Yellowknife ice trucking

[troidus]

Originally Posted by Unique458

Have to laugh about the bug deflector. Probably not worth taking it off for the season. Just don't bump it.

Are the bright arcs in the sky actually on the windshield?

[Unique458]

Yeah those are reflections off the windshield.


And I am only hauling 1 product LSD, he he he ( diesel )
I get paid to drive, so hauling fuel suits me just fine, usually less then an hour to load/ unload
So if you have to spend two or three hours getting a load on your trailer ,strap it down , its all time that you're working and not getting paid for so I don't mind the fuel at all

The road was shut down today because of a storm up north,
So we dident get out today, just resting up for when it does open.

And it's warm here in YK -6 right now

[squonker]

Originally Posted by Unique458

I get paid to drive, so hauling fuel suits me just fine, usually less then an hour to load/ unload
So if you have to spend two or three hours getting a load on your trailer ,strap it down , its all time that you're working and not getting paid for so I don't mind the fuel at all

But the flip side to that is that when the tanks are full at the mines, they're full. The fuel haulers are done their job then, but the freight haulers get to keep going.

But the flip side to that is that fuel haulers earn more per trip. Really it all works out in the end. If you own your own rig you're likely better off hauling fuel - you'll earn the same amount of money but have done fewer trips so there is less wear and tear on your rig.

Glad to hear that you get a rest and that things are warmer today...that is quite the change in temperature! Now go and have a beer before the road opens again!

[squonker]

Originally Posted by John Fry

Really? Warmest trucks I've driven were all Freightshakers. KWs and IHs were all drafty.
Fls just needed a some insulation in the floor and they would have been great.

Yep. I've driven Freighliner, KW, Peterbilt and Western Star on that road and the only truck I was cold in was the Freightshaker. It was a significant difference too, and the truck was six years newer than it's closest 'rival'.

[troidus]

Originally Posted by squonker

Now go and have a beer before the road opens again!

I shudder to think of how much a beer must cost in YK. I once paid C$40 for a pitcher of beer at a bar in Radisson, QC, back in 2006.

[Pro Mover]

Originally Posted by Hardware02

Stupid question time...

From watching Ice Road Truckers and from this thread, I get the sense that break downs are more common than down south.

How much of this is due to the extreme conditions and how much because companies are running old, worn out rigs?

Also...many of the trucks seem to be standard highway tractors. Wouldn't it make sense to invest in new(er) extreme duty trucks, say with power also going to the front axle and also invest in figuring out a way to effectively winterize them?

Wouldn't that mean more money in the long run because they can run more consistently during drops in the temp and also degraded conditions?

Not a stupid question. The JVWRTC is open 30-45 days/year ... so as stated, dedicated trucks specially mod'ed for this are somewhat prohibitive.

It is the EXTREME cold and operating conditions (rough, everchanging) that causes the breakdowns. As posted previously, unless in for service, you start em up and keep em running essentially the whole time. Environmental shock (temps, bumps etc) stacks and magnifies, plus the remoteness.

I do not think that it is a matter of OLD 'broken down' trucks, so much, as it costs money to be DOWN and repair stuff, lost loads etc. OLDER proven trucks without a lot of fancy crap that breaks and is hard to fix are generally preferred, stuff that you can swing-a-wrench at and fix in the field, rather than wait for 14 days for a new computer part or an MIT-grad to diagnose.

Also as stated, a properly maintained and winterized truck should run ok, notwithstanding that all trucks are BUILT to breakdown -- anything man can build can be broken by drivers! ;-)

[troidus]

Originally Posted by Pro Mover

The JVWRTC is open 30-45 days/year.

That's it? No wonder everyone is assholes and elbows trying to get everything moving. I thought it was at least 90 days.

[squonker]

Opens Feb 1st, will generally stay open until the end of March. May close a little early if the weather dictates, or the loads have all been delivered. May close later if the weather allows and there are more loads yet to haul. 2006 we had to shut down early because of the weather (can't remember the exact date), and I've never known the road to be open past April 5th or 6th. A regular season would be 60 days, +/- 10 days.

[Phlemdog]

Originally Posted by squonker

Opens Feb 1st, will generally stay open until the end of March. May close a little early if the weather dictates, or the loads have all been delivered. May close later if the weather allows and there are more loads yet to haul. 2006 we had to shut down early because of the weather (can't remember the exact date), and I've never known the road to be open past April 5th or 6th. A regular season would be 60 days, +/- 10 days.

So really, the only reason y'all can run wide open, hell on wheels for days at a time, is because it's only for a short period of time. After the road shuts down you just sleep for a few days straight?

I would go bonkers having to do that if it was past two months.

[squonker]

Yeah, pretty much. You get the chance to catch up on seep during the season, too, when the road is closed because of weather (can be several days at a time) or your truck is down. I generally go to sleep the day the road closes, and get up again about a week before the next season starts!

[barnyard]

Originally Posted by John Fry

What about just trying a heated seat cushion.

Plus, once you do not have to worry about jumping out and still being plugged in. I have worn riding overpants in the UPS truck one winter. Daytime highs were in the -15 range. They really helped.

[squonker]

Hey folks, some bad news today. Details are a little scarce at the moment, but two semis collided about 200 kms outside Yellowknife earlier in the day, killing two and leaving a third in hospital. Dangerous goods were in at least one of the trucks so I think it quite possible that these were ice road trucks hauling fuel from Hay River to YK. Some of the fuel trucks load in Hay River, which is about 5 hours south of Yellowknife, but it could also have been a truck hauling prill from Red Deer, Alberta. 99% of the heavy truck traffic on Hwy 3 at this time of year is winter road related, but I suppose it doesn't really make any difference what the trucks were doing, it's awful that two drivers are dead. My thoughts to the friends and families of the victims, as well as my friends and colleagues just hearing the news on the radio and from their own friends. Drive safe everyone, please.

[squonker]

Still not many details being released, but the highway is still closed over 24 hours since the accident. At least one of the trucks was carrying explosives, the driver of that one is the one reported to have survived.

[ragtoplvr]

godspeed to the deceased drivers

This will increase the regulation on the road depending on what happened.
Rod

[tmk]

Sad news