Tag Archives: trucking

Bulker goes off the road

The Dalton claims another truck!

Jack calls this kind of trailer a bulker.  It carries dry powders like concrete, sand, or ammonium nitrate.  This one probably carried concrete or sand.  He says they use air to transfer the product from one place to another.  Unloading a bulker is called “blowing it off” to the people who do it.  In Prudhoe they store the product in silos.

Don’t forget you can increase the resolution on a YouTube video by clicking on the settings symbol in the lower right hand corner and choosing a higher number than what YouTube picked for you.

 

Engine on fire

A few years ago a truck engine spontaneously caught fire.  It was an electrical issue with the truck.  It had popped a breaker and when the breaker was flipped back, the fire started.  That’s what is thought to have happened.  In the photos you can only see smoke, and the Fairbanks Fire Department working to put it out.  We can imagine it was some seriously toxic smoke, as it is anytime a vehicle catches fire.  The Carlile employees including Jack moved the vehicles that were next to it immediately but couldn’t do anything about the fire.

(For those of you lucky souls who don’t have to deal with the cold temperatures, trucks and all vehicles are plugged in before driving to heat up the oil and anti-freeze.)

Click a photo to see it full size, then scroll through.

Ravens on the Dalton

Jack and I found the most amazing sight back in 2006 when we pulled into Happy Valley along the Dalton Highway.  Happy Valley is a former pipeline camp at about mile 335 that now is a gravel pullout where various storage units are kept.  There’s an airstrip that hunters and Fish & Game use, and Jack has seen mushers there too.

A raven built a nest in a set of moose antlers on the side of a building and 2 young ravens were in it!

This raven nest, with 2 babies in it, is built in a set of moose antlers on the side of a building!

This raven nest, with 2 babies in it, is built in a set of moose antlers on the side of a building!

You can see how much of a mess the raven family has made with guano all over the steps, propane tanks and the side of the building.

Ravens nest in a set of moose antlersWhat a work of art!

Raven young in nest

The “babies” were absolutely quiet and watchful while I snapped photos and even climbed up on a nearby truck to get on the same level as them.  They did not seem traumatized. 🙂

Jack had a close encounter with a very friendly raven a few years ago too.

Raven sitting on Jack's truck hood and peering inside the windshield.

Raven sitting on Jack’s truck hood and peering inside the cab.

Don’t worry, I discussed with Jack how it’s not appropriate to feed wild animals and that it might even be against the law! 🙂

They are amazing creatures.  So smart!

Driver has a bad day

Another truck goes off the road!  This one is about 20 miles from Prudhoe.

Happy Sunday everyone!  We’re having a beautiful sunny day after some snow and a wind storm that cut out our electricity for a couple of hours last night.

 

Upside Down Truck

Here’s a short video Jack took the other day at about mile 86 of the Dalton.  The truck got too close to the edge when it met another truck and went off the side and rolled over.  A tree trunk punctured the tanker and according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation about 3,000 gallons of ultra low sulfur diesel spilled onto the ground.  Here is a link to the local newspaper’s article about it.

Jack carries approximately 9,200 gallons in the tanker he uses.  Other tankers are larger or smaller.  All or most tankers have different compartments though so when one has a spill most likely it’s only that compartment that empties.  Having different compartments enables truckers to carry different types of liquids and/or put weight at different places in the load.

(YouTube has a bad habit of giving you the lowest resolution so if you want to see more detail try clicking one of the HD choices under settings in the lower right hand corner of the video screen.)

 

Pushing a crane

It’s quite common for a really heavy load to have one or more push trucks behind it to push when going up inclines.  Push trucks are commonly used on the Dalton Highway as well as the Parks and Richardson when the loads are outrageously heavy, otherwise it would take a very long time and so much fuel for the truck with the load to get up a mountain, and it would also impede traffic for long periods of time.  The push trucks just follow the load when not going up hills.

Taken 11 years ago, these photos really show how close Jack’s push truck gets to the load he’s pushing (a crane).  You can see the pad that the push bar pushes against, how the trucks make contact.

Rest in Peace Steve Hollibone

We are so sad for Steve’s wife Christy who he left behind when he died of cancer recently.  It is a huge fear for all of us and Steve had to face it.  He undoubtedly had other stresses when he was sick and we are sorry for that too.

Jack says Steve was a good driver and a good guy.  We would like to extend our sympathies to his wife and family.  Christy, hold on to your memories and know that you made his life worth living.

Galbraith Lake

Curved directional pipe for crude oil

Crude oil pipe on truckI snapped these on Friday when this truck was fueling up to head north.Crude oil pipe on truck

Jack says they are used for crude oil and that they lay on their sides, not upright like on the truck. You can see the actual metal portion of the pipe that is colored green with anti-corrosion paint.  The black is thinner metal and in between the two is foam insulation.

This load is obviously going to Deadhorse or Prudhoe Bay.  (FYI:  Deadhorse refers to the “town” where companies have their operations, and Prudhoe Bay refers to the actual oil fields and is a much larger area.)

Click on the photos for larger images.

 

Fundraiser for Steve Hollibone

Jack and I are so sorry to hear about Steve Hollibone’s cancer diagnosis.  He is a trucker that Jack knows and respects.  Sounds like he is in rough shape and daily life is a struggle.   You may remember a while back we posted about his wife Christy’s artwork.  You can see and purchase her artwork at Moments in Time Art.

If you are in Fairbanks please consider going to a fundraiser February 6th, here is the info:

Art For the Heart and Soul!
Opening Reception First Friday, February 6th, 5-8 pm
Phillips Studio & Bishop’s Jewelry Gallery
1222 Well St
Fairbanks 460-4198
Gallery open 11-8 pm on First Friday

And if you are not in Fairbanks, please consider making a donation to their medical fund.  http://www.gofundme.com/kuxi2o

Our best wishes to Steve and Christy.

Steve HolliboneSteve Hollibone

 

Truck in the ditch

More snow in the engine, but this time it’s from someone going in the ditch!  It seems to happen to everyone eventually and it’s better to land in the cushy snow instead of just about anywhere else.  After it got pulled out they cleaned the snow off and drove it away!

(Identifying marks have been removed for privacy.)