OOIDA’s tour trailer heads to Boise, Idaho

The road leads home for a short break for the skipper of OOIDA’s tour trailer, the Spirit of the American Trucker.

Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit, is scheduled to stop for the weekend in Boise, Idaho, at the TA Travel Center dedicated to him. After three days there, he plans to be at home in Boise for a few days

The Spirit is scheduled to be at the Boise TA on June 19-21. It is at Exit 54 from I-84.

The Boise TA has 171 truck parking spots. It is right off Broadway Avenue, also U.S. 20.

Jon, who has had his CDL for 30 years, was named a Citizen Driver in 2016. As part of that honor, the Boise TA was dedicated to him. The 2016 class of Citizen Drivers also included Bill Ater Jr., Mary “Candy” Bass, Dennis Litalien, Bill and Robyn Taylor, Bill Underwood and Michael Zanella.

OOIDA life member Jerry “Skimpy” Seaman and Herschel Evans were named the 2020 Citizen Drivers. Meet them here.

Discussion with truck drivers who stopped by The Spirit in the previous stop in the Portland Ore., area touched on a wide array of topics.

Some drivers, having read Staff Writer Wendy Parker’s commentary on the Swift CEO saying replacing fleet video recorders to improve safety, agreed with her and expressed similar thoughts as hers.

As Wendy said, “machines that go “beep” are no substitute for a solid driver training program.” The idea that relying on video cameras to make Swift “the safest company in the truckload industry the world has ever seen” is delusional.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see The Spirit tour truck, stop by and say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. He usually has copies of Land Line Magazine to hand out. You can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Also, you can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon.

After the stop in Boise and a little R&R, Jon and The Spirit are scheduled to stop at the Steen Gronlund Petro in Laramie, Wyo. Here is the schedule.