Southeastern Truck Nationals 2023: A Celebration of Trucks and Truck Enthusiasts

‘No Cars and Definitely No Fords’

When it comes to brand-specific truck shows on the East Coast, one that comes to mind is the Southeastern Truck Nationals held in Lebanon, Tennessee, early July each year. This show is open to all GM trucks and SUVs and, as their website says, “No cars and definitely no Fords.” Just a little jab at the “other” guys keeps the camaraderie fun. 

Presented by US Mags, this year’s event was the 13th annual show. It was held at the Wilson County Fairgrounds on July 7-8. The event not only had a huge show field, but it also had a big swap meet area as well as a big camping compound packed with tons of RVs. As far as the show field is concerned, it wrapped all over the fairgrounds with the 1,690 registered vehicles. The showgrounds are so big that the show staff offered golf cart rentals to keep down the foot pain some of us older showgoers would experience with a show this size.

There was everything from old, antique, GM trucks to brand new modified trucks scattered around the show. Of course, a ton of C10s from all generations filled every available spot they could. Walking around the venue, you could get tons of ideas for your project due to how many variations of the trucks that were there. Added this year to the venue was a big, heavily air-conditioned building where some of the top trucks were set up for the weekend. This, along with a few other air-conditioned buildings throughout the grounds, allowed showgoers to escape the humid Tennessee summer air for a moment before continuing the rest of the day.

A big part of the show was the massive vendor area that had names like LMC, Raceline Billets, Brian’s Motorsports, Drop Em Wear, Slosh Tubs, and Twin States Rod Shop just to name a few. You could pick up some vendor merch or even grab a set of wheels to take home. There were also a few raffles, including one for a full crate engine.

With a show this large, of course the next year’s event has been slated. It will be July 12-13, 2024, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds again. To keep up with the show details, keep an eye on www.gmtruckshow.com and on the @southeasterntrucknats Instagram page or the Southeastern Truck Nationals page on Facebook. As large as this show is and as many feature trucks we were able to shoot, this will be a show we won’t miss again—neither should you.