The OOIDA tour trailer pulls into the original Truck World

It’s going to be a busy weekend for Marty Ellis, who drives the OOIDA tour trailer. He is headed for Truck World in Hubbard, Ohio. It is a big truck stop, and there is a driver celebration this weekend, to boot.

Marty and the Spirit of the American Trucker trailer are scheduled Sept. 11-13 to be at the original Truck World travel center in Hubbard, Ohio. He will be joined by Trevor Williams, OOIDA’s fuel card program coordinator, Sept. 12-13. Trevor will hang around an extra day to answer questions about how to save money with OOIDA’s fuel card on Sept. 14 as well.

Truck World Hubbard is at Exit 234 from I-80.

Truck World and Driver Appreciation Days

Truck World in Hubbard has more than 500 free parking spaces for drivers, according to the company website, which declares it is Ohio’s largest travel plaza.

Not only is this a large truck stop, but Ellis’ visit overlaps the truck stop’s Driver Appreciation Days (Sept. 12-14). There will be lunch for drivers, T-shirt giveaways, and double loyalty points awarded as part of the celebration.

Ellis said he was looking forward to the Truck World experience because he hasn’t been there yet. Ellis isn’t the only OOIDA representative planning to be at Truck World for Driver Appreciation Days. Trevor Williams, OOIDA fuel card coordinator, also plans to be there.

Williams said he plans to be there Monday through Wednesday evening to talk about the fuel card or any other topic that comes up concerning drivers. As a bonus, OOIDA will waive the account setup fee ($25) for any fuel card applications received Sept. 9-17.

Read more about the fuel card program here.

This is the original Truck World, and it opened in 1971. It was established by Gary Burke a few years after I-80 opened, according to MovingOut.com. The company opened its Truck World Mall in 1978.

Truck World opened its North Jackson, Ohio, travel center in 2017 and another in Conneaut, Ohio, which opened in 2020 on I-90, reports YourErie.com. Neither of the two newer locations match the size of the original.

At the original Truck World, the Globe Restaurant serves up hearty breakfasts, steaks and pasta entrees, hamburgers and sandwiches, and some house-favorite dishes  – meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, and liver and onions.

Other food venues there include Erin’s Pub and Maverick’s Hot Dog Shop.

Land Line Now

Ellis regularly discusses things he sees on the road or hears from truck drivers on Friday broadcasts of Land Line Now.

Last Friday, Ellis expressed some thoughts on a site by the interstate in Ramsay, Mont., that looks like a great location for a truck stop. Even so, the not-in-my-backyard crowd stopped the project in its tracks.

The NIMBY mentality is frustrating, Ellis said, but it was sad to see the opponents seemingly gleeful in stopping a Love’s truck stop from going in.

“I watched some of the videos on some of these guys that were interviewed, and they acted like they just hit the lottery by stopping this great big business, Love’s, from going in there,” Ellis said.

Noise, pollution and crime is what opponents argue will come with a truck stop.

“Whenever a truck stop is going to go in, they bring up crime. Yes, you may find some truck stops that have a little bit of crime, but it is really nothing compared to anything else out here,” Ellis said, adding that you can get robbed in a Walmart parking lot as easily as at a truck stop.

In Kenosha, Wis.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

After Truck World, Ellis plans to take the OOIDA tour trailer to Truck World to Sioux Falls, S.D., to be part of the South Dakota Truck Convoy for Special Olympics.

If you see the OOIDA 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.

Here is the schedule for The Spirit. LL