OOIDA’s tour trailer heads to Waupun Truck-n-Show

The OOIDA tour trailer is headed for a special truck show, the 32nd annual Waupun Truck-n-Show in Waupun, Wis.

Marty Ellis plans to have the Spirit of the American Trucker on site Friday and Saturday, Aug. 13-14. The show takes place along Spring Street in Waupun.

“Each year the Waupun Truck-n-Show uses a portion of its proceeds to benefit two wonderful charities: REACH Relief and the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Ellis said.

Two parades through downtown Waupun help raise funds for the charities.

The Friday evening REACH Relief parade auction and program is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. REACH Relief works to reduce obstacles and provide access to community resources to families in need.

The Make-A Wish Foundation parade auction and program is scheduled to start at noon on Saturday. The Make-A Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Ellis said he expects OOIDA Board Member Dick Pingel to stop by the Waupun Truck-n-Show to talk with drivers.

“He’s a fellow Citizen Driver. He’s got the TA there in Madison (Wis.) dedicated to him,” Ellis said.

Pingel, of Plover Wis., was named a TA & Petro Citizen Driver in 2017. The Citizen Driver program honors exceptional professional commercial drivers who exhibit strong citizenship, community involvement and leadership. Pingel was an owner-operator for 46 years, hauling refrigerated LTL freight.

Ellis was named a Citizen Driver the same year as Pingel.

Admission to the public to see the truck show is free.

Ault Truck Show

Last weekend, the OOIDA tour trailer was at the Ault Truck Show in Ault, Colo. OOIDA stepped up to sponsor the trophies.

Here are some images from the Ault Truck show.

What truckers are talking about

A couple of drivers have recently told Ellis about problems with renting cars.

One had purchased a truck and didn’t want to fly to pick it up. The problem was he couldn’t find a car to rent one way because the car rental market is so tight. He ended up renting a U-Haul truck, which can still be rented one way, Ellis said.

Another driver had reserved a car rental to get home after a haul. Despite him having reserved the car, he was a few minutes late and the company rented it to someone else, Ellis said.

Apparently, car rental companies sold off cars when the economy shut down when coronavirus restrictions were set in place, and they haven’t replenished their stock of rental cars, Ellis said.

Ellis talks about what he’s hearing from drivers on the road most Fridays during Land Line Now’s broadcast. Here is last Friday’s show.

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 for anyone with a commercial driver’s license at The Spirit.

After the Waupun Truck-n-Show, The Spirit is scheduled Aug. 16-18 to be at the Dick Pingel TA in Madison and then Aug. 20-22 at the Eau Claire Big Rig Truck Show in Chippewa Falls, Wis.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL