This week our roundup touches on MEMA’s wildly successful and informative Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference — which included a 2026 trucking forecast, supplier insights on how they’re evolving their businesses amid weakened demand and a look at how global trade has fundamentally changed. We also touch on the fire at Smitty’s Supply, the upcoming VIPAR Heavy Duty IMPACT Conference, lift axle repairs and our Successful Dealer Award program, with finalist Dobbs Truck Group.
Lucas:
Hey everybody. Thanks for checking out another TPS Weekly News Roundup. We had a lot of really great news on TPS this week. Really proud of our coverage of everything that was happening in the industry, specifically the MEMA Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, which was held Tuesday.
MEMA’s conference is held each year, and it looks at what we can expect for our industry, specifically the supplier segment, in the months and years ahead. This year’s event had a presentation from ACT President and Senior Analyst Kenny Vieth. He gave his company’s forecast into 2026 and beyond. There was a presentation from Bain & Company looking at global trade and how global trade policies are sort of forever changing based on what’s happened in 2025. There was a supplier panel with representatives from Hendrickson, Bendix and SAF-Holland talking about how their businesses have evolved this year, what they’ve learned and what they’re preparing for in 2026. Also, some other really great events, really great coverage from CVOC, so make sure you check that out.
Other stories this week. There was a huge fire in Louisiana Friday at Smitty’s Supply, which is an authorized repackager of oil, lubricants and other chemicals. They do repackaging for Detroit, Cat, Cummins, Volvo, Mack among other manufacturing companies, so that could impact your supply chain moving forward. There were no casualties, no injuries, thank goodness, but a really decimating fire at Smitty’s Supply.
We had our first profile for the Successful Dealer Award program, Dobbs Truck Group. We looked at that organization, how it’s unique, how it’s grown, and what makes it such a great business and a candidate for our award.
We also had a story on lift axle and lift axle repair and maintenance. What you can do if you’re a service shop to better support your customers, educate them about their lift axles, make sure they don’t get themselves into some bad positions where those axles are damaged. So, make sure you check out those stories.
Other stories. We had a story on VIPAR’s upcoming conference, their keynote speaker Tony Hawk, some really great stuff all across TPS this week. So check it all out. Read everything that’s in the newsletter.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, and we’ll see you next week. Thanks everybody. Bye.
