Up, Up and Away

With a container load of helium, this Trimac Freightliner could be filling many beautiful  balloons on its trip west. The truck itself is wearing a Kansas plate on the front bumper. It also has a Ryder sticker and says Trimac Transportation Central Inc on the side.

Trimac Transportation Systems is one of the largest trucking companies in Canada. Based in Calgary it has branches throughout Canada and the US and into Mexico, and specializes in bulk transport. Its web site says it has more than a thousand tractors and trailers in Canada and more than one thousand tractors and two thousand trailers in the US.
Not much about its trucks on the web site, but lots about the company: http://www.trimac.com/page/home.

Merry Christmas

A peaceful and Joyous Christmas to All.

Ever wish for a dump truck under the Christmas tree?  Be careful what you wish for and be very, very, specific..........

Freightliner Argosy, and it's Watson again

Transport Watson had another truck in town on Friday. This time, instead of the might Kenworth it is that rare bird the Freightliner Argosy.

Love those COEs.

Long load for Quebec

Transport Watson is back again for this long load for Quebec. Labels on the tarp suggest that it is a fuselage for a Bomardier CJ700  commuter jet. It certainly is long enough. As usual Watson has a Kenworth on the job, and freshly washed too.

A very clean Ford pickup will be escort vehilce, but it was too quick for me to get apic.

Sterling Round UP

I have spotted some interesting Sterlings over the last little while and it is time for a round up.
This very sharp rig works for Construciton Eclair Inc out of LaMalbaie, QC, and is kept gleaming and spotless at all times:

Giles Trucking of Halifax were among the last operators of a Scot truck in the area, and are looking after this Sterling in a similar manner:

The load consists of a catamaran boat and four large ship propellor blades.

And last is this trim looking straight truck with sleeper:

On your mark, get set, plow

The plows are ready when the time comes, but there has scarcely been enough of the white stuff to plow yet. However the slat is going down liberally on major roads due that unfortunate stuff back ice, or even real ice.
The New Scotia Department responsible for roads is big in salt spreading, and must wash down their trucks frequently to stay ahead of rust:

1. This late model Sterling is fresh from a wash down and will be ready to hit the road again.The wing plow appears to have a few salt seasons under its belt.

2. This beefy Western Star was still dripping, but aside from its driver wheels, it looks new and fresh.

On the other hand, salt is a real no-no at the Halifax International Airport, which may explain why this 1970s International Paystar 5000 4x4 is still running and looking good. Once operated by the Federal Department of Transport at the airport, it is now running for a private operator within the terminal and sees light duty.

Actros - an other update

I got another close look at one of the Canadian army Mercedes Actros as it rolled out of the terminal on Thursday. This one was in the tractor configuraiton for hauling the big Leopard tank trailers shown yesterday.
Mills Heavy Hauling day cab Western Star got the nod for this haul.

Big MAN updates

The remaining five MANs left the terminal on Thursday afternoon - just at 5 pm and right into rush hour traffic. It turns out that two of the MANs were 3 axle models, but otherwise appeared identical to the others. A convoy of similar spec Earl Paddock KWs did the hauling.
I am also able to say with some certainty that they were all wheel drive either 8 x 8 or 6 x 6.

1. Typical 8x8 MAN, and Earl Paddock KW, with rad blanket.

2. One of two 6x6 MANs, hauled by the only square nose KW in the convoy.

3. Typical Paddock KW had the second 6x6.

Big MAN in town

Also arriving by ship this work were a half dozen four axle MAN extra long straight trucks. These mighty MANs appear to be built tough, and for some special purpose.

Note the single tire rears and position of fuel tank. The second axle appears to be a steering axle only, but it's hard to tell if the front axle has drive.
You have to wonder if any Canadian manufacturer could have met the specs for this truck. There are so few commercial cab forwards now, that might have been a problem. Mack has its everlasting small tilt cab,  but none of the other majors has one these days.
That is another of those splendid Earl Paddock KWs doing the honours. Based in Stoney Creek, ON, they do a lot of hauling of military vehicles, and are almost weekly visitors to Halifax with General Dynamics LAVs for the Saudi Arabian defence force. (Another thirty or so of them went out this week.)
Sorry for the cut-off photo, but he was powering out of the pier and I caught him on the fly.

Actros update

More Canadian army Actros trucks arrived in Halifax by ship this week. So far I have not seen any of them leave the pier, but today I did spot two of the new Doll tank trailers that the tractor units are built to pull.

Mills Heavy Hauling used two of their veteran tractors to do the job, a Mack and a Western Star. If there was any doubt about the independent suspension of the axles, I offer the last photo in the series.

Big loads coming off the piers

It was a day for some big loads coming off the container piers in Halifax today. I didn't get all of them, but here are a few:

At Fairview Cove, this nice KW had a container load of casks well distributed on his long container chassis:

Closer inspection revealed that they contained radioactive material (see the signs on the sides and front of the trailer.) Operators Hittman Transport Services Inc, specialize in these loads. See: http://www.energysolutions.com/business-units/global-commercial-logistics/hittman-trucking

Also at Fairview Cove, Atlantic Tiltload tri-axle Western Star #48 had a four axle Talbert trailer at work:

Its load was an Atlas Copco H2060 minetruck. The low overhead profile indicates that this may be the last sunshine it see for a long time, since it will be working in an underground mine.

Meanwhile at the south end, Halterm container terminal, a Freightliner with multi-axle Temisko trailer was waiting until after rush hour to hit the road. The escort truck waits behind.

Transport Chainé of Grand-Mère, Qc runs this nicely fitted out set-back axle Freightliner. Chainé is a heavy and large load specialist, and has an excellent web site, well worth the visit:
http://www.transportchaine.com/

Ramp Star chassis and Almac Tank

I found some newish looking aircraft re-fuelers at the Halifax Airport today. The cab/chassis/ including engine and drive train is from Ramp Star, a Miami based outfit called Engine and Accessory Inc.: www.rampstar.com that has been producing specialized aviation refueling and ground support equipment since 1950. The trucks come with various cab configurations, front or rear engines, and hydraulic drives.
This pair mount appear to be equipped with elevating platforms and fueling gear from Almac International Inc of Lanoraie, Qc (not far from Montreal) : www.almactank.com

1. Engine beside cab and hydraulic, front wheel drive, leaves room for fueler platform on short chassis.

2. The cab has room for two persons.  

The trucks are operated by PLH Aviation Services, a Canadian company, based in Richmond, BC serving a baker's dozen Canadian Airports and LAX (Los Angeles International). PLH and sister company Dryden Air Services of Brampton, ON were recently swallowed up by ASIG (Aircraft Service International Group) an Orlando HQ company that is part of the giant BBA Aviation plc, of London.

Liebherr cranes, another order for Mammoet

Mammoet, the Dutch crane operator is expanding its Canadian fleet again. They seem to have an inexhaustible demand for cranes, and four arrived last week on the ship Turandot. Yesterday they were loaded on flat cars and work on chaining them down continues today.
Three of the cranes were similar 5 axle units, likely model 1160 51., a 160 tonne capacity crane:

2. Mammoet number 2211 was the first to load, while 2212 and 2213 stand by.

3. Even with four steering axles it takes precision driving to centre on the rail cars.

4. The fourth crane is Mammoet unit number 2216, a 6 axle rig, which appears to be a 1250 6.1 model, rated at 250 tonnes.

5. 2216 gets its own matching red rail car, with a 224,000 lb capacity.

Halifax Explosion - 95th anniversary and Memorial

When two ships collided in Halifax Harbour on December 6, 1917, one ship caught fire. Halifax firefighters responded, but before they were able to extinguish the blaze, the ship Mont Blanc and its cargo of explosives and ammunition created what has been called the greatest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb. Nine firefighters died, along with  more than one thousand civilians and military personnel. The north end of the city was flattened,  leaving many thousands homeless and injured.(1)
Today, marking the 95th anniversary of that tragedy, there will be many civic ceremonies, one of which will take place at Halifax Regional Municipality Fire and Emergency Services, Station 4. In front of the station is the memorial stone which gives the names of the nine men killed in the explosion.
Just before the service this morning the Fire Department lined up some of its vehicles:

1. Station 4, with the granite memorial stone, just behind the flagpole. Unit 07-414U is a Dodge Dakota crew cab, classed as a Utility vehicle.

2. Veteran Thibault, carrying Number 1 (its official roster number is 76-11A)  was a long time front line engine. It has now been beautifully restored for ceremonial duty.

3. Roster number 34-04A is a Bickle engine, carefully preserved, and named "Queen" after its marathon duty fighting the Queen Hotel fire. (2)

4. Engine 4 is one of the latest series of rescue pumpers. 11-530E was built by Carl Thibault on a Spartan Metro Star chassis. It has a 1250 gpm pump and 500 gal tank, and is based at Station 4. 

(1) For a brief summary of the Halifax Explosion and Memorial Services, see: http://www.halifax.ca/halifaxexplosion/index.html
(2) For more on the Queen Hotel fire see: http://www.halifax.ca/archives/QueenHotelFire.html

Petes at the pier

Several nice Peterbilts showed up at the Fairview Cove container pier this week, all with drop deck trailers.

First up was this chromed and shiny one from Bedford, NS based Salto Freight Systems Inc:

Carrying one container on his Lode-King trailer.

With nice fender skirts and other trim.

Then a blue one from D.A.LePage Transport Ltd from Brantford, ON:

Well illuminated cab,

and slick Fastrak tarp system on a Wilson trailer. The tarp system, with aluminum bows, is demountable, including the front bulkhead, which includes a man door (partly visible in the photo below).

And finally a sign of the season, a salt streaked emerald green and black one, looking almost white, operating for Clarke Road Transport, Flatbed Division:

Winter salt keeps the roads free from ice, but makes an almighty mess of shiny trucks.

Clarke in based in Halifax, and has flatbed terminals in St.John's, NL and Milton, ON, and runs nearly 200 trucks in  LTL and TL divisions across Canada. It also has warehousing, expediting and other services, and is a major intermodal operator. Most trucks are owner operators.