The all-access, back-stage, Wayne's World look at Wednesday at MATS

Most attendees are either plotting or plodding their way to Louisville at this point late on Tuesday evening. The LL crew is situated and settled in and ready to hit the ground running Wednesday morning.

I can sense the puzzled looks. The show doesn't start until Thursday. ... You're right it doesn't. But much like in "Wayne's World" when Wayne and Garth got the all-access passes to an Alice Cooper concert, that's pretty much what press credentials are like on the Wednesday before MATS starts.

Anyone who has been here knows the yellow windbreaker-clad people manning the doors. Some are sweet. Some are nice. Most are, well ... let's go with very serious about their jobs.

There have been plenty of times when I have had to flaunt my media credentials -- much like Wayne and Garth -- at them to get to where I need to be on Wednesday. See, it's the unofficial-official press kickoff for the show.

While the crews are finishing off booths, and maybe even starting them, the OEM, product and service suppliers and different groups are hosting press conferences. It's a full day.

But Wednesday is our chance to glimpse into the crystal ball of trucking's future. We'll talk the California Air Resources Board (hopefully), LNG/CNG/alt fuels, tires, aerodynamics, business tools and more.

Stay tuned and watch on Twitter too. We will be sneaking off to the show floor all day blogging and tweeting out sneak peeks. (It's the least we can do since we're like Wayne and Garth partying with Alice. ... Or in the real world actually getting to do what anyone without their own all-access pass to MATS can't do.)

Road trippin'

I admit it; I love getting sprung from the office for the Mid-America Trucking Show. Of course, I love the show and seeing so many friends and OOIDA members. But the road trip there is a blast too.

Our usual crew from Land Line includes LL's Editor-in-chief Sandi Soendker, Associate Editor Dave Tanner and me. We don't set out to break land speed records. we are firm subscribers to the philosophy that the trip there is half the fun.

So we're armed with a load of snacks -- most healthy, but not all -- Sirius XM is playing the classics, and we have a willingness to stop anywhere that intrigues us. We'll also snap plenty of photos along the way. You'll catch some of those here, like this uber cool one of the new Mississippi River Bridge Dave took instead of angling for the standard St. Louis Arch pic.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, also. Lots going on over there too. @shewhoknowstruk (me), @LandLineCanuck (Dave), and @truck_editor (Sandi).