Laredo’s the next port of call for the OOIDA tour trailer

Laredo, Texas, is the next scheduled stop for Marty Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled Jan. 25-27 to be at the Laredo TA Travel Center. It is at I-35 and Beltway Parkway.

There is parking for 336 tractor-trailers at the Laredo TA. The Country Pride restaurant is open for business. There is also a Taco Bell, Burger King, Subway and grab-and-go food available there.

Colorful discussion on left lanes

There has been some colorful discussion around the OOIDA tour trailer, Ellis reports, especially about the bill introduced in Virginia in the aftermath of a winter storm that shut down traffic on I-95. The bill would prohibit tractor-trailers from traveling in the left lane during a winter storm.

OOIDA has been riled up about the bill too.

On Friday’s Land Line Now podcast, Ellis let loose a bit about reactionary legislators that seem to lose common sense once they get into office. In any case, left lane restrictions wouldn’t help the winter driving situation on I-95, he said.

“More often than not, a truck that jackknifes jackknifed because it was avoiding a car,” Ellis said.

Somehow, lawmakers seem to have the idea that big trucks sailing smoothly in the left lane through cities and not clogging up traffic would somehow cause a problem, Ellis said.

You can listen to the Land Line Now podcast here.

Fraud alert from Landstar

Some Landstar drivers have reported to Ellis that the company has issued a fraud alert about emails coming from the email domain of “@USLandstar.com.” They are in no way connected in any way to the legitimate company Landstar.

On its Facebook page, Landstar has issued a warning.

Laredo by the numbers

Laredo is the busiest inland land port along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Laredo Economic Development Commission reports 4.5 million trucks crossed the border in 2020, including north- and southbound traffic.

Through November, exports passing through Laredo were valued at a total of $91.1 billion, which was 25.7% more than last year through November. Imports through November were valued at $135.9 billion, up 18.9% compared to last year.

Laredo is 95% Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s quick facts for the city.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s 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.

After Pearsall, Ellis is scheduled to stop Jan. 25-27 in Laredo, Texas, and then Jan. 29-30 in Edinburg, Texas.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL