Stop by the Oak Grove 70 Petro in Missouri, check in at The Spirit, and get a free hot dog

Look for Jon Osburn and OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer, the Spirit of the American Trucker, at the Oak Grove, Mo., Petro 70 truck stop at Exit 28 off of I-70. Stop by at lunch and get a free hot dog and chips.

Jon and his canine co-pilot, Sassi, are scheduled to be there through Sept. 12. After that, he has a stop at OOIDA headquarters just a few miles away in Grain Valley, Mo., before heading out for a couple of days, Sept. 18-19, to the TA travel center in Beto Junction, Kan. It is at Exit 155, the junction of I-35 and U.S. Highway 75.

In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, OOIDA will be serving up lunch at the Oak Grove 70 Petro truck stop.

From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., everyone who stops by the Spirit of the American Trucker tour truck can grab a free hot dog, chips and a bottled water. Members and nonmembers alike are invited to stop by and enjoy a free lunch.

The stop before Oak Grove was at the Big Iron Classic in Kasson, Minn., where the food was great, crowds big and around The Spirit pretty dusty. Jon and The Spirit were set up near the truck-pull area.

In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, OOIDA will be serving up lunch at the Oak Grove 70 Petro truck stop.

From 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., everyone who stops by the Spirit of the American Trucker tour truck can grab a free hot dog, chips and a bottled water. Members and nonmembers alike are invited to stop by and enjoy a free lunch.

One thing that had drivers riled up are the proposed increased truck tolls on the Indiana Toll Road.

Only Class 3 and above vehicles will be affected by the toll increase. Tolls for the entire 157-mile trip along I-90 for a Class 5 truck will increase from $44.46 to $60.02. Annual increases will continue as planned in the original agreement. The Indiana Finance Authority will consider the amendment later this month.

What’s the money going for? Essentially, increased toll rates for heavy vehicles will indirectly fund the governor’s infrastructure plan.

While $50 million from the increased tolls would pay for toll road upgrades, including a smart truck parking system and expansion of overhead message boards, cameras and variable speed signs, $1 billion would pay for other projects.

The bulk of the $1 billion will pay for completion of Interstate 69 Section 6. However, the rest would be spent on expanding broadband services in rural areas, growing the state’s systems of trails, creating more nonstop international flights, moving up the completion of major highway projects, building a new fourth water port at Lawrenceburg and expanding of rail projects in northwest Indiana.

Hours of service reform was another hot-button topic. Jon said he had some good conversations about

He also had some laptops set up so drivers could more easily answer the call for comments issued by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. If you want to comment, OOIDA wants to help you do it, no matter what your opinions or outlook. FMCSA needs to hear from truck drivers.

Comments are due Sept. 24, and FMCSA is asking some specific questions, which you can read about here.  Click here to file comments electronically.

For those unfamiliar with filing comments electronically, OOIDA produced a how-to video that walks viewers through the steps.

Whenever you see The Spirit tour truck, go say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. You also 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 at The Spirit.