{"id":3540,"date":"2018-08-24T14:12:09","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T18:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/?p=3540"},"modified":"2018-08-31T09:32:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-31T13:32:55","slug":"gats-2018-recap-alltruckjobs-takes-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/gats-2018-recap-alltruckjobs-takes-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"GATS 2018 Recap: AllTruckJobs Takes Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Proud. Passionate. Ambitious. Dedicated. Humble.<\/p>\n

Since returning from the Great American Trucking Show<\/a> in Dallas, TX, I\u2019ve had a hard time finding the words to collectively describe the group of people I met. As a first-timer, I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to expect. What I didn\u2019t expect was to leave with a deeper, more personal admiration for the trucking industry than I\u2019ve ever had before. From the men who proudly showed me their rigs on the Pride and Polish show floor to the women finding their niche in trucking, everyone I talked to left me smiling. Here are my top 10 highlights from GATS 2018, in no particular order\u2026<\/p>\n

Top Highlights of GATS 2018<\/h2>\n

1. Everyone was so friendly!<\/h3>\n

I still can\u2019t get over how friendly everyone at GATS was. People were so excited to be there, and it was almost like that feeling you get on the first day of school when you\u2019re reunited with all of your friends after a summer break. So much to catch up on! There are people laughing and hugging and the energy in the room is contagious. Everyone was more than willing to chat with me as I walked around fielding interviews for AllTruckJobs\u2019 podcast, BigRigBanter. I met some amazing people, from Sue at Operation Roger to James Bell, a finalist for the rookie driver of the year competition.<\/p>\n

\"GATS

AllTruckJobs’ content writer, Lenay Ruhl, with driver James Bell.<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Oh my\u2026 the smell of popcorn!<\/h3>\n

I feel like you can\u2019t write a summary of GATS without mentioning the buttery, salty, caramel, delicious popcorn scent wafting through the air. It\u2019s the first thing you smell when you step into the tradeshow. If you had the self-control to not buy popcorn while you were at GATS, kudos to you. Don\u2019t make the same mistake next year\u2026 it\u2019s on point!<\/p>\n

3. Talk about talent!<\/h3>\n

Once I heard there was going to be a trucker talent show at the event, I knew I couldn\u2019t miss it. And talk about talent! I was blown away not only by the fact that every contestant was a singer-songwriter presenting original work, but that the songs were catchy and meaningful. I was surprised there weren\u2019t more people watching the talent show \u2013 you all missed out! My personal favorite was the winner \u2013 Mandi Jo Pinheiro. She sang a song called \u201cheartbeat\u201d and won $1,000 from Red Eye Radio, who hosted the show. Here\u2019s a video of her song that I found on YouTube. Enjoy!<\/p>\n