GM wanted attention even when the show passed on the highway, so all movement was handled as a military convoy. A Cadillac command car was in the lead and communicated with some of the trucks back in the pack by short wave radio. An assortment of automobile models from all GM divisions were included in the convoy. Drivers always wore uniforms on the road, when visiting GM plants or when performing, although white coveralls were provided for workdays when the exhibit was being erected.

Travel was slow, partly because GM wanted everyone the convoy passed to get a good look and partly because the streamlined trucks were seriously underpowered by today’s standards. GM’s small truck engines were based on the flat head Oldsmobile block and offered displacements of only 230-257 cid. The trucks had a 4-speed transmission with a very low first gear that the drivers called "creeper." This was needed on many hills. Because the vacuum power brakes were not as effective as might have been desired, downshifting was the rule on most hills. In addition to the eight streamliners, the fleet included conventional GM trucks, including semis, that carried the big top, chairs, an electric light plant and mechanics’ supplies.

Moves were always made in daytime for publicity, so personnel were boarded in hotels and ate in restaurants. Life in this "circus" was easier than in most traveling shows. Drivers were paid $100 a month; uniforms, coveralls, and hotel rooms were provided; and the food allowance was $18.50 a week, which, in 1936, allowed them to dine well. Like the traditional circus, the Parade of Progress had an advance agent who traveled ahead booking lots, parking space, hotels, and other needs.

After the caravan arrived in Lakeland, FL, the tents and midway were set up for the first time and the full performance was rehearsed. The big top was a two-pole tent with the stage in the middle of one long side. Seats were opposite the state and in both ends. One of the streamliners unfolded to form the stage, and another was behind the center section of seats, containing an enclosed movie projection booth for films that were part of the program. Performances consisted of juggling, magic, and scientific demonstrations tied in with product displays. This may have been the first time that microwave cooking was demonstrated – emcee Erie Foss cooked an egg on a handkerchief with no protection from the radiation.

While the canvas boss and his workmen set up the tent and seats, the drivers set up the exhibits. The truck fleet included eight streamliners, three of which were used for a walk-through midway display. They were parked in a parallel arrangement several feed apart. The sides split apart horizontally so that the upper halves joined to form a roof and the lower halves formed a floor. Side panels carried in the truck enclosed the space, and the tree trucks thus connected formed a continuous hall filled with exhibits. Patrons entered the front truck and exited the rear truck. The show opened in St. Petersburg, FL, followed by Tampa, Miami, and then went up the East Coast, hitting most of the major cities along the way.

After the tour ended the equipment was stored and eventually sold, including the streamliners. Several of these easily recognized trucks have turned up in other service. The streamliner that formed the stage is shown being used for a USO Motor Camp Show performance in 1941 in the book, U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles, where author F. W. Crismon lists it in the 5-ton category.