OOIDA on the road – December 2021/January 2022
None of us really know what a year is going to bring. That was certainly the case this year for Marty Ellis, skipper of the OOIDA tour trailer.
A year ago at this time, he was still a company driver for Brandon, S.D.-based A&A Express Refrigerated Transport. He had been a company driver for some 27 years.
He took the wheel of the Western Star pulling the Spirit of the American Trucker in mid-April after his predecessor, Jon Osburn, had decided it was time to retire and spend more time with his wife, kids and grandkids.
Ellis has made some 60 stops across the country. He has been there as commerce began to wake from its coronavirus-induced slumber. Restaurants began to open, and organizers restarted truck shows.
On top of that, and learning the ropes of working for the Association and also learning to be his own scheduler and dispatcher, it also has been a momentous year as far as news is concerned. That includes new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FMCSA Administrator Meera Joshi each joining OOIDA in saying what many call a “driver shortage” is really a turnover problem. Buttigieg called driver retention a “leaky bucket.”
Plus, drivers have been concerned about rising diesel prices and COVID-19 mask requirements.
Even so, while it has been challenging it also has been great, Ellis said. He knew he would enjoy talking to other drivers, hearing their concerns and relaying them to others at OOIDA. He said he is looking forward to hitting the road again in January and getting a full year of driving The Spirit.
After a holiday break at the end of December, Ellis heads to Texas for the month of January. LL