Vintage Truck Meeting in Wörnitz 2026 Is Coming Up

Commercial vehicles from the legendary VOMAG brand have not been built in Plauen for more than 80 years. In 1945, Soviet troops completely dismantled the production facilities and transported them to Russia. This brought to an end a 30-year history of commercial vehicle manufacturing and a more than 60-year history of mechanical engineering. Yet the name VOMAG still resonates today, as the company was renowned for the outstanding quality of its trucks and buses. In mid-June 2026, at the invitation of VOMAG specialist Christian Suhr, a gathering took place featuring the last roadworthy and, for the most part, carefully restored examples.

Every year on May 1, a large vehicle show takes place in Hartmannsdorf near Chemnitz – the largest gathering of historic vehicles in Germany. Vehicles of all types are represented. Among the well over 3,000 vehicles on display are motorcycles, cars, tractors, and a large number of commercial vehicles of all kinds, primarily from the GDR, but also from other countries of the former Eastern Bloc and from the West. Nowhere else in Germany can you admire so many classic vehicles in one place at the same time.

As is customary every year after Easter, a large dump truck meet took place in 2026 near Geilenkirchen in the far west of Germany. The event at the Franz Davids sand pit near the Dutch border was held for the twentieth time. About 100 vehicles took part, along with many historic excavators and wheel loaders, as well as a few other vintage commercial vehicles that don’t strictly fall under the category of construction machinery. Under bright sunshine, the dump trucks were loaded with sand, which they then unloaded elsewhere. There was action everywhere in the sprawling sand pit, and all participants and spectators were clearly having a great time. Our freelance contributor Detlef Gerth was on site for truckinfocus.com and provided us with great photos and a fitting article.

There was quite a stir on social media when word got out that participation in the vintage truck meet at the Wörnitz truck stop was supposed to cost 45 euros per day. That would have amounted to a whopping 135 euros for the three days of the event from September 11 to 13, 2026—simply too much, as people agreed on Facebook.

Just before spring begins, Retro Classics has been taking place in Stuttgart every year for the past 25 years. During the four days of the show at the end of February 2026, around 83,000 visitors came to marvel at some 2,800 classic cars, with visitor and exhibit numbers increasing year on year. We were particularly interested in the commercial vehicles, which were given their own large hall for the first time. Our freelance contributor Holger Hahn took a look around, wrote a report, and photographed some of the vehicles before the public was allowed in.

This article was actually supposed to be a report on the third meeting of historic commercial vehicles at the Technik Museum Sinsheim. Around 150 vintage trucks from past decades were announced to be there. I had planned to take lots of photos during the announced trip, as this is the only way to photograph the vehicles individually in action. But then everything changed and the content of this article took on a different form. Nevertheless, the photos still show many interesting vintage commercial vehicles. 

Every June since 2001, the Classic & Vintage Commercial Show has been held in Gaydon, England, attracting many participants and visitors. This time, our freelancer Christoph Büch was there and took numerous good photos, the best of which we show here. It's not just British truck history that is revived in Gaydon, as imported vehicles and some British-built Volvos also take part. It becomes painfully clear how many British truck manufacturers there once were, none of which still exist today.

How did tree trunks up to 14 meters long get from the railroad wagon to the truck trailer in the past? And how were the typical products of the timber industry, i.e. sawn timber and wood wool, as well as general cargo such as barrels, crates and sacks, which were common at the time, transported to truck platforms without forklift trucks and lifting devices? You could experience all of this in the Black Forest. The 1st Black Forest Timber Days took place at the historic Seebrugg railroad station and the nearby Volk sawmill in Immeneich with vehicles from the years up to 1956. Everything matched the ambience of that time, even the work clothes of the participants. Around 1000 spectators came to the Black Forest to watch the spectacle.

On May 31 and June 1, 2025, not only the matching veteran commercial vehicles will be presented to the public in a historical setting, but also the entire environment of timber production in the Black Forest around 70 years ago. Anyone who lives in south-west Germany and is interested in old technology should not miss this event. It is also worth traveling a little further. Because what is on offer around Seebrugg station and the sawmill in Immeneich cannot be found at any other event.

After 40 years of the GDR came reunification. Not much was left of the East German automotive industry; almost everything was badmouthed, bought up and flattened. It's a good thing that there are people who are aware of the values that shaped road transport in the East. Because the commercial vehicles from Eastern Europe had their qualities - the long production times of up to 30 years and the small variety of parts made them mature and robust. Every year on May 1, a large meeting is held in Hartmannsdorf near Chemnitz, where participants and tens of thousands of visitors celebrate the continued existence of the old Eastern vehicles.

The event “Historical Container Handling and General Freight Traffic in the Port of Hamburg” takes place twice a year after it became so popular that a one-year cycle was no longer sufficient. Apparently, organizer Jürgen Danner hit the bull's eye with his idea of a themed event where everything fits together: Vehicles, equipment, cargo and even the participants not only in action, but also in historically appropriate clothing. For truckinfocus.com, our freelancer Matthias Herrfurth photographed the vehicles at the last event in September 2024 and organizer Jürgen Danner contributed some pictures showing the lively activities that really breathe life into the event.

Over the past decades, the name Wörnitz (Germany) has become synonymous with Europe's largest classic truck meeting. The event takes place every two years, in 2024 for the 18th time. On the rain-free weekend from September 6 to 8, around 400 vehicles gathered at the Wörnitz truck stop, including many rarities and new acquisitions. They came not only from all over Germany, but also from other countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland.

For the 17th time, a special kind of classic vehicle festival took place on the site of a southern German gravel works between Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Participants were able to let off steam with their historic vehicles and construction machinery to their heart's content and spectators were invited to marvel at the colorful goings-on without barriers and fluttering ribbons. In addition, the meeting was, as always, characterized by a variety that could hardly be surpassed. Andreas Fehsenmeier and his son Linus from Heidelberg were there for truckinfocus.com and sent us an interesting report with great photos.

On June 8, 2024, it was that time again: as every year, the British Motor Museum in Gaydon hosted the "Classic and Vintage Commercial Show" over two days. What is probably the largest gathering of its kind in Europe regularly attracts up to 400 commercial vehicles from before the year 2004, with participants from other countries adding to the diversity of classic commercial vehicles. Admission is also valid for the museum, with around 400 classic cars and more than 160 tables with models of all scales. Our freelancer Richard Stanier from Stoke-on-Trent provided us with a photo report of the event.