OOIDA tour trailer visits Kenly 95 Truckstop

Marty Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer area at the Kenly 95 Truckstop in North Carolina.

Ellis plans to have the Spirit of the American Truck tour trailer at the Kenly 95 through Dec. 10. The Kenly 95 is at Exit 106 from I-95. Kenly is 40 miles southeast of Raleigh, N.C., and about 55 miles northeast of Fayetteville, N.C., on I-95.

The Kenly 95 Truckstop has been open four decades. Its iconic 65-foot lighthouse is an homage to the state’s Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The truck stop opened in 1980 as Truckland Truckstop. It became part of the Iowa 80 Group in 2004 and was renamed Kenly 95. It became a Petro franchise in 2010 after undergoing a major expansion and remodel. The Super Truck Showroom was added in 2016.

Kenly 95 has parking for 350 tractor-trailers. It offers sit-down dining in the Iron Skillet restaurant. Fast-food options include Wendy’s Subway, Dairy Queen, and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut Express.

Land Line Now ‘driver shortage’ discussion

Ellis regularly discusses what he sees and hears from drivers on the road during Friday Land Line Now broadcasts. A recurrent topic is what many mega carriers and industry groups call a “driver shortage.”

“This has been brought up quite a bit, especially since the rates have gone down and the fuel’s still up,” Ellis said on Friday’s Land Line Now broadcast.

Right now rates are lousy, so the driver shortage narrative just doesn’t make sense, Ellis said.

“In my mind and in some out the drivers’ who pop by there, it’s basically a scheme to get the government so concerned that we’ll allow anybody and everybody to come into the industry and to lessen the regulations to make it easier for people to come in,” Ellis said.

OOIDA calls the driver shortage a myth.

Listen to the full conversation here or below.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see the OOIDA tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks 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 at The Spirit.

After Kenly, Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer are scheduled to stop in Columbia, S.C.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL