjects. One topic we spent a lot of time discussing was our faith, what it has meant in our lives, and the positive influence. He was even kind enough to volunteer to grab an umbrella from my SUV because he was wearing boots. Simple acts of kindness like this are representative of our friends in the truck show community.
I also had the opportunity to spend a good bit of time talking with show competitor Andy Pagels and meeting his lovely wife Connie, and sons Seth and Thomas. Andy and I are close in age, and he is one of those people I meet and realize an immediate connection as friends. We’ve had several conversations since meeting at the Amcan truck show, and I always enjoy our discussions – and his 359 Peterbilt truck was once again looking on-point at this year’s show!
Another gentleman that I had the opportunity to spend a good deal of time with was past cover trucker Tim Cody (May 2019). I met Tim at the Waupun truck show several years ago and it was another one of those situations where we became immediate friends. Much of our conversations centered around his new truck build, family, his trucking business, and involvement in the rodeo bull riding business, which is one of his passions.
These are just a few examples of the many people I spoke with over the weekend that are special to me. When I reflect on these relationships and our conversations, I can’t help but think about how fortunate I am to get to be an ambassador for 10-4 Magazine, the truck show world, the many people I have met in just six years working with 10-4 Magazine, and the resulting friendships I have developed. This is the biggest reward I take away from the truck shows, like Amcan, that I attend.
The Amcan truck show recognizes several of its hard working and dedicated participants with a variety of high-quality awards, and much thought and effort is put into selecting the winners. As with past years, we were allowed to present our own trophy – the 10-4 Magazine “Best of the Best Pick” award. Dan Linss and I reviewed our list of top candidates for the award, looked over photos of the trucks we liked, discussed our choices, and made our final selection. It’s a fun and challenging process. We chose Andy Pagels and his awesome 1972 Peterbilt 359 as this year’s winner. As the recipient of that award, Andy not only got a nice trophy made for us by our friends and partners at Rockwood, but he also earned a feature article about he and his truck in an upcoming edition of 10-4 Magazine. Congrats, Andy!
Amcan also presents a “Top Ten Award” to their top ten favorite trucks at the show. Selected by the Amcan team themselves and presented by Julia Mors, their picks were: Keaton Giza, Blubaugh Trucking (2020 Peterbilt 389); Dustin Bridge, Walter’s Trucking (2024 Kenworth W990); Nick Cook, Cook Logistics (1984 Freightliner FLT); Matt Strottman, Figanbaum Trucking (2024 Pete 389); Mike Mo, F&M Trucking & Sons (1952 Kenworth); Tim Cody, T&M Services (2017 Peterbilt 389); Kevin Voight, Kevin Voight Trucking (2018 Peterbilt 389); Austin Gottman, Chuck Brauer Trucking (2024 Peterbilt 389); Chris Gebhardt, Gebhardt Enterprises (1986 Peterbilt 359); and Reid Runkel, Pete Transfer (2023 Peterbilt 389).
The People’s Choice award was chosen by spectators who attended the Amcan Truckfest, and over 800 votes were cast for the award winner, Dane Hartman and his 2024 Peterbilt 389 and Wilson Pacesetter trailer combo. The Kameron Wilken Memorial Award was chosen and presented by Shelly Wilken, mother of the late Kameron Wilken, and awarded to Dylan Fehrman with Fehrman Transport. The final and most coveted prize was the John Kimball Memorial Award, chosen by the Kimball family, and presented by the manager of Amcan Truck Parts, Nick Kimball. This year’s winner was Keaton Giza and Blubaugh Trucking’s brown and tan 2020 Peterbilt 389. The dedication that both Shelly Wilken and Nick Kimball gave for their respective memorial awards was touching, and these tributes are always emotional, which adds even more special meaning to the ceremony.
Producing a truck show takes a lot of caring people and generous sponsors. The participating truck owners, drivers, and their families are big financial contributors to the success of the Amcan Truckfest, along with various sponsors, including 12 Ga. Customs, All Trux, Amston Trailer, Bennett, Big Strappers, Caterpillar, Dynaflex, Elegance on 18 Wheels, Fehrman Transport, Forever Sharp, High Bar Brands, Hogebuilt, Iowa Customs, JX Gives Back, JX Truck Center, Kimball Transportation, LargeCar Magazine, Lifetime Nut Covers, Massey Motor Freight, Phoenix, RLK, Robin’s Trucking, Rockwood Products, Sancken Trucking, Silber Tool, Spare Time Fab, Time 2 Shine, Tonyan Bros, Total Appearance, United Pacific, Zephyr Polishes, and, of course, all of us at 10-4 Magazine.
I would like to thank Nick Kimball and Julia Mors from Amcan Truck Parts for providing me with an excellent spot for the 10-4 Magazine booth, which was in close proximity to where the trucks were coming into the show. This made taking photographs of the trucks for this article much easier on this old man! They also provided everything I needed to make it easy for me to cover this truck show, including a much-coveted golf cart. I would also like to thank John Jaikes for making it a point to stop by to visit and then assisting me with the takedown of the 10-4 booth at the end of the show Saturday night on a messy show field.
This truck show gets bigger, better, and more personal to me each year I attend. I always look forward to this event the first weekend in June in the beautiful countryside of southeastern Wisconsin. I’m hoping Mother Nature graces us with better weather for the 2025 Amcan Truckfest, but weather or not, you know I will be there!
