In its penultimate year at the Gaylord Texan outside of Dallas, Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue (HDAD) and Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) kicked off 2026 with some welcome signs of hope.
The week started with Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue on Jan. 19, an annual gathering sponsored by MacKay & Company and MEMA. Attendees heard from Drew Backeberg, senior vice president of the aftermarket for Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), who sees reason to hope for a better 2026.
Drew Backeberg from DTNA talks about what OEMs expect from 2026 at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue.
"Is it going to be brisk," he asks, "No. But better than '25."
[RELATED: DTNA fourth-quarter sales off by 27%]
The agenda for the day also included several panels, including a real-world view of the aftermarket including executives from UAP, Volvo Group Trucks North America and NationaLease. In that panel and in another presentation on the economy from MacKay & Company analysts, tariffs loomed large in the discussion.
A highly anticipated presentation at HDAD was from Tom Greco, CEO of FleetPride, who addressed the company's recent merger with TruckPro.
"We're trying to retain all the good things from TruckPro, all of the good things that came from Fleet Pride," he says. "The integration is really about leveraging the scale of our combined assets and serving our customers better than either company was able to do prior to that."
Molly MacKay Zacker, left, moderates a panel on the view from fleet executives at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue 2026.
Fleet executives rounded out the day outlining what the suppliers and distributors in the room could do to make their lives easier.
HDAW kicked off in earnest on Tuesday with the presentation of the Trucks, Parts, Service Distributor of the Year Award sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN), Cummins, High Bar Brands, Interstate Billing Service and Procede Software.
Truck Equipment took home the honors out of a group of five finalists, all of whom attended the event.
“It’s such an honor to be up here recognized in this industry as a Distributor of the Year,” Schroeder said in receiving the award. “We’ve got 85 team members back in Wisconsin and Michigan that brought us up here."
Bill Nolan, president and CEO of PBS Truck Parts, was inducted into the Aftermarket Hall of Fame at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week.
Other awards handed out Tuesday included the Aftermarket Hall of Fame induction of Bill Nolan, president of PBS Truck Parts; and recognition of Shelley Sheagley, senior vice president of product and pricing at Aurora Parts & Accessories, as winner of the Women in Leadership Award.
[RELATED: CVSN unveils comprehensive talent development pipeline]
That was followed by the keynote speaker, Noelle Russell, founder and chief AI officer at the AI Leadership Institute. She talked about real-life applications of artificial intelligence that can optimize business and fuel growth.
After Russell's speech, attendees headed off to one of thousands of pre-scheduled, face-to-face meetings between suppliers and distributors or to roam the aisles of the sold-out product expo, which featured a raft of new product launches. Wednesday featured more meetings and exposition, plus an education session from human resources pro David Garza, who told attendees how to get their businesses ready for the next big transition.
HDAW will wind up its tenure at the Gaylord Texan next year, Jan. 18-21, before moving to a rotation between Kansas City and Charlotte.
