Have you noticed things are a bit different here at 8-Lug HD Truck magazine? Subtle things, I mean. For instance: There aren’t as many huge, lifted show trucks as there used to be. And there are a lot more realistic trucks and more work trucks. That’s not an accident, we’re continuing to refine the focus of what the magazine covers based on trends we see, the realities of the new economy, and, frankly…sales.
8-Lug magazine is a very narrow niche of the truck magazine market, and we have to be selective in what we cover in order to make sure we are targeting the audience that buys the magazine every month. Since we have no subscriptions, it’s even more critical that every issue is a home run.
The day of the super-big, lifted show trucks has pretty much run its course in this magazine. We will still include a few of these impressive showpieces here and there, but it’s going to be the exception rather than the rule. The growth in the HD truck industry is in the work truck market. A lot of people own a heavy-duty truck because of their Monday through Friday job, and they use the truck to haul their toys around on the weekend.
“A lot of people own a heavy- duty truck because of their Monday through Friday job, and they use the truck to haul their toys around on the weekend.”
This growing segment led us to the March ’12 cover truck shown here—a serious work truck that’s also been modified for business use. West Virginia’s Matt Lupardus built his ’11 Chevy pickup with a custom welder in the back and lots more to make working on natural gas pipelines possible in some pretty rugged territory. We were pretty sure this was exactly the kind of truck people wanted to see in 8-Lug, and the sales figures backed that up—dramatically. The numbers our circulation people shared with us were the highest we’ve seen in years. That truck, the style it has, and the fact that it exists for a purpose, really resonated with readers—and they bought more 8-Lug issues than ever.
You can expect more of this kind of truck in the future, and fewer complete custom show trucks with fiberglass-formed interiors. In fact, the October, November, and December issues this year will all have tons of work truck content in them, as 8-Lug will present the Work Truck Review issues for all three of those months. Don’t miss out on some very cool trucks. Of course, the issues leading up to the Work Truck Review series will be worthy of your time, too! Take a look at the Super Duty we’ll be showcasing next issue. That’s a sweet truck that doesn’t go over the top with frilly things intended to garner more points for judges. It’s a truck built to be a truck. That’s what we expect to keep doing. Unless you tell us otherwise…
(By the way, I mentioned earlier that we have no subscriptions, but we DO have digital subs through www.zinio.com. You can read the current 8-Lug magazine on your computer, iPad, smartphone, or other device.)