Little victories

I stood waiting with a small group for the “unofficial” kickoff on truck show eve. The setting was the Kansas Speedway infield, where show vendors, OOIDA staffers, board members and families were gathering for some barbecue and blues on the eve of the Association’s big 40th anniversary event.

Cars and shuttles were rolling in, and the handshakes and welcomes were genuine.

Just as dusk began to set in, someone in our group had a great idea.

“Let’s go check out Victory Lane.”

That sounded like fun, so nine of us made the short hundred-yard stroll. We had Randy Schwartzenburg, K.C. Brau, Randy Boswell, Elizabeth Young and Mark Lowthrop, all from Trucker Buddy International, along with Terry Nicholson and Phil Nenadov from Available Trailers and Russ Cramer from Overbye Transport in the group.

From left to right: Randy Schwartzenburg, Elizabeth Young, Mark Lowthorp, Randy Boswell, Terry Nicholson, Phil Nenadov, Russ Cramer, K.C. Brau (Photo by David Tanner)

 We were marveling about the size of the race track from our perspective and about the big truck show weekend ahead.

There was so much more than a photo op waiting for us when we arrived at Victory Lane. There was an epiphany.

Here we were, at a place reserved for winners, whose dreams and hopes and countless hours of hard work are validated.

Nothing could be more fitting on this particular evening and on this particular weekend.

From humble beginnings, what started as a small group of “mad truckers” fighting for the rights of professional truckers was now on the eve of its 40th anniversary celebration.

OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer introduces
OOIDA President and CEO Jim Johnston,
crediting Jim with the reason OOIDA
still thrives today. (Photo by Nikohle Ellis)

Little victories. That was the epiphany. This whole thing, all of the people here, all of us associated with OOIDA and the truck show, all of the members, the guests, the families, the staff, the hard-working men and women who move this country and make it great.

The moment was not lost on the group, and we talked about it. I really felt it when we went inside, and OOIDA Vice President Todd Spencer introduced President and CEO Jim Johnston to the enthusiastic crowd.

“This Association is here today because of this man, Jim Johnston,” he said.

All of those years and all of those victories, the one-on-one battles in D.C. and in the courts, standing up for truckers. The fact that OOIDA has more than 150,000 members.

Life Member Gary Carr (Photo by David Tanner)

“Nice to see you, Gary,” I said to one of them the following morning. OOIDA Life Member Gary Carr was among those receiving an OOIDA Safe Driving Award on the truck show’s festival stage.

“It’s nice to see anybody,” Gary responded. He truly meant it. Not too long ago, Gary had a heart attack while walking to his truck. Quick timing and excellent medical care likely saved his life.

And here he was, on stage at the truck show, receiving an award for 19 years of safe driving from OOIDA and from guest presenter Anne Ferro of the FMCSA. That stage was Victory Lane for Gary and the others, and another one for the Association.

“Fifteen years ago we had 40,000 members. Now we have 150,000,” said Life Member Ken Becker, when I asked him about his little victories. “I am proud of that and I’m proud of all the things we have worked for. We are a good team and we tackle problems as they come along. It’s not about the problems you face; it’s how you overcome them.”

Truckers are constantly faced with the odds. They must abide by rules and regulations that people far removed from trucking make for them in D.C.

Delivering a load safely, professionally and on time can be a struggle, and many truckers look at each day and each load seriously. Each load delivered and each safe mile traveled are a victory.

How about all of those truckers who fight causes of their own? Whether it involves health care, pets, charities or locating missing truckers, someone has to fight the fight, and they deserve recognition.

People were deadheading to the truck show, some of them hundreds of miles, just to make sure they got the opportunity to celebrate together, whether in small groups or at the keystone events. Some were just fine hanging out in the parking lot with their show trucks – each one of them a work of art and a product of extra effort.

If getting there is half the battle, we got there. For one great, fulfilling weekend, we got there.

Victory Lane is more than just a physical place. It is a validation. Celebrations there are real.

Speed Demons: Attendees battle each other, the clock for ‘Creeper Pull’ victory

Records were falling left and right on Saturday afternoon at the inaugural Creeper Pull race, held during OOIDA’s Heart of America Truck Show.

You may be saying to yourself, “Just what, pray tell, is a Creeper Pull race?” Probably best to just explain with a photo: 

Joey Cowick, a permits and licensing agent with OOIDA, demonstrates proper form and technique in
the Creeper Pull race on Saturday at the Heart of America Truck Show. (Photo by Greg Grisolano)

Basically what you have here is a competitor on a mechanic’s creeper, whose only means of forward propulsion is a plunger. Competitors lined up side-by-side and raced about 10 yards to the finish line.

Hunter Briggs, 12 and Austin Briggs, 11, sorted out some
sibling rivalry on the creeper race course. They are the
sons of Randy and Heather Briggs of Macomb, Ill.
(Photo by Jami Jones)

OOIDA employees served as time keepers, logging the fastest times of the participants and setting up heats for the top finishers. About 50 people had tried their hands at creeper racing by Saturday afternoon.

One of those speed demons on Saturday was Ryan Davidson, the son of OOIDA member Randall Davidson, of Savannah, Mo.

While some competitors favored a high-mounted style, sitting on their knees and propelling the creeper forward with a kayaking or canoe-paddling motion, Ryan Davidson used a head-first approach. By lying on his belly and driving the plunger directly in front of him, he was able to scorch his competition and finish the race in a little over six seconds.

“I’d never mounted a creeper that direction before,” the younger Davidson said of his head-first approach to the race.

Believe me, it was even more impressive in person.

“I just wanted to go as fast as I could,” the humble Davidson said when asked if he had any thought he might set a record when he started his race. “The hardest part is keeping it straight on those dolly wheels.”

In addition to the creeper pull, OOIDA members were treated to other games of skill, including Lugnut Toss, Conventional Concentration (a close-up photo contest) and Trucking Trivia.

Jim Johnston's speech

It arrived a day later than initially planned due to weather, but OOIDA President Jim Johnston addressed the truck show crowd on Saturday evening.

Introduced by Executive Vice President Todd Spencer on the truck show’s main stage, Jim spoke about the need for truckers to take their concerns to Washington, D.C., all those years ago. There were some real eye-openers for the truckers once they arrived and saw what they were up against.

“We decided the only way to deal with this was to start an organization capable of giving truckers a strong voice,” Jim said. And that’s precisely what they did.

Jim and Todd were joined on stage by OOIDA Chief Operations Officer Rod Nofziger, who led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to OOIDA – 40 years strong.

We captured the speech in a video, and I must make a personal apology for the shaky camera in a few places. I was juggling two cameras and a backpack. But the important stuff is here, which is of course the speech, the thank-yous to members and OOIDA staff.

Rod summed it up for the crowd: “This celebration has been all about you, it’s been all for you.”

Fun and games

You could feel the truck show energy everywhere you looked on Saturday. This was especially true in the games area and in the pet oasis.

Pets, games and fun are the theme of a video captured and edited by truck show volunteer and friend of the LL staff, Glori Berkel.

You’ve got your small dogs, and one very large white poodle. There’s even a cat on a leash.

The kids in the play area had a lot of fun with the beanbag toss and face painting.

Those youngsters racing to the finish line are making that “creeper race” look easy. We tested those things out at headquarters, and we’ve got to say it was tough. Good job, guys.

Now, who’s that piloting the mini-truck and trailer near the end of the video? That must have been a fun way to get around the truck show.

Thanks for the video, Glori.

St. Christopher Fund booth making a splash

One of the first places I headed to this morning at the OOIDA Heart of America Trucking Show was booth No. 322 to meet up with the St. Christopher Fund’s Director of Fundraising, Denise Pittenger, and fellow SCF board members Joyce Brenny and Linda Caffee.

Joyce and Linda are both OOIDA members doing double duty. Both were here to enjoy the show, and both were finding the time to donate their time to the St. Christopher Fund, too. Linda's always on the move -- with the Trucking Solutions Group and Team Run Smart, too. Joyce -- who owns Brenny Transportation in St. Cloud, Minn.-- told me she was presenting a check for $1,000 to the SCF, a gift from the drivers at Brenny. She has 50 drivers and some of them made donations and gave up vacation days to make this donation. How amazing is that? Hats off to you Brenny drivers.

It's a chilly morning here at the Kansas Speedway and, despite the light rain that passed through, the action inside the exhibit tent.was busy. In fact, the rain succeeded in "encouraging" people to come inside the giant tent.

Linda Caffee and Joyce Brenny

I was talking to a couple of truckers there about the SCF. Their main question was how many truckers the St. Christopher Fund has helped. Here's the answer. Since it was founded in 2007, it's helped nearly 850 financially strapped truck drivers sidelined with medical conditions. Total assistance through the end of September is – are you ready for this? – $455,610.49. When I tell people that, they're blown away.

Who do they help? Here's a few reports from just last month. The fund recently paid the mortgage for a 54-year-old trucker diagnosed with liver failure. For a 50-year-old trucker with cancer, SCF paid the electric bill and his mortgage payment. For another cancer-stricken trucker, SCF paid medical bills and electric bills. For a trucker with a brain injury, rent was paid.

The SCF’s credo is “Saving lives and families one driver at a time.” These are neat people doing cool things.

Your pit pass to OOIDA’s Heart of America Trucking Show

Live from turn one at the Kansas Speedway … the Land Line media blog – Tales from Turn One – is your pit pass to the show scheduled for Oct. 18-19 in Kansas City, Kan.

During the show, we’ll be blogging on the whole 40th anniversary event, the people, the games, the show trucks, antique trucks, the seminars, vendors, entertainment and more. Think of us as your “Prairie Truck Companion.” Check it out at landlinemag.com. Also – watch all of our OOIDA social media pages for news, pics and video clips.

During the Heart of America Trucking Show, the “Land Line Now” team will be at the Kansas Speedway, bringing you the latest from the show. “Land Line Now,” OOIDA’s Sirius XM radio show, airs daily from 7 to 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. Eastern time on the Road Dog Channel 128.

If you can’t make the show and miss the multimedia blowout, don’t fret. The November issue of Land Line will feature complete coverage of the action – all the events you want to read about.