First GINAF and another Scania

 After an absence from Halifax* for the summer, I saw an unusual sight on my return. 

Namely my first ever GINAF truck and another rare Scania.

First the GINAF. A Dutch custom heavy truck builder, GINAF produces fewer than 100 trucks per year, often using components from other manufacturers, and usually a DAF cab. The company history is an interesting one, and is summarized in this article: GINAF history

Typically they build "occupational" trucks such as dump trucks (tippers), garbage compactors, and transit mixers, often in multi-axle configuration. They build on-road trucks up to the 50 tonne limit and off-road vehicles, including Dakar Rally support trucks.
 

Scania, despite the popularity of their trucks in the rest of the world, do not sell in North America. (With the current mania for tariffs, that is unlikely to change). However several "used" Scania's have appeared here. (As used vehicles, I assume the customs duties are low.)

Recent Scania imports have been Euro style sleeper cab units, but today I spotted an entire semi: cab and trailer.

 

The curtain side trailer and super single tires appear European. I assume the rig can be made compliant for Canadian roads, and curtain side trailers are becoming more popular for certain commodities.

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* I was in Quebec for most of July and August, and a report will follow in a subsequent post(s).

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Scania

 A surprise Scania, spotted off Caldwell Road in Eastern Passage December 12. This one looks quite new, and doesn't appear to be one of the New Brunswick fleet covered here before.

I didn't hang around long enough to see if it had a rear licence plate, so it remains a mystery.

Typical European fit out, it had arrays of driving lights and a pair of Michelin men on the top light bar.

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Scania en route

 Since I began the Truckfax blog in 2010 I have posted several photos of Scanias, but only three of them have been owned and operated in Canada. There rest were either European RVs on tour in Canada or were photos I took in Europe.

Today I was able to add a fourth to the Canadian owned roster when I spotted this red painted 2017 R560 model.

 The new owner, who is originally from Europe where he drove Scanias, now lives in western Canada and prefers tilt cabs. It is a typical European truck configuration with overhead sleeper and air lift axle.

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Another Scania

 Scania trucks are rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic - unlike the European side, where they are very popular. However some owners in New Brunswick have imported Scanias and put them to work. I have previously posted two Scanias operated by Milltown Trucking - one blue and one green - imported from the Netherlands. See Truckfax  November 26, 2021

Today (July 20, 2023) I spotted another one from New Brunswick - this one operated by Walmac Transportation Ltd of Quispamsis, NB. (Walmac Transportaiton Inc is on Facebook)

It also carries the banner of Kooiker Transport, Four Falls, NB. Although similar in appearance to the blue Milltown truck seen previously, this one has more lights and a housing over the fuel tank. I am assuming this one was brought in from the Netherlands too.

Scania AB is a Swedish manufacturer with factories all over the world. It is in fact wholly owned by Volkswagen.

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Another Scania

I have spotted only a few Scanias over the years, and all of them from New Brunswick. The last two that I saw were in Nova Scotia, and today I added a third.

Today's rig appears to be owned by Kooiker Transport from Four Falls, NB and is running for Walmac Transportation of Quispamsis, N B. It was hauling a triple axle Lode King step deck trailer.

I would like to have heard from those straight pipes, but he get away very quietly moments after I took these pics.

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More RVs

 The European RVs keep rolling in (by ship) and some domestic ones are begining to appear too as tourist season gets underway. 

The desire for "stealth" RVs is a bit of a current fad. The idea is to make the RV look like an anonymous  commercial vehicle, and thus attract no attention when parked for the night, perhaps in a dodgy location. Leaving the exterior plain white and without signs of conversion is a good "cover", but adding a ladder and extra windows is a dead giveaway.

 

A Dodge Ram 2500 ProMaster is a good start for a stealth RV, but this one will fool no one.

Not exactly stealth is a an ex military ambulance with red cross on the roof:

I can't begin to imagine how uncomfortable something like this must be - even on good roads. Magirus-Deutz is certainly a rare find in North America. Does that cab tilt?

There are two or three "native" Scanias in Atlantic Canada, so the number of RV Scanias likely outnumbers them as they keep coming in.

I cannot help but smile when it see this VW with Karmann camper body:

 

I dislike the word "cute" on principal, but I can think of no other. I suspect it must be pretty wobbly in a strong crosswind.

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These just in from Switzerland

Two expedition vehicles cleared customs and left the confines of the Fairview Cove terminal today, and were soon on the road. 

 The smaller of the two was a very rare brand for North America. I venture to say it may be the only one on these shores at the moment. Bucher-Guyer AC of Switzerland developed the DURO (DUrable RObust) in both 4x4 and 6x6 versions for military use. Starting in 1994 General Dynamics European Land Based Systems / MOWAG began full production, initially for the Swiss Army. Since then they have sold to other countries. A civilian version was also developed for vocational use, municipal services and fire fighting. Only a very small number have been built for expedition conversion.

Today's 4x4 unit carries the Bucher badge, but I could not see a label for the van body. It certainly appears to live up to the Duro name however. I wonder what the suspension is like.

The larger unit is a better known marque - Scania. This is a model 114C, tilt crew cab (a rare configuration, see a previous post), with an expedition style cabin.

The "Bodyduck" name is a reference to Team Bodyduck, the expedition operators, who have their own website describing their trip so far. The English version can be found here: https://www-bodyduck-ch.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de

Their Tranamerica trip was cancelled in 2020 but resumed this year with the truck shipped via Hamburg on the Atlantic Sail . Grimaldi Lines, the owners of Atlantic Container Line, are currently not allowing travellers to accompany their vehicles as they used to do (pre-pandemic), so they now have to fly in to Halifax to pick up the vehicles.

In addition to the Swiss flag on the front of the cab, the rig has an array of horns on the roof that should be totally useless to scare moose and bears. I would have invested the money in a "bullbar".

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Scania population doubles - updated

With the latest arrival from the Netherlands the population of Scania trucks in eastern Canada has probably doubled.  Milltown Trucking's impressive bright green Scania has now been joined by a more sedate looking unit from the Netherlands.

The green unit has been in Canada for some time, working out of St.Stephen, NB, but the blue one has just cleared customs at Fairview Cove and will be on its way to its new home today. It has a slightly lower roof line and different fairing on the back edge of the cab, and thinner visor, but is very similar in appearance.

Reported to be 23 years old, but with "some work" done on it, the rig would qualify for duty-free due to its age. It has the usual European air lift rear axle. The two men were reinstalling streamline panels on the fuel tanks, which were likely removed for the boat trip, and re-torquing the wheels.

The green rig has had "some work" done on  it too, including the rally lights on the roof. If the "new" one gets the same treatment it will be an equally impressive sight bombing down the roads of New Brunswick at night - deer and moose beware.

I saw the green truck in July and posted a photo of it here: Scania 2

Aside from the conventional cab water truck - which may or may not still be around - the two COEs pictured may represent the entire total number of Scanias in this region of Canada.

Update:

I should have noted that the green unit is a 2004 R580V Topline (6x2) that came originally from Norway. [Thanks to a reader's coomment on a previous post.]

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COEs and Scania in town

 COE trucks are uncommon, and Scania trucks in North America are as rare as the proverbial hen's teeth, but for some reason the Province of New Brunswick seems to have attracted at least two. See previous posts about the conventional straight truck Scania which I last saw in 2015: http://truckfax.blogspot.com/2015/07/road-trip-2-report-1-scnia-freightliner.html

Today, July 7, 2021, I spotted another Scania. Operated by Milltown Trucking from Oak Bay, New Brunswick, it was in Halifax picking up a piece of exotic machinery.

I could only squeeze off this rapid fire shot, (thankfully my windshield was clean enough that the auto focus worked.) The massive COE has a lift axle, typical of Euro trucks, and a high rise sleeper.

For machinery fans, the trailer was a Ross Elephant, beet washer! Too bad I didn't get a front view - it has an array of driving lights sufficient for movie making!

For those who really want a  COE it isn't essential to get one from Europe. Rebuilding a domestic unit from the last century may be the answer. This pristine Navistar was hauling something like ethanol for Fisher Transport, a growing liquid bulk company, better known for its milk tankers.

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Classics in view

My road trip turned up a few classics - most still operating -

The R.H.Frenette Group of Petit-Rocher, NB displays this 1959 Mack B-61 but likely fires it up for special events.

Jos. LeFrançois 2008 Inc runs this unit out of Amqui, QC, a Mack R series, but with the steel fenders and hood and centre cab (some units had an offset cab). Mounted front and centre on the hood is a golden bulldog.

Big old Binder from 1997, was parked at Remorquage Provinciale, Jacques d'Anjou Inc in Mont Joli, QC. With three newer units on the lot, it may only see occasional duty.

Big red wrecker at Rivière-du-Loup, QC, is probably newer than the year 2000, but it represents the early integral sleepers introduced by Volvo.

I look out for this truck every year south of Edmunston - maybe the only Scania operating in eastern Canada, it is a favourite sighting.

Maritime Road Recyclers from Grand Falls uses this unit to spread primer before the application of asphalt recoating.

I have seen this long wheelbase Freightliner in Halifax, but in my 2016 photo, it was painted red! It operates out of Centreville, NB area for D.Forsyth. Judging by the splatters on the front, New Brunswick continues to live up to its rep as the bug capital of the Maritimes.

2016 appearance - paint colour and stacks have changed - otherwise the same truck.

I don't recall seeing an All Wheel Drive Freighliner before- a rare truck indeed. Joseph McDonald Jr. House Moving + Construction Ltd, based in Moncton, NB, operates around the southern part of the province. I spotted this one in Elgin, NB.

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Early Signs of Spring

Although spring may be officially here by the calender, that is no guarantee. There are other more positive signs however:

As the snow melts back shopping carts appear out of the drifts and the Trecan Combustion snow melter sits idle in the Walmart parking lot. Trecan is a local company but its machines are used all over the world to dispose of unwanted snow by rapid melting.
Airports and shopping centre parking lots are favourite spots where trucking the stuff away is expensive and dumping may be restricted.
This unit doesn't move much, but when it does the Cat tractor does the job. Cat trucks have really never taken off as a brand in this area, so they are still a bit of a novelty.

G+R Kelly Ltd of Halifax have a nuber of snow plowing contracts, but those are likely over for the year, so the plows have come off and they are finding other work. They also have some Cats in their fleet.

Another sign is the arrival of RVs and campers. Surely this one will go down in the annals as unique.

Featuring a handsome Scania cab and chassis and bearing Manitoba vanity plates, it also has a Swiss theme with several white crosses on red.

Its most unique feature is the transplanted travel trailer, perched wheel-less on the back. A pull out platform and step ladder are the means of access. A sign under the sleeper window gives Winnipeg, Blairmore, Yellowknife and Montreal. Halifax is yet to be added.
The same rig was later sen in the export line at the Fairview Cove Container terminal, so it is headed for Europe.

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Road trip #2 - Report #1 - Scania, Freightliner

Another road trip through New Brunswick to Quebec last weekend turned up some more interesting finds.

I finally managed to stop in time to catch the famed Scania water truck, almost three years to the day after seeing it for the first time: (July 3, 2102 to July 6, 2015.)
http://truckfax.blogspot.ca/2012/07/scania-challenge.html

This vintage beast, certainly the only one in eastern Canada, continues to work for Maritime Road Recycling of Moncton, but works all over New Brunswick. http://maritimegroup.ca/index.html

These trucks were imported into the US for a time but are rarely seen in Canada.

I also keep turning up Freightliner COEs - I missed at least wo at high speed, but managed to find one standing still and one barely moving:

This one has been carefully fitted out with a lot of extra chrome, but looks ready for some repainting on the flat front. Its long wheelbase suggests a western origin.

Now working for All Set Transport of Grand Falls, NB, this long wheelbase unit may have been another western unit or even a Manitoulin Transport unit. If the latter, it has had its second steering axle removed, which might explain the gap under the sleeper.
More July 13
I heard from the owner of this rig who tells me it is a 2007 Argosy with a Detroit engine, 18 speed transmission and 3.90 rears, originally ordered through the dealer in Sault Ste.Marie, ON. The truck was on the return leg of a very long haul carrying a John Deere 350G from the factory in North Carolina to Goose Bay, Labrador - a trip just shy of 2,000 miles (3200 km) one way!
1116 km of that is from Baie Comeau north through Labrador City and and east over the Trans Labrador Highway through Churchill Falls - have a look:
https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Baie-Comeau,+QC/Happy+Valley-Goose+Bay,+NL/@52.388419,-64.4268601,6z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x4c94099ff6256a2b:0x7f80a4113bb37945!2m2!1d-68.1503944!2d49.2212971!1m5!1m1!1s0x4c7b7a8694669de5:0xe0310cf21c3faf20!2m2!1d-60.3260842!2d53.3016826!3e0
and more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Labrador_Highway
I spotted the truck coming off the ferry at Rivière-du-Loup, QC on his return.

COEs rule the road

After week in Germany, where I saw only one truck with a "bonnet" - that is engine ahead of cab (and it was a Dodge Ram pickup!) -it did feel a little bit like a time warp, when COEs ruled the road in North America.
Here's a sampling of the various makes I saw last week:

 Scania, DAF, Volvo. MAN and Mercedes of all ages, but all COE.

On  arrival home I was pleased to see another Freightliner COE on Canadian soil:

Canam Steel from Quebec has a fleet of FLiners, there were three in Halifax on Wednesday, all with long loads of structural steel.
Longtime users of COEs to get more length, Canam and others have been able to purchase Freightliner COEs, new, as glider kits. As long as they could rebuild on older drive trains, Freightliner would sell new COE gliders to them. This was never publicized very much, but several owners that haul oversize and extra long loads have been buying these gliders and building them up over the past several years. Apparently Freightliner has now got the message and may be putting them into more regular production.The have been building RHD COEs for Australia and New Zealand all along, so the cabs were never really out of production.

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Scania in Halifax

A sure sign of an imminent spring is the arrival of rare birds (or in this cast trucks) from Europe. Most trucks from Europe, wisely avoid a winter arrival, so this Scania seems to be rushing it by several weeks.

That it may be a Dutch truck is hinted at by the "Kerkdriel" mud flaps on the back, but otherwise all I can say is that it is a tilt cab, with top mount sleeper and has a horsebox body.

The truck has a Nova Scotia temporary license plate taped in the front windshield, but is likely destined for farther away.

Scania is a noted Swedish truck and engine builder, but is owned in the majority by Volkswagen (MAN has a minority position).Its trucks are sold and serviced around the world, with the exception of North America, where sightings remain quite rare.

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Scania challenge

No photos for this one-and here's why.
While whizzing through New Brunswick on July 3 I was surprised to see a Scania straight truck, long hood, with a water tanker body, grinding up a hill northbound. Since it was going the other way on a divided Highway I did not give chase. Scania conventionals were marketed in the US briefly, many years ago, but they are very rare. Since this truck was spotted in New Brunswick, and very close to the Maine border, I was pondering if it was perhaps brought in from there. It was painted in a light brown colour, almost suggestive of a military origin.
Only minutes later I was totally blown away by a Scania COE tilt cab pulling an Erb Transport highway trailer. It was also going the other way, and I did not pursue it either. This one must be virtually unique in Canada. It looked like a typical European model, but not new. It was painted in Erb colours and was going about its business at highway speed.
If anyone has any insights into these Scanias, I would love to hear about them.

See comments below: thank you for responding!

Road Trip Report - Part 2

My  latest road trip wasn't all by road - some of it had to be by plane.
I didn't get a lot of truck watching done in Spain, but I did see an incredible variety of manufacturers. Many more brands of trucks and buses on the road in Spain than in North America and of course most trucks are COE/ CF models. In fact I didn't see a "bonneted" truck the whole time.
Here's a sampling of big size trucks:

DAF:

Iveco:

MAN:

Mercedes:

Renault:

Scania:

Volvo:

Another thing to note was the super single tires on trailers, and smaller sized tires on many rigs.