Check in at The Spirit for the lowdown on new truck parking legislation

Today, OOIDA’s tour trailer, the Spirit of the American Trucker, rolls into the outskirts of Jackson, Miss.

The Spirit is scheduled to be at the Petro Stopping Center in Jackson on March 9-12.

The Jackson Petro is near the convergence of Interstate 20 and Interstate 55. I-55 connects New Orleans to Chicago. I-20 stretches 1,535 miles from I-10 and Kent in west Texas to I-95 in Florence, S.C.

Get the latest on new truck parking legislation

If you are in the area, check in with Jon and get the latest on the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act (HR 6104).

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer calls the legislation “groundbreaking.” The bill addresses truck parking by dedicating existing highway funding specifically to projects that expand truck parking capacity. OOIDA has worked closely with Reps. Mike Bost, R-Ill., and Angie Craig, D-Minn., in developing this bill.

Jon will have the latest information from OOIDA, and he will be listening to Land Line Now’s coverage of it too.

Here is more on it.

Flavor of Jackson

The Jackson metropolitan statistical area has about 580,000 residents.

Originally, Jackson was named Parkerville, and it then was known as LeFleur’s Bluff, for a French-Canadian settler and trader. It was renamed Jackson after the seventh president of the United States, Andrew Jackson in recognition for his victory over British troops in the Battle of New Orleans in 1814.

Jon says if you have a layover, there are plenty of museums to see, but the home of civil rights icon Medgar Evers is worth a stop and maybe one people wouldn’t think about. The home has been restored to look like it did when the Evers family lived there. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Call 601-977-7839 to schedule a tour.

Jon says the Mississippi War Memorial in Jackson is always worth a stop.

Blues music

The state of Mississippi feels that it is the birthplace of blues music, and Jackson has a blues music scene. There are several blues venues in downtown. Underground 119 looks interesting and so does F. Jones Corner.

For a taste of Jackson blues music even though you might be tied to your truck, maybe tune in to Blues 93.1. Its transmitter is in Ridgeland, Miss., which is just north of Jackson. You can listen live here.

Let’s eat!

Close by the Petro truck stop are a couple of great places to eat, Jon says.

Within 1½ miles is The Iron Horse Grill, where you can get “bodaciously fine steaks,” Jon said.

E & L Barbecue is just a tad farther away, but well worth investigating. Here’s the menu.

“Their rib tips are to die for,” Jon said.

Stop by and introduce yourself

If you pull in somewhere and see The Spirit tour truck, stop by and say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. You can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Also, you can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon.

After Jackson, The Spirit heads to West Memphis, Ark. Here is the schedule.