OOIDA’s tour trailer stops in Hillsboro, south of Dallas-Fort Worth

Things are mostly back to normal in Hillsboro, Texas, the next stop for OOIDA’s tour trailer.

Last week, winter weather, power outages and other problems downed diesel pumps across much of Texas, including Hillsboro. This weekend, the forecast calls for highs around 70 degrees and a chance of rain.

The Spirit of the American Trucker is scheduled to spend the weekend, Feb. 27 to March 1, at the Hillsboro TA. It is at Exit 370 from I-35, on U.S. Highway 77. There are 201 parking spots for tractor-trailers. The Country Pride restaurant is temporarily closed, according to the website. Alternatives are Burger King and grab-and-go food in the convenience store.

Hillsboro is located where I-35 splits into I- 35E, headed to Dallas, and I-35W, headed to Fort Worth, Texas. The city is about 60 miles from Dallas or Fort Worth and about 35 miles north of Waco, Texas.

Hillsboro, incorporated in 1881, takes its name from Hill County. The county, created in 1853, was named for a physician who also was the Republic of Texas secretary of war, George Washington Hill, according to HistoricTexas.com.

Driving from the previous stop in Beaumont, Texas, to Hillsboro took The Spirit through Houston and one of the top 10 traffic bottlenecks in the country, according to an annual survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute. The interchange at I-45 and I-69/U.S. 59 ranks at No.5 on the list.

Heard from drivers

Rising diesel prices are a concern among drivers, reports Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit. This is the 16th consecutive week of rising diesel prices, and drivers are taking notice. Surely the price will plateau soon, he said. Osburn said he heard from tanker drivers that refineries on the Gulf Coast suffered with the frigid weather, and that has goosed the diesel price increases.

“Now, it’s not just a penny, penny, a penny higher – it’s going up a dime a drop,” Osburn said.

Here is Land Line’s latest weekly diesel price report, if you want to take a closer look.

Drivers also discussed how some states are looking at vehicle miles traveled taxes to add to or replace fuel taxes as a source of revenue to fund road work. Delaware has discussed the idea. So have Michigan, Missouri, Florida, and several other states.

Federal lawmakers also have tossed the idea around. About a year ago OOIDA members pushed back on a federal plan to put a miles tax on only commercial trucks.

The prospect of a miles tax seem unfair to truckers on top of fuel taxes and the seemingly never-ending push to toll bridges and highways, Osburn said.

Every once in a while a member of the OOIDA Board of Directors stops by The Spirit to meet with drivers and check-in with Osburn. This week, Board Member Danny Schnautz of Pasadena, Texas, stopped by and talked with drivers for an afternoon. Danny’s first rides in a big truck were when he was 2 years old, when he rode with his father on routes. He is now a fleet manager specializing in dry van, intermodal, flatbed and dry bulk.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello to Osburn. 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 membership for $10 off the regular price there. Free face masks are available for anyone with a commercial driver’s license at The Spirit. You also can get forms for drivers without medical insurance to get flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccine vouchers at The Spirit.

After Hillsboro, The Spirit is scheduled for Texas stops in Carl’s Corner and Terrell.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL