The OOIDA tour trailer joins Midwest Pride in Your Ride

This weekend, Marty Ellis is taking the OOIDA tour trailer to Earlville, Iowa, to be part of the Midwest Pride in Your Ride working-class truck show.

Ellis and the Spirit of the American Trucker are scheduled to be there May 6-7. The venue is the Tri-State Raceway on Highway 20, Exit 285.

The show features working class show tractor-trailers and antique farm tractors. A truck pull and light show are planned for Friday night and a live auction and semitruck drag racing on Saturday afternoon.

The event is a fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Eldon Jaeger is the event’s founder and chief organizer. In a video, he said the Midwest Pride in Your Ride was started in 2011 after a daughter passed away following a 14-year battle with cancer.

Last year, the show donated $103,790 to the American Cancer Society, according to the website.

Drivers talking about taking a break in May

In addition to high diesel prices, some drivers have been talking about taking some time off in mid-May.

Not just for rest and relaxation, though, but rather to sit out the annual vehicle inspection blitz known as International Roadcheck.

International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 17-19. Commercial motor vehicle inspectors will be out in force in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This year, there will be an emphasis on wheel ends, reports the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, which organizes the event.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello. Ellis looks 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 at The Spirit. Face masks are available at The Spirit for anyone with a commercial driver’s license.

After the Midwest Pride in Your Ride, Ellis and the OOIDA tour trailer are scheduled to be in Brooklyn, Iowa, on May 9-10 before heading to the Crossroads Truck Show at Highway 50 and Route 87 in California, Mo.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL