The Spirit travels to the Ann Arbor TA, but it’s in Dexter, Mich.

October 5, 2018

Chuck Robinson

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From Sunday through Tuesday, Oct. 7-9, OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer, the Spirit of the American Trucker, is scheduled to be at the Ann Arbor TA Travel Center in Michigan.

The Ann Arbor TA is at Exit 167 off I-94.

The Ann Arbor TA is in the western fringe of the Ann Arbor metropolitan area. In fact, its mailing address is Dexter, Mich. Dexter has been a city since 2014.

Dexter began studying the issue of incorporating into a city in 2006. Village residents found property tax relief by Dexter becoming a city, according to city records.

Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit, and his canine co-pilot Sassi will be a day late for Dexter’s Apple Daze festival. However, there still may be a good chance to sample apple cider and doughnuts at the Dexter Cider Mill, which has been pressing cider since 1886. It is at the same exit, Baker Road, but north of the highway instead of south by about 4 miles.

Also nearby is Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, established 2004. It about 3 miles from the TA Travel Center.

Travel Centers of America, owner of the TA chain, mention having a pet area at the Ann Arbor TA in Dexter, WiFi, and DirecTV/NFL Sunday Ticket, in case you want to catch a football game. There are 203 parking spots there.

In London, Ohio, where Jon and The Spirit were most recently stationed before Ann Arbor/Dexter, the issue of the day was hours of service reform. The deadline to comment on changes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is considering is Wednesday, Oct. 10.

FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez really wants to hear from truckers, says OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh, who with OOIDA President Todd Spencer spent quite a bit of time talking with Martinez at the Guilty By Association Truck Show last weekend.

To help anyone unsure of how to comment, OOIDA has created a short how-to video to walk potential commenters through the steps. Also, Jon has laptops available on The Spirit for anyone to use for commenting. FMCSA has nearly 4,000 comments so far, but more is better. Truckers need to tell FMCSA about their concerns.

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.