The Spirit heads to Summit, S.D.

For the weekend, OOIDA’s tour trailer sets up at another smaller truck stop. This one is the TA Express in Summit, S.D.

It is another Coffee Cup Fuel Stop recently linked to the TA Express brand. There are 80 truck parking spots there, plus a Pizza Hut Express and a Subway. It is at the U.S. Highway 12 junction with I-29. It is Exit 4 from the interstate.

Summit is 130 miles north of Sioux Falls, S.D., and 115 miles south of Fargo, N.D. The speed limit on South Dakota interstates is 80 mph.

Summit is on the edge of the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe. The reservation encompasses more than 106,000 acres.

I-29 runs from Kansas City, Mo., where it connects to I-35 and I-70, to the Canada-U.S. border near Pembina, N.D. There it connects with Manitoba Highway 75.

What Dakota drivers are talking about

The stops for OOIDA’s tour trailer in the Dakotas have drawn a lot of ranchers and farmers. A lot of OOIDA members have rural roots and the can-get-done attitude that comes with them.

Hours of service regulations for agriculture operations is top of mind for a lot of drivers in the Dakotas, Osburn reported. As it happens, drivers have an opportunity to weigh in on changes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is considering on the definition of “agricultural commodity” in regard to hours of service. Land Line Senior Editor Mark Schremmer has more on it here.

One thing that reverberates at stops all over the county is that a lot of media people just don’t get trucking, Osburn said. On that topic, he said columnist John Bendel recently hit it on the head when he said the trucking industry had problems large carriers can’t fix.

Drivers also got a chuckle from Staff Writer Wendy Parker’s recent column in which she pointed out this week that media outlet calling itself “The Intelligent Driver” should be smart enough to put a picture of a semitrailer, not a pickup truck, on an article about problems with semis.

Stop by when you see The Spirit

If you see OOIDA’s tour trailer, stop by and say hello to Jon Osburn, its skipper. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. He usually has copies of Land Line Magazine to hand out. You can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Free face masks are available at The Spirit. You also can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon.

After Summit, OOIDA’s tour trailer is scheduled to stop in Albert Lea, Minn. Here is the schedule for The Spirit.