Editor’s Desk – May 2021

We’ve all had those moments in life when we thought we had really lucked out or been given a gift only to slowly realize what we really had wasn’t what we thought.

In Greek mythology, the Greeks won the Trojan War when they hid an elite fighting force inside a giant wooden horse they had built and placed outside the city of Troy. The scam was to convince the people of Troy the horse was a gift to the goddess Athena placed outside the city. It worked. The horse was pulled into the city of Troy as a trophy of sorts signaling their defeat of the Greeks. The warriors inside the horse crept out at night and opened the gates of Troy for the rest of the Greek army, who made swift work of destroying the city and ending the war.

When you look at legislation in Congress, you’ll see how different parties and lawmakers will slip something into a very well-intentioned bill trying to use it as a Trojan horse. The hope is that the overwhelming material in the bill is so desired or needed that the toxic legislation gets passed along with it.

We have some big legislation to be on the watch for this Congress.

And, since the new administration took office, it feels like we’ve been in a sprint. OOIDA’s government affairs team has been sending clear signals to members of Congress on what the priorities are for truck drivers, owner-operators and small fleets.

Senior Editor Mark Schremmer breaks down OOIDA’s legislative agenda starting on Page 14. The priorities are very clear, and this issue of Land Line is one you can keep in your truck and have handy when you talk to your lawmakers.

Please, please, please don’t hit the snooze button when you flip a couple pages over to Page 18 and see the word “infrastructure.”

It’s an easy one to nod, say to yourself, “Yep, roads and bridges need fixed,” and move along.

But, talk about a potential Trojan horse. Infrastructure bills are an easy one to get support from truckers, because you need better roads. You need safe bridges. What you don’t want is to shoulder the vast majority of the expense. You are, in fact, not the only ones using the roads. So why be the only ones to pay for them? Mark and Staff Writer Tyson Fisher team up to bring the latest on the infrastructure talks. Read it.

Speaking of things you need, parking, more parking. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., reintroduced his parking bill – you know the one that would put actual money toward actual parking spots. So far this bill is pristine with no sneaky language in it. Get up to speed on HR2187 (darn shame we lost the 6-10-4 bill number from last Congress), and call your lawmaker and ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor. Tyson gives you the lowdown on Page 42.

It’s always fun to flip through the final proofs of the magazine before we go off to press. This issue I stopped hard when I came to a pair of features.

First, we say farewell to Jon Osburn and wish him a very happy, well-deserved retirement from his gig as captain of the Spirit of the American Trucker tour truck. We know he’s stoked to dote on those grandbabies, but we wanted him to know he will be missed and wanted to send him off in style. Copy Editor Chuck Robinson has an incredible feature on the incredible Jon Osburn that starts on Page 56.

Flip a few more pages and you see the tale of a young man getting his start in trucking. On Page 62, Land Line Now Senior Correspondent Scott Thompson, brings you “Little Big Boss.”

It’s the story of Josh Cox, who is an operations manager for a Rogersville, Ala., trucking company – at the ripe ol’ age of 9.

We fell in love with this kiddo from the moment we first heard about him. He’ll do big things, that’s for sure, kind of like Jon has done. Seems fitting to recognize the life cycle of epic trucking careers side by side like that. LL