When 21 ambitious exhibitors gathered at a sunlit Rocklea trailer yard in May 1968, few could have predicted that a local trade display held in the dust would evolve into the Southern Hemisphere’s premier road transport event.
The 2027 Brisbane Truck Show will mark a major milestone as the event celebrates its 60th anniversary, cementing six decades of growth, innovation and unwavering advocacy for Australia’s heavy vehicle industry.
Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) CEO Todd Hacking says reaching the 60-year mark is a testament to the resilience, passion and relentless ingenuity of the nation’s transport sector.
“When our industry pioneers stood in that Rocklea yard back in 1968, they were driven by a goal to give operators access to the very best equipment, so they could keep a growing nation moving,” Hacking says.
Above: The inaugural truck show was held at Haulmark Trailers’ premises at Rocklea in Brisbane featuring 21 ambitious exhibitors
“Six decades later, that founding spirit remains as the cornerstone of the event, despite it now being the largest transport show in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Following that initial 1968 display, the rapidly expanding show outgrew Haulmark’s yard and moved down the road to the Rocklea Wool Stores owned by Dalgety & Co in 1970.
During those early years, the show was colloquially dubbed “Beer Bottle Alley” – because virtually nobody visited an exhibitor’s stand unless an ice-cold stubbie was waiting for them.
That hospitality was famously tested during the “Great Beer Strike” of 1978. With the Castlemaine Perkins brewery in Milton shut down for several weeks, Queensland was facing a catastrophic beer drought right on the eve of the ‘78 show. Not to be deterred, resourceful reefer operators loaded up their refrigerated trailers in Sydney, drove north and served cold beer directly out of the back of their trucks at the show in Brisbane – or so the story goes!
Above: The show outgrew Haulmark’s yard and moved down the road to Rocklea Wool Stores owned by Dalgety & Co in 1970
Eventually, Dalgety & Co pulled the plug on the event due to an excess of late-night riff-raff and wild woolstore shenanigans, many of which remain unpublishable. Of course, this was more than 45 years ago!
In 1983, the event made the historic leap to the RNA Showgrounds, allowing use of the expansive indoor pavilions and massive outdoor arenas, and professionalising the industry catch-up in the process.
Over the years that followed, other states tried to challenge Brisbane’s crown with regional shows launched in New South Wales, Victoria and even Western Australia, but those rival events all proved to fall short. The Brisbane Truck Show reigned supreme, and the organisers decided to make sure it was bigger and better than anything else on the show calendar.
The show reached new heights in 2011, when it moved to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) in South Bank after a nearly 30-year stint at the RNA Showgrounds, laying the groundwork for its expansion into the world-class event we know and love today.
Above (clockwise from bottom left): In 1983, the event made the historic leap to the RNA Showgrounds, where it stayed until 2009
Veteran journalist Murray Clifford, former editor of Truck & Bus Magazine and Cummins Magazine, has attended every single Brisbane Truck Show since 1977 bar one, and he witnessed first-hand the show’s dramatic transformation from a local gathering into an international event.
“It’s become such a professional operation compared to those earlier days and it just keeps getting bigger and better,” Clifford reflects.
“In my eyes, the goal remains the same; it isn’t about selling trucks on the stand, but about connecting OEMs with customers. It’s a big industry gathering at its core.”
In recent years, Brisbane Truck Show has evolved into Truck Week, a city-wide festival spanning South Bank, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the region in a celebration of all things transport.
Above: In 2011 the show moved to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre after a nearly 30-year stint at the RNA
The 2027 show will build on this momentum, bringing together the main showcase at the BCEC, the Silverback Show ’N’ Shine National Championship on Little Stanley Street, the Heritage Truck Show at Rocklea and The Depot at TAFE Queensland’s Southbank campus, and so much more.
With the support of the Queensland Government, Little Stanley Street will again be closed to traffic to showcase as many as 28 of the best custom trucks from around Australia.
Following its success in 2025, Truck Week 27 will include The Depot careers precinct at the TAFE Queensland South Bank campus just opposite the main BCEC entrance on Glenelg Street.
Staged in collaboration with TAFE Queensland, The Depot will showcase dynamic career opportunities in Australia’s heavy vehicle industry including hands-on and virtual interactive displays.
Above: In 2019 the show expanded into a week-long festival incorporating activations and entertainment in South Bank Parklands
Beyond South Bank, Truck Week 27 will also incorporate the incredibly popular Heritage Truck Show, which will be at the Rocklea Showgrounds from May 22-23 with a breathtaking array of classics on offer.
There will also be an abundance of activities and entertainment throughout the Parklands, supported by the precinct’s retailers waiting to welcome visitors with a plethora of great drinking and dining options.
“What makes the 60th Anniversary so special is that it belongs to the entire transport community,” Hacking says.
“From the global manufacturers debuting flagship models to the family-owned trailer builders, workshop technicians, and owner-operators traveling the country to keep food on the shelves. This milestone celebrates sixty years of hard work, perseverance and innovation across one of the nation’s most important industries.”
Above: The 2025 show saw addition of the Show ’N’ Shine on Little Stanley Street and The Depot at TAFE QLD’s Southbank campus
60 YEARS OF HISTORY
1968 – First Queensland Truck Show held at Haulmark Trailers’ premises at Ipswich Road, Rocklea
1968 – 21 exhibitors formed the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association of Queensland
1970 – Truck Show moved to the Rocklea Wool Stores
1979 – Since 1979 the show has run every two years
1983 – Relocated to the Royal National Association Showgrounds (RNA) where it remained for almost 30 years as the Queensland Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show
2011 – Moved to its current world-class home at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Now known as the Brisbane Truck Show
2015 – CVIAQ became Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA)
2017 – 50th anniversary Brisbane Truck Show hosted almost 300 industry exhibitors, and attracted over 33,000 visitors over four days
2019 – Expansion into a week-long festival incorporating activations and entertainment precinct in nearby South Bank Parklands
2019 – Named ‘Australia’s Best Corporate Event and Best Exhibition, Trade or Consumer Show’ at Australian Event Awards
2021 – Named ‘Best Live or Hybrid Congress, Conference or Exhibition’ at Australian Event Awards
2023 – Association Event of the Year, 2023 Queensland Meetings & Events Australia Awards
2025 – Addition of new activations including the Show ’N’ Shine National Championship on Little Stanley Street and The Depot careers hub at TAFE QLD’s Southbank campus