OOIDA’s tour trailer stops in West Memphis, Ark.

March 13, 2020

Chuck Robinson

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Others may smell diesel exhaust, but Jon Osburn, skipper of OOIDA’s tour trailer, thinks he smells barbecue in the wind as he nears West Memphis, Ark.

The Spirit of the American Trucker tour trailer is scheduled to be at the West Memphis Petro Stopping Station on March 14-17, Saturday through St. Patrick’s Day.

The West Memphis Petro is at Exit 280 from Interstate 40 and Exit 4 from Interstate 55.

All during planning of the year’s schedule and while headed in the direction of West Memphis, Jon has promised himself a treat in the area.

“It will be an expensive Uber, but I’m sure to go to Interstate Barbecue,” Jon said.

It is across the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tenn. Jon called it the “high holy grail of all things barbecue.”

You can bobtail there but there isn’t anywhere to park a tractor-trailer, he said. For him, though, getting there is worth the effort in quality and quantity of barbecue meat, he said.

“No matter what you order, you’re going to have leftovers,” Jon said.

The West Memphis Petro was dedicated to Jerry Fritts Jr. in 2014 when he was named a TA & Petro Citizen Driver.

The Citizen Driver program recognizes drivers who earn public respect for the trucking industry through good citizenship, safety, community involvement, health and wellness, and leadership. If you want to nominate a driver to be honored as a Citizen Driver, you can do it here. The rules are here. Nominations are being accepted until Aug. 31.

Stop by The Spirit and introduce yourself

If you pull in somewhere and see OOIDA’s tour trailer,  stop by and say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. 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 West Memphis, The Spirit heads to Glendale, Ky. Since plans to attend the Mid-America Trucking Show have fallen through because the show was canceled, there may be time for some maintenance on The Spirit. Here is the schedule.