RENO CALLING

Story and photos by Rod Simmonds

The American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) is dedicated to preserving the history of trucks, the trucking industry and its pioneers. Hundreds of modern and vintage trucks made their way to Reno, Nevada, for this year’s National Convention & Truck Show in June.

There were already more than 900 trucks preregistered, but the ATHS show likely exceeded the 1000-truck mark – and some. The organisers and show hosts, the Grand Sierra Resort, put in a massive effort trying to fit everyone in, moving fences, bollards and parking areas so no one would be turned away.

Trucks came from far and wide, with a large contingent from Canada, particularly the British Columbia chapter.

It starts at the two entry unloading yards where trucks from all corners of the lower 48 states, Alaska and Canada had been rolling for the past three days in a never-ending procession.

The standard of restoration is astonishing. Classic trucks – from the early 1900s to the 1990s – are presented as new or even better than from the original factory.

Long-extinct heavy trucks like Dodge, GMC, Ford, Diamond, Federal, White and Marmon, to name but a few, lined up with hard-working Kenworths, Macks, Peterbilts and Freightliners that are still doing a hard day’s work and are a real credit to their owners, mechanics, fabricators and restorers.

It is predicted that more than 10,000 attendees visited the rows of trucks over each of the three show days. Golf buggy hire (yes!) was extremely busy.

Many truck owners said the recent long and harsh northern winter gave them more time to work in the ‘shop’ and give these incredible and historic vehicles a new lease of life.

Although based in Kansas City, Missouri, the ATHS has more than 92 chapters (including Australia) to cover USA and Canada. Membership brings financial, medical and industry rewards and expertise. The many truck shows around the USA each week also means exposure to the wide-ranging members and public.

The society has about 20,000 paid-up memberships, covering some 100,000 people who subscribe in some form or another.

The dedication and preservation of road transport history is evident with the incredible restoration countless members have committed to undertaking, many attending with multiple classic working trucks and numerous special event-only appearances.

The passion and overwhelming pride these operators have is hard to describe, so let the photos tell the story…

Hailing from the mighty Wairarapa, Rod Simmonds has travelled, lived and worked around the world – always with a camera handy. He started taking truck photos in 1983, and his New Zealand-wide truck photo collection has grown since. Many of his trips around Australia coincided with big stock sales – stock trucks still being his favourites. The thrill of seeing the big gear, the race to get the first photo of a finished truck and the friendships made have endured. His albums and boxes are stacked carefully in order at home, with photos scanned and on many different websites and social media platforms for all to enjoy. For Rod, contributing to the trucking industry is a privilege.