I-70 bridge named after longtime OOIDA President Jim Johnston

A bridge on Interstate 70 in Grain Valley, Mo., has been dedicated to a man who spent more than four decades fighting for the rights of all truck drivers.

The sign for the Jim Johnston Memorial Bridge was unveiled during a ceremony on Tuesday, June 23, at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association headquarters in Grain Valley. Johnston served as president and CEO of OOIDA from 1975 until his death in 2018.

“He was an outspoken champion for the rights of all professional truck drivers,” said Todd Spencer, president and CEO of OOIDA. “This is a fitting honor for him and the Association.”

A sign standing 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide will be installed in each direction at Exit 24 on I-70.

OOIDA’s longtime leader

Johnston helped provide a voice to truck drivers in Washington, D.C., and helped build OOIDA into what it is today. From its humble beginnings in an office trailer chained to a light pole at a truck stop in Grain Valley, Johnston nurtured OOIDA to become the largest trade association for professional truckers in the country. Today, OOIDA has more than 350 employees and more than 160,000 members.

“I really can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to have a bridge here dedicated in his memory, because the contributions that certainly he made to truckers and the trucking industry and small business especially but also to the broader transportation community,” Spencer said during the event.

Others attending the ceremony included Johnston’s wife, Karen Johnston; Missouri State Rep. Jeff Coleman; and Jim Johnston’s brother and Grain Valley Mayor Chuck Johnston.

Coleman, who represents Grain Valley’s district, served as the legislative sponsor of the initiative to name the bridge after Johnston.

“Jim did a lot for the community,” Coleman said. “So when they asked me to sponsor the bill, I was more than happy to do so… He made a big impact not just here but all over.”

Johnston was one of OOIDA’s first leaders when the organization was established in 1973 and then became the Association’s third president in 1975. He remained president until his death on Jan. 8, 2018.