OOIDA on the road – May 2023

Spring might seem a little brighter for Marty Ellis as he drives the Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer across the country. That’s because he’s behind the wheel of a brand-new truck, a Western Star 57X.

So far, he says he and the new truck are getting along fine. The truck is a bright “viper red.” Even better, Western Star officials say the 57X is the most fuel-efficient truck Western Star has ever built.

Last year, Western Star announced it was replacing the 5700 series with the 57X. The new 57X trucks have DT-12 automated manual transmission. The cab is steel-reinforced aluminum. That succeeds Western Star’s galvannealed steel cab used since the mid-1990s. The new truck has optimized idle to keep batteries charged and battery-operated air conditioning.

It also has a name. It is Belle Star.

This is the fifth Western Star truck called into service to pull The Spirit.

The previous truck had pulled OOIDA’s trailer since May 2019.

Like anyone who has switched trucks before, it takes a few miles to get used to a new one. Gauges are in different places, and backing up is different from truck to truck.

“Every truck – I don’t care if they’re sister trucks, made one right after another – they act differently. I don’t know what it is, so you really have to get used to that,” Ellis said.

This time, at least, he didn’t have to make the switch in the dead of winter with lots of weather to worry about. With ice and snow to contend, taking your eyes off the road to find a gauge or turn on the wipers can get you in trouble, he said.

If you get a chance, stop by the tour trailer and see the new truck. There also are copies of Land Line Magazine to pick up, and Land Line Now will be cranked up when it broadcasts. It’s good also to swap notes from the road. LL