OOIDA on the Road – June 2021

Seasoned and newly seasoned drivers of OOIDA’s tour trailer know that no two days are the same.

It’s the people they meet, of course. Some drivers at the truck stops or truck shows where the trailer sets up know OOIDA well, and some not at all. All have stories to share and some insight on the dizzying number of regulations truckers have to manage.

You might know a driver whose opinions drift drastically in one direction, but rest assured there is another with opinions on the opposite side of things. However, when it comes to professional truck driving, some issues transcend both extremes and everyone in between. There is common cause on many issues including speed limiters, ever-increasing tolls, and regulations in the name of “safety.”

Drivers’ opinions help inform OOIDA’s Board of Directors and executive staff as they develop stands on issues and keep up the fight for the rights of all truckers.

Stop by the Spirit of the American Trucker, perhaps to listen to the daily 7 p.m. Eastern broadcast of Land Line Now with other drivers. You also can pick up a copy of Land Line Magazine to read on the road. If you have questions on OOIDA issues, Marty Ellis, skipper of The Spirit, can print information from the OOIDA Foundation on the topic or provide other materials to help you be informed. He also informs OOIDA staff about feedback he gets from drivers.

While you are there, get a free cloth face mask if you need one or pick up a voucher for drivers without medical insurance to get flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines.

Ellis, a former 27-year company driver and since this spring skipper of OOIDA’s Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer, tours the eastern U.S. this summer. LL