The Truckers Lair

Started out loading steel plate at the docks in Vancouver, three of them weighing 60,000 lbs.  Took some manuevering to get the weight right on my drive axles.  After leaving, we got stopped at the scale where I discovered I didn’t get it as accurate as I thought.  I was 700 kgs over on my drives.  They still let me go after looking over my permit.  On the way out of town, I fueled up and moved my fifth wheel ahead two notches assuming it was 250 kgs per notch.  At the next scale, I got stopped again and had to bring papers.  They told me I was still over weight by 650 kgs on my drives.  Now I was confused because the first scale I crossed let me go and the weights there were not that far off of the weights now.  I had moved my fifth wheel to compensate which didn’t work so I questioned the accuracy of the two scales.  My argument saved me a ticket, however I had to purchase an over weight permit before being allowed to carry on.  I had to stop at one more scale in Kamloops where my weights read that I was only 350 kgs over on my drives.  This is more in line with what I had expected after moving my fifth wheel.  Three different scales with three different weights and I am the one who has to pay the price for it…go figure.  The load was 12′ feet wide also and we had to have a pilot car to travel so some restrictions were in place.  We also had to be in Edmonton for Friday morning delivery so I could reload on Friday afternoon at another yard.  Well needless to say once we got to Clearwater we started hearing talk on the radio of a wicked snow storm from Avola to Jasper.  Sure enough once we got to Avola we started to notice trucks heading west covered in snow.  We made the decision to spend the night at a pullout in Avola as we couldn’t run in whiteout conditions with a 12′ wide load.  I told the pilot car driver that I wanted to be on the road by 6 am BC time as that would give me ample time to get to Edmonton and accomplish my goals.  The pilot car driver agreed and headed for the local motel.  The next morning after waiting for nearly one and a half hours I decided to dolly off and bob tail to the motel only to find I had to wake up the pilot car driver.  Needless to say I was choked.  We finally got on the road and once I got into cell service I called the company on the other end to tell them I was going to be late for delivery and they said they would wait for me.  However my pickup had to be cancelled as they wouldn’t wait.  So now I’m sitting for the weekend in Edmonton for loading on Monday morning.  All this because a professional in the pilot car business slept in.  Oh by the way I passed a few trucks in the ditch between Avola and Jasper but wasn’t in the mood to take photos…sorry.  Bye for now.

Hauled another load of pipe to Fort McMurray this weekend, should be the last one for a while.  The drive from the lower mainland to Valemount, B.C. was a good one with the sun out most of the way.  Rain started at Valemount and continued until Obed, Alberta where the sun broke free again until I got to Wandering River, Alberta.  There I ran into a fog bank that lasted all the way to Fort McMurray, Alberta.  Visability was only one hundred feet, lifting sometimes to a few hundred.  Kind of wish the fog would stay around while I drive that highway as it was the first time I could remember not having four wheelers pass me on corners or double solid lines up hills etc.  In fact, the only vehicles passing me were big rigs that I would slow down and pull over for.  Dropped off a dune buggy in Boyle, Alberta that I hauled as a favour it seems.  I was supposed to get two hundred cash on delivery, but that didn’t materialize.  After unloading and heading back to Edmonton, Alberta I loaded a section of a conveyor for a gravel pit to haul back to Aldergrove, B.C.  There will be eleven loads in all for this gravel pit as it is a big unit broken down into quite a few pieces.  Supposed to snow in Edmonton tomorrow just as I’m leaving. Bye for now.

I’ve been working hard for the last few months with a couple of weeks off in September but that is all.  Mostly I’ve been hauling 40′ pipe from Vancouver to Fort McMurray, Alberta.  The weight of the loads has been 60,900 lbs.  Just under my max for my truck.  I’ll be hauling drill rig casing to Edmonton shortly after the last load of pipe to McMurray is done.  My truck has been running good (knock wood) however today I noticed that my engine fan was acting up so I by passed the air valve until I can fix it.  Will have to hook it up again for every load of course so as not to overheat the engine when hauling freight.  Seen a couple of accidents in the last two months, one where a cattle hauler flipped over on his side (see photos) while negotiating an off ramp a little too fast outside of Edmonton, A.B. and the other today between Little Fort, B.C. and Clearwater, B.C. where a driver went for a swim (see photos) in the Thompson River.  Well thats all for now.

Cows Everywhere In Edmonton AB

Herding Cows into another Trailer

A Swim in the Thompson River

Another View of Thompson River Swim

After arriving in the yard I had a brief layover and then had to load a couple of lowbeds for delivery to Edmonton.  Again the weather was great all the way.  After unloading the lowbeds, I headed to Fort Sask, Alberta and loaded some rebar for delivery to Revelstoke, BC.  Apparently the wrong rebar was shipped originally and I had to get this load there asap.  It was a light load and I made good time.  Delivery was to the Columbia River Dam (see photos) which was pretty cool I thought. After that I had to go to Kelowna, BC and pick up another load of rebar to deliver back to Fort Sask, Alberta.  This load was heavier (57 k).  Ran out of hours for the day and spent the night in Golden, B.C.  There was a few pretty ladies walking around the town and I wish I had more time.    Delivered the next day in Fort Sask, and then headed for Edmonton to load some general freight.  After loading, I went to fuel up at Acheson and it was there that I ran into some trouble.  After fuelling I went to park my truck and the starter wouldn’t disengage and I had to disconnect the battery to shut it off.  I called Peterbilt the next morning and they sent out a service truck to fix it.  Replaced the ignition and a power block on the frame and it seemed to resolve the problem.  Figured I may as well reset my log book cycle and then head home.  Bye for now.

Loaded a gravel screening plant and headed for Fort Nelson. This was a heavy load and I had to get an overweight permit to haul it.  When I got to Dawson Creek I got held up a while for a grass fire (see photo).  The trip went off without a hitch and the weather was good until I left Fort Saint John where the skies got dark and I experienced some wicked lightening storms.  When I got close to where I had to unload outside of Fort Nelson, I came accross a vacuum truck on its side (see photos).  Looks like he was probably going too fast for road conditions as there was a lot of gravel trucks using the road also.  Spent some time in Fort Nelson at a truck stop while I reset my log book and by the time I started for home it was raining pretty good.  Heavy rains all the way to Cache Creek and then in the morning the sun came out again for the rest of the way home.  Bye for now.

Well its been a while since I’ve had to travel the Trans Canada Highway between Kamloops, BC. and Calgary, Alberta.  Even though the traffic was moderate on this long weekend, I had no issues to contend with.  Partly because I left on Sunday afternoon to try and mitigate this.  Also there were quite a few radar traps along the way pulling over speeders.  Took eight big loader tires without rims to Calgary and then had to head to Edmonton to drop off a small utility trailer and a double axle step deck trailer.  I also had a small wooden crate with some stainless steel tubing to drop off in Edmonton as well.  The weather was hot all the way there and on the way back I had a small travel trailer on board for delivery in Victoria, B.C.  Took some ribbing along the way for my “heavy” load (ha, ha).  Don’t matter to me as we get paid a good minimum rate for a rounder just for this reason.  Had to get the cross member by my fifth wheel welded as there was a six inch crack in it.  Sounds like I’m off to Fort Nelson, B.C. after this.  Another place I haven’t been for a couple of years.  Bye for now.

Well lately I’ve been hauling a few loads of new lowbeds along with the boosters and jeeps that go with them to Edmonton, Alberta.  The weather has been nice in Alberta with the exception of a couple days of rain here and there.  The traffic has been a nightmare especially in Jasper National Park where tourists insist on stopping in the road to view and photograph wildlife instead of pulling onto the shoulder.  This makes it dangerous for truckers and for four wheelers travelling through the park. 

I had to have some work done on my truck as the trailer brake lights weren’t working.  The cause was a cluster fu….. of wires going from the plug to the frame and back to the firewall.  Reminded me of the issues I seen on my boat due to corrosion from saltwater.  Some of the wires were split with green powder inside instead of copper wire.  Had it rewired and it works okay now.  Also replaced all eight of my drive tires with new ones as the old ones were getting bad.  The two goofs who changed them over made my day worse though as they were in a hurry to get through the day and were angry that I showed up an hour before quitting time.  I saw them abusing my rims (braking the beads on concrete instead of the rubber mat) and braking my lug nut covers when they removed them, so I complained to management and got the change over for free.  I won’t be spending any more money there no matter what they did to compensate me.  Sitting for a couple of days to reset my log book and then I’m off to Calgary, Alberta and then to Edmonton from there.  Talk to you later.