Friendly faces at Great Salt Lake Truck Show

August 15, 2022

Chuck Robinson

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Resting up now in Huntington, Ore., over the weekend Marty Ellis had a lot of people stop by the OOIDA tour trailer. He got to see some familiar faces and some nice-looking trucks too.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled through Tuesday, Aug. 16, to be at the TA Travel Center at Huntington, Ore. That is Exit 353 from I-84.

There is parking for 150 tractor-trailers there.

Great Salt Lake Truck Show

Over the weekend, Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer were at the 33rd annual Great Salt Lake Truck Show in Lehi, Utah.

All of the proceeds from the show benefited the National Kidney Foundation of Utah and Idaho, and helps to send children and adults with kidney diseases and their families to “Kidney Kamp” in the local mountains for free.

OOIDA Board Member Doug Smith helped greet people at the OOIDA tour trailer.

OOIDA Board Member Doug Smith snaps a group selfie in the OOIDA tour trailer (Photo by Marty Ellis)
OOIDA Board Member Doug Smith snaps a group selfie in the OOIDA tour trailer (Photo by Marty Ellis)

Thanks to a broken exhaust pipe on The Spirit’s generator, he got to visit Smith’s shop in West Bountiful, Utah, where they were able to make repairs. West Bountiful is 40 miles north of Lehi, where the truck show was staged.

Another friendly face Ellis saw was the mug of Jon Osburn, who preceded Ellis as driver of the OOIDA tour trailer.

Marty Ellis (left) and Jon Osburn.
Marty Ellis (left) and Jon Osburn.

 

Ellis also got to see event organizer Sunny Wallace, daughter of event founder Jeff England, owner of Salt Lake City-based Pride Transport.

“We fund a camping experience for these kids that are experiencing this and their families, who don’t have a lot of opportunity to do those kind of things. They’re stuck going to kidney dialysis, if you will, and being in a hospital setting most of the time because they’re sick,” England said in a YouTube video about the show.

There were 110 trucks at the 2022 show.

Sunny Wallace, Great Salt Lake Truck Show
Sunny Wallace is chief organizer of the Great Salt Lake Truck Show. It was founded by her father, Jeff England. (Photo by Marty Ellis)

Ellis found time to snap a few photos of the trucks in attendance.

 

Stop by when you see The Spirit

After Huntington, Ellis heads to Jubitz Truck Stop in Portland, Ore., on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 18-19, and then heads to GeeCee’s in Toledo, Wash.,

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks forward to visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. There are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up there. You can join or renew your membership for $10 off the regular price at The Spirit. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

Ellis regularly discusses things he sees on the road or hears from truck drivers on Friday broadcasts of Land Line Now.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL