April 8, 2015 Vol. 12 No. 7

There was record-setting attendance at the recent Mid-America Truck Show in Louisville, Ky., which means many very small people under foot, quite a few balloons, and thousands of sacks full to bursting with plunder in the way of pens and hats and trinkets that must have been just too shiny to resist.

On one of my smoke breaks outside the main entrance I watched a not very large woman courageously trying to carry two very large, matching canvas bags from some vendor or other, one on each shoulder, that must have weighed more than she did. She had to rest every 20 ft or so, set the bags down, regain a little strength, and then soldier on again. She may still be trying to reach her car, so slow was her progress. I’m guessing she had a great time, but I don’t think she bought a truck.

From a working writer’s perspective there was the usual fare, namely copious — and perhaps unholy — amounts of hyperbole, road construction, and of course crappy weather. What else? It’s MATS in March.

There were announcements of “breakthrough” electronic technologies that actually broke through in other guises a year or two ago, and there was a somewhat odd preponderance of presentations on so-called ‘advanced’ 6×2 drivetrains. As we head towards phase two of Washington’s greenhouse-gas and fuel economy mandate for heavy trucks, I guess we’ll hear more and more about such options. They’re actually pretty cool and some are devilishly clever.

It would be nice, however, if presenters understood that the 6×2 configuration is not a slam dunk in Canada. Not once, at least not in my earshot, did public questions on the subject elicit a correct answer as to what’s legal and where it’s legal up here on the tundra.

So before I get to the Mid-America show’s big hit, let me clarify things to the extent that I can.

THE SIX-BY-TWO TRACTOR is just plain illegal in British Columbia, for starters. The authorities cite traction issues, even for ‘advanced’ axles with load sensing and electronic controls that automatically spread the weight around and allow a better tire bite.