OOIDA tour trailer has two stops in Montana lined up

Through the weekend, the OOIDA tour trailer is scheduled for two stops in Montana.

On Oct. 21-22, Marty Ellis plans to park the Spirit of the American Trucker at the TA Travel Center in Missoula, Mont. That is at the junction of I-90 and Highway 93, Exit 96 from the interstate. There is parking for 210 tractor-trailers there. The full-service restaurant there is closed temporarily.

On Sunday and Monday, Oct. 24-25, The Spirit is scheduled to be at the TA in Laurel, Mont. That is at Exit 437 from the interstate, a bit over 300 miles away from Missoula. There are 80 parking spots for tractor-trailers. The TA Café dining room is reported to be open.

Concern about vaccine mandate

Every day, it seems, drivers bring up the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate ordered by the White House, Ellis said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently sent to the White House its proposed rule regarding a vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden announced the mandate on Sept. 9.

The rule doesn’t mention truck drivers specifically and it is unclear how it will be applied to the trucking industry. It is uncertain whether truck drivers will be viewed differently than employees at an office building with more than 100 workers.

Despite that, OOIDA believes that most small-business truckers will not be required to be vaccinated. As reported in Land Line, that is because of data compiled by the OOIDA Foundation, the research arm of OOIDA, that show 96% of motor carriers have no more than 25 drivers, In addition, 99% have no more than 100 drivers.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis is looking 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 there. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

After the two stops in Montana, The Spirit is scheduled to stop in Fargo, N.D.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL