OOIDA’s tour trailer stops in North Little Rock, Ark.

OOIDA’s tour trailer, the Spirit of the American Trucker, is scheduled June 23-25 to be at the North Little Rock Petro on I-40 at Exit 161.

The North Little Rock Petro is dedicated to Idella Hansen, who was named a TA & Petro Citizen Driver in 2017, the same year that Marty Ellis, skipper of The Spirit, was awarded the honor. The Citizen Driver honor, which includes a TA or Petro truck stop dedicated to the honoree, recognizes drivers who have earned public respect for the trucking industry through good citizenship, safety, community involvement and leadership.

Downtown construction confusion

To get to the Idella Hansen Petro, Ellis will be able to steer clear of construction on I-30 in the Little Rock and North Little Rock area. Crews are replacing the I-30 bridge over the Arkansas River, widening the highway from six to eight lanes, and improving the I-30 and I-40 interchange. Here is a map depicting the project.

The project ran into legal problems over funding that wound up at the state’s Supreme Court. Keith Goble, Land Line’s state legislative editor, reported on the case last fall in which a sales tax dedicated to improving four-lane roads could not be used on this wider highway. The project is the largest highway project in the state’s history. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed in 2025, reports the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Word from the road

Drivers were making comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration giving itself more time to comply with a mandate to electronically transmit driver ID information, exam results and other info from the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners to state driver’s license agencies.

FMCSA has run into IT problems. Their problems show that some technologies do not deliver on their promise. It should give FMCSA reason to move more cautiously to mandate other unproven technologies, such as automatic emergency brakes, speed limiters or other magic bullets to improve highway safety.

Ellis has been recommending drivers help other drivers by rating doctors in OOIDA’s Certified Medical Examiner Review. Drivers are asked to rate doctors on overall experience working the doctor’s office, appointment scheduling, accuracy and honesty, and parking.

A new member stopped by with lots of stories to share with Ellis. This professional driver has been training drivers for 20 years. She talked about having to retrain drivers who others had trained first because of experiences burning out brakes on I-80 in the Donner Pass area or the like.

Another training that stuck out in her memory was a woman with long nails who was really impressive in putting chains on tires. She could do it without breaking a nail, and proved it. You go to the head of the class, driver.

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 North Little Rock, The Spirit has stops in Iowa scheduled in Council Bluffs, Brooklyn and Walcott. The last will be for the Walcott Truckers Jamboree at the Iowa 80 Truckstop

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL