SHOW PREVIEW

They’re Back!

After a disrupted 2021, the big truck and trailer brands will be showcasing their wares at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show – now a week-long festival of all things trucking

With the big truck and trailer brands again under the one roof, plus further expansion of activations and entertainment in the nearby South Bank Parklands, the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show is shaping up as the biggest and best in the event’s storied 55-year history.

Buoyed by record demand for new trucks in the lead up, key brands including Volvo, Mack, UD, Hino and Isuzu are all set to return for next year’s show, joining stalwarts Kenworth, DAF, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso, Western Star, MAN and Iveco.

And as we reveal in this all-new special preview magazine, the big brands will have a slew of new products on show, some publicly for the first time, including Kenworth’s new K220, MAN’s new TGL, TGM, TGS and TGX models, the Fuso Shogun 510, and Western Star’s new X-Series models.

Arguably the biggest showcase of electric trucks will also be on display, including the full range of Volvo’s all-new Volvo FL and FE Electric medium-duty models, SEA Electric’s 300 and 500 Series, and potentially Mercedes-Benz’s eActros, which is set to begin local trials in early 2023.

Not to be left behind, Australia’s world-class local trailer manufacturers are also set to showcase the latest innovations in trailer design.

Connecting it all together, a record number of parts and accessories suppliers, and technology providers, are readying to unveil a raft of product advances that are playing an increasing role in delivering on the 2023 show’s key themes of innovation, safety, sustainability and knowledge.

Continuing the show’s evolution into a weeklong festival of all things trucking, the event will once more extend well beyond the walls of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) into the nearby South Bank Parklands and beyond.

With the support of Tourism and Events Queensland, the Brisbane City Council and South Bank Corporation, Little Stanley Street and Stanley Street Plaza again will be closed to traffic to showcase an ever-expanding line up of innovative trucks and trailers.

Following its success in 2019 and 2021, there’ll also be an abundance of activities and entertainment in the Parklands, supported by the precinct’s retailers waiting to welcome visitors with a plethora of great drinking and dining options (see pages 60-62 and 92-94 for our guides to the best bars and restaurants to visit while in Brisbane).

The 2023 Brisbane Truck Show will feature a slew of new product releases

A raft of new electric vehicles, innovative trailers and the latest trucks will be showcased at the show

In 2023 all the big truck and trailer brands are back under the one roof

Also at South Bank, the industry Careers Centre and National Apprentice Challenge will maintain their new home in the Piazza, where the wider community will be able to see for themselves the high level of skills and diverse range of rewarding career paths on offer in Australia’s heavy vehicle industry.

And in a return to its roots, the big yellow machines will return to Brisbane’s iconic Ekka showgrounds – where prior to 2011 they were a key part of the Queensland Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show, with the 2023 Heavy Equipment and Machinery Show (HEMS) again running alongside the Truck Show from Thursday to Sunday. The show is held in conjunction with Civil Contractors Federation Queensland (CCFQ).

HVIA Chief Executive Todd Hacking says the response to the show’s strategic expansion has been “fantastic”.

“All of that success is a reflection on the leadership shown by so many of our exhibitors who did such an amazing job of showcasing the values of their companies and our industry to the broader community,” he says.

“The opportunity to showcase our industry in this spectacular location provides the perfect opportunity to share our story with the

The show will showcase a range of innovative parts and accessories

community in a tangible and lasting way. We are extremely grateful to the Queensland Government and the City of Brisbane for coming on board to enable this initiative to come to life.

“They recognise that the Brisbane Truck Show is a vital Queensland business, tourism and cultural asset, recognised internationally amongst the world’s leading industry business events.”

Now ranking among the world’s leading transport industry events, the Brisbane Truck Show has come a long way from its humble beginnings back in 1968 when 21 truck, trailer and component manufacturers and suppliers came together at Haulmark Trailers’ premises in Rocklea.

These days, it is, by far, the biggest business event the road transport industry holds in the Southern Hemisphere – and recognised among the best, with the 2019 event named ‘Australia’s Best Corporate Event and Best Exhibition, Trade or Consumer Show’ in the Australian Event Awards; while the 2021 show took out the ‘Best Live or Hybrid Congress, Conference or Exhibition’ gong in the 2021 awards.

Those accolades have only served to inspire more energy to further improve the show for both exhibitors and visitors, he says.

“Our industry exhibitors do an extraordinary job raising the bar every show and 2023 will be no different,” Hacking says.

“On display is a fantastic array of products, from the very latest trucks and innovative trailer designs, to components, equipment, accessories and ground-breaking technology solutions.”

55 years of history

1968 – First Queensland Truck Show held at Haulmark Trailers’ premises at Ipswich Road, Rocklea 1968 – 21 exhibitors formed the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association of Queensland 1970 – Truck Show moved to the Rocklea Wool Stores

1979 – Since 1979 the show has run every two years 1983 – Relocated to the Royal National Association Showgrounds (RNA) where it remained for almost 30 years as the Queensland Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show 2011 – Moved to its current worldclass home at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Now known as the Brisbane Truck Show

2015 – CVIAQ became Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) 2017 – 50th anniversary Brisbane Truck Show hosted almost 300 industry exhibitors, and attracted over 33,000 visitors over four days 2019 – Expansion into a week-long festival incorporating activations and entertainment precinct in nearby South Bank Parklands 2019 – Named ‘Australia’s Best Corporate Event and Best Exhibition, Trade or Consumer Show’ at Australian Event Awards

2021 – Named ‘Best Live or Hybrid Congress, Conference or Exhibition’ at Australian Event Awards