'Trucktoberfest' brings crowds to Daytona Beach; law enforcement patrols increase

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Police officials tell FOX 35 there haven’t been many incidents during Trucktoberfest so far.

But, some Daytona Beach visitors still aren’t happy with the crowd.

"They’re erratic drivers. They don’t have no respect for anybody else," Bradley Himmelrick said.

Bradley Himmelrick visits Daytona Beach every other weekend, and he says there was a different feel on Saturday.

"I don’t like the trucks. I like the trucks, but I don’t like the people who drive them. They don’t really do too much for Daytona Beach, itself," Himmelrick said.

The unsanctioned "Trucktoberfest" is happening all weekend.

Lots of folks are taking to the streets of Daytona Beach in their trucks, but law enforcement is also stepping up its patrols.

There was another truck event in June, where police say there was reckless driving, fights and shootings.

They wanted to prevent that from happening again.

Some visitors are grateful for the heavy police presence.

"I don’t know what was going on because I saw like, they were really aggressive and they were driving fast. Some people were running lights and I’m like, ‘where are all the trucks coming from?’" Queena Mckee said.

While some are a little leery of the truck crowd, others welcome them.

Paul Turner, who works at Hog Heaven, says they’ve been great for business.

"They’re our bread and butter, as well as the bikers are our bread and butter. We want to keep them here. We’re going to treat them just as well as we do anybody else in Daytona," Turner said.

As restaurants and businesses continue to bounce back from the pandemic, they look forward to more big events.