Some trips are about showing up. Others are about showing out. For Delco Trailers at the 2026 NATDA Trailer Tech Expo in Reno, Nevada — it was both.
Held February 17–19 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, the Trailer Tech Expo is the premier event for trailer technology, dealer education, and industry innovation. This year, Delco arrived with a strong trailer lineup, a fired-up team, and, as it turned out, a night that nobody on the Delco team will forget.
Award Night: Three Wins for the Delco Family
The NATDA Industry Excellence Awards ceremony took place on the evening of February 18th at the awards banquet sponsored by Liberty Trailers. When the night was over, Delco had earned recognition in three categories.
Manufacturer of the Year — Delco Trailers
For the first time in company history, Delco Trailers was named NATDA’s Manufacturer of the Year — one of the most competitive and prestigious awards in the trailer industry. The award honors a manufacturer who has demonstrated exceptional performance, innovation, and meaningful contributions to the industry as a whole.
Competing against Liberty Trailers and Load Trail, Delco earned the recognition from a community of dealers and industry peers who experience firsthand what we build every day. For a family-owned manufacturer out of Paris, Texas, earning this award for the first time — in a field of the best in the business — is something we don’t take lightly.
Rising Star Award (Individual) — Nathan Bryant, Sales
Nathan Bryant, a member of Delco’s sales team, took home the Rising Star Individual Award — recognizing a young professional who has shown exceptional promise and growth in the trailer industry. Nathan competed against finalists from Load Trail and Huntley Motor World.
Those of us who work alongside Nathan aren’t surprised. His dedication to dealers, his knowledge of the product, and his commitment to doing right by every customer he works with is something you see every day. This award makes it official.
Customer Service Excellence Award — Delco Trailers (Co-Recipient)
Delco Trailers was also named a co-recipient of the Customer Service Excellence Award alongside Load Trail, recognizing manufacturers and dealerships that go above and beyond in post-sale support and customer care. It’s a reflection of the work our entire team puts in long after a trailer leaves the lot.
What We Brought to the Floor
Awards aside, the Expo floor is where trailers do the talking. Delco brought five trailers to Reno this year, each one built to show a different side of what our lineup can do.
We anchored the floor with the F3 — our 20K gooseneck flatbed in Midnight Black. At 102 inches wide and 32 feet long, it’s built for serious equipment haulers and contractors who need every pound of that 20,000 lb GVWR. It drew exactly the crowd we expected: fleet buyers, heavy haul operators, and people who immediately started measuring.
Surrounding it were four variations of our D3 and D2 bumper pull dump trailers — in Army Green, Fighter Jet Gray, Delco Red, and Midnight Black. Ranging from 12K to 14K GVWR, they covered the full spectrum of who buys a Delco dump: landscapers, small contractors, hobby farmers, and everyone in between. Showing multiple colorways side by side isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s a reminder to dealers that Delco’s powder-coat options are a real selling point on the lot.
The lineup was intentional. Heavy iron to stop traffic, workhorses to close deals.
More Than a Trade Show
The Trailer Tech Expo isn’t just about trophies or floor traffic, it’s about being present in the conversations that shape where this industry is going. From technician certification training and dealer education sessions to the networking that happens in hallways and over dinner, Reno is where the trailer industry comes to get better.
Delco showing up, and showing up strong, is about more than winning awards. It’s about making sure our dealers, our partners, and our customers know that the team building their trailers in Paris, Texas is fully invested in the future of this industry.
To everyone who stopped by our booth, shared a handshake, or cast a vote — thank you. We’ll see you at the NATDA Trailer Show later this year.
