In Carlisle, Pa., The Spirit has many distribution centers nearby

The next stop for OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer in Carlisle, Pa., is near the distribution centers for several companies.

The Spirit of the American Trucker is scheduled to be at the Carlisle Petro on Oct. 13-15. There The Carlisle Petro is off I-81 at Exit 52 and off I-76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) at Exit 226.

Carlisle is the headquarters of the Giant Food supermarkets in Pennsylvania. It is about a mile from the Carlisle Petro on U.S. 11.

Near the Giant Foods HQ are distribution centers for Allen Distribution, Amazon (two), Ames True Temper, Crown Bolt, Geodis-Bath & Body Works, The Home Depot, Key Distribution, Penske Logistics-Whirlpool, Pepsico, Quaker Oats, Ross Stores and Transamerican Auto Parts.

Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit, says he expects it to be busy in Carlisle.

Jon will take The Spirit on U.S. 322 from Lamar, Pa., to Carlisle. Just past the exits to State College, Pa. – home of Penn State University – he will be able to see to the east the trees of Bald Eagle State Forest and to the west Rothrock State Forest.

The forested areas along U.S. 322 once looked very different.

The forested area now known as the Rothrock State Forest in the early 1900s had been virtually stripped bare of trees to provide wood to make charcoal for the iron furnaces at Greenwood Furnace in Huntingdon County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Similarly, much of the land in Bald Eagle State Forest was purchased by the major logging and lumbering companies during the late 1880s and 1890s. After extensive logging, the land was either sold to the state or bought at tax sales, according to the department.

Lamar was cold and rainy, Jon said. It was interesting that there, unlike many truck stops, most drivers cleared out on Friday headed to metropolitan areas. By midmorning on Friday, maybe only a dozen trucks were left in a parking lot with 168 spaces that was packed the night before.

Despite the rain, quite a few truckers stopped by and a couple of them re-joined after having been off the OOIDA membership rolls for a few years. OOIDA’s charge to reform hours of service regulations seems to have struck a chord, Jon said.

After Carlisle, The Spirit is scheduled to be at the Petro in Scranton, Pa., at Exit 178B off I-81, on Oct. 16-17.

After that, The Spirit heads to Maybrook, N.Y., for a two-day stop on Oct. 18-19 at the TA travel center at Exit 5 off of I-84.

Whenever you see The Spirit tour truck, go say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. You also 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 at The Spirit.