CLEARFIELD – Big trucks, they’re a staple in Pennsylvania, and an event to showcase their uses, new technology and even their beauty runs through Saturday night at the Clearfield Driving Park.
The Big Rig Show and Expo is free to the public, with parking donations going to local Boy Scouts.
Once on the grounds, after-market vendors, all types of food, training programs and the trucks themselves can be found.
“It’s a different attraction Clearfield hasn’t experienced before,” said Joey Castagnolo, who runs Joey and Paul’s Steak-On-A-Stick at summer events including the Big Rig Show and Expo.
Castagnolo pointed to the Light the Night parade planned for Friday and the convoy scheduled for Saturday.
In addition to trucks on the grounds for spectators to see, those who attend will find exhibitors such as the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center there. Information is available about the school, and specifically, the truck driver training program. Some trucking companies also plan to be on hand to discuss employment opportunities.
The state Department of Transportation is also exhibiting, giving residents a closer look at the big machines that keep our roads clear in the winter.
“We wanted to show the public the feel of our trucks,” said Denny Koozer, transportation automotive equipment specialist with PennDOT.
Outside, those who attend will get a closer look at the mammoth plows they see on area roadways and Interstate 80. Inside are the usual buttons and levers of a large truck, but Koozer is quick to show the equipment that runs the plows, speaders and sprayers.
“It’s like the cockpit of a 747,” he said.
Mike Ninno is an equipment operator instructor, and he described the two-week course that all truck drivers must take. They are then certified by Koozer.
“They always learn something,” Ninno said.
He said some drivers come to the school with years of driving experience, others with little to none.
Ninno said, proudly, “We could make anybody drive a truck.”
He said all of that training is in making roadways safe for every Pennsylvanian to drive.
Some of the advancements Ninno and Koozer have seen are the addition of power mirrors and power windows on both sides of the vehicle to allow for snow to be removed. Mack even developed a windshield with defrosters around the bottom to combat the PennDOT snow plow driver’s worst enemy, snow.
The trucks are also equiped with thermometers to tell them not just the air temperature but the road temperature, too.
“Some of our materials do not work below a certain temperature, so knowing the temperature of the roadway is important,” Koozer said.
Beyond the big rigs, attendees will find tractor displays, plenty of food and a few crafters as well.
The event caps off with a big rig pulling event at 7 p.m. Tickets for that are $13 and can be purchased at the driving park.
Vendors will remain open Saturday until 9 p.m.