OOIDA and Western Star partner again for new "Spirit" tour truck

OOIDA will have a new tour truck on the road in the summer of 2015: a Western Star 5700XE.

The new "Spirit of the American Trucker" will be this blue
Western Star 5700XE. OOIDA will take official possession
of the truck in summer 2015. (Submitted photo)

Association members and Western Star representatives got together for the official announcement on Thursday during the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.

Western Star Marketing Segment Manager Guy Lemieux presented the keys to the new truck to OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer and "Spirit of the American Trucker" driver and OOIDA Senior Member Jon Osburn at the Western Star exhibit.

The model being leased to OOIDA features a powerful but efficient Detroit DD15 engine and Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission along with Western Star's patented steel cab and sleeper design.

"There's not a gadget missing on this thing," Osburn said, speaking of the high-tech but "very traditional" look and function of the dash.

From left, OOIDA Executive VP Todd Spencer, Western Star
Marketing Segment Manager Guy Lemieux, and OOIDA
Senior Member Jon Osburn, who drives OOIDA's tour truck.
(Photo by David Tanner, Land Line Magazine)

OOIDA will officially take possession of the new tour truck in the summer. In the meantime, Osburn will continue to pilot the current "Spirit," the eye-catching and one-of-a-kind Western Star designed by fans of the iconic truck maker.

"We're proud to be associated with owner-operators," Lemieux told us after the key hand-off. "We developed the 5700XE for the owner-operators. It's not something that looks like every other truck. We knew we had a winner."

Spencer spoke about the value of Western Star to the owner-operator.

"Western Star has always made durable trucks, and their trucks have made lots and lots of money for owner-operators," he said. "It looks like they just keep getting better."

Here's a video of the Western Star presentation to OOIDA:

And they're off

With three days to go before the start of the Mid-America Trucking Show, most attendees are still packing and checking the weather. But, not "The Spirit of The American Trucker."

Staff Writer Greg Grisolano gets last minute instructions from Editor-in-Chief 

Sandi Soendker before hitting the road for Louisville Monday morning.

Miss Eleanor's pilot Jon Osburn, co-driver Sassi Dogg and LL staffer Greg Grisolano hit the road for Louisville, Ky., bright and early Monday morning in the red, white and blue Western Star.

Greg will be tweeting and blogging from the road and will give us the low down on the early set-up over at Papa John's parking lot.

You can follow Greg on Twitter at ElGrizo or check back in here.

The rest of the Land Line crew will hit the road Tuesday morning. You can watch for updates from Managing Editor Jami Jones on Twitter at shewhoknowstruk, Senior Editor Dave Tanner at LandLineCanuck. (They don't travel like your average bunch.) They meet up with Field Editor Suzanne Stempinski and Editor-At-Large John Bendel in Louisville.

But for now, keep your eyes peeled for Miss Eleanor making it's way from OOIDA HQ in Grain Valley, Mo., to Louisville, Ky. Give Greg a shout out for us if you get a chance.