Tag Archives: video

Joy Wiebe Memorial Convoy “Joy Ride”

Jack participated in the Joy Wiebe Memorial Truck Convoy last Saturday that started at the Colville yard (Joy worked for Colville) on Van Horn Way and ended in Fox for a gathering.  There are 4 videos here with the 1st, 2nd and 4th being sped up versions of the convoy, as viewed from the dash cam in Jack’s truck.  The 3rd video in the sequence is “Joy’s Last Call” and comments from truckers over the radio, then the convoy goes by the pipeline viewing station where many onlookers are gathered and Jack lays on the horn like he was told to do.  There were 70-80 trucks in the convoy.

Below are the videos of the Memorial “Joy Ride” and here are a few photos Jack took of the procession and gathering.  If you aren’t interested in the sped up versions of the convoy and just want to see the real time comments on the radio just watch video #3.

From Brandilyn Mehrer/Facebook

 

Joy’s GoFundMe Page

 

 

 

Bizarre convoy of track rigs

Travel to another planet with Jack when he drives by one otherworldly track rig after another.  This might be the best video yet so don’t give up half way through when there’s a lull in the traffic…there are more of these crazy rigs coming!  (There’s music but it’s quiet at the beginning.)

Comin’ down The Shelf

You can barely see the surrounding hills and mountains while Jack drives during a snowfall.  Just a nice calm driving experience with a little music to make it more interesting.

Jack pulls over for an oversize load

About an hour after leaving Prudhoe Bay, Jack meets a pilot car for an over-sized load so he stops at a pull-out and waits.  You’ll see the trucks in back of the big load go around it, then a truck that will be traveling faster than Jack goes ahead of him.

The big load is a 400,000 pound mod (modular unit) and there were four 70,000 pound push trucks to get it from Fairbanks to the last hill which is about 60 miles south of Prudhoe.  Only one push truck is needed to get it the rest of the way into Prudhoe and that’s the one you can see here.

(Your volume needs to be turned up on this one.)

How fast is Jack going?

Recently someone asked how fast Jack is driving in these videos.  The answer is, the fastest Jack drives on the Dalton is 55 miles an hour.  His truck is governed at 55, meaning it is programmed to be unable to go faster than that.  The speed limit of the Dalton Highway is 50 miles an hour, so he is given that extra 5 miles an hour in order to let him gain a little speed before going up the steep grades of the hills and mountains.

Of course he drives a variety of speeds.  Things he slows down for are curves, rough patches, frost heaves, and animals.  And when you see him meeting other trucks as a general rule he slows down to about 35.  That is for safety primarily, but also etiquette.

So here’s another video, this one of a night drive, which is what the Haul Road experience consists of most of the time in the winter.  (Don’t forget, the volume is loud.)