White - still going strong

1. Good for getting into tight plasces, this White Road Boss LCF had just delivered asphalt directly to spreader. 

2. Short wheelbase, and set back axle, but still a good sized dump body.

The late lamented White Motor Co has not been producing trucks for a long time. Even after the merger with GMC in 1987 and then takeover by Volvo the name lived on for a time as White/GMC, but to see a truck with the White only badge is certainly a rarity amongst working trucks these days.
The Xpeditor line was developed by White as a lower cost alternative to its more costly Autocar line (thus effectively competing with itself) and produced both conventionals and Low Cab Fowards (LCFs). The Road Boss line were also lighter weight, using a lot of fibreglass components, and also had an LCF, but it was considered to be heavy duty. The White and Autocar shared the LCF cab and were usually seen as trash compactor trucks, but the White Road Boss I saw yesterday has a dump body, and a very short wheelbase for a tandem. It was being used by Ocean Construction in a paving job, and was hauling asphalt. It did look a little out of place with Ocean's usually pristine Volvos.
The White and Autocar LCFs shared the same cab, and it was eventually sold off as the Autocar line by Volvo in 2000 and is still produced by the now independent Autocar LLC.

3. Ocean's usual shiny Volvo is a much bigger truck.

4. Asphalt can be delivered through small pocket doors or the whole tailgate, into the spreader seen in the background.

Is winter coming

This KW from Express Mondor is hauling out of the Fairview Cove container terminal today with a de-icing truck imported from Europe. Winter must be on its way.
The Volvo F-7 is fitted with a Kilfrost de-icing system, with an "elephant" extendable boom and control cab, perhaps bound for an airport in Quebec.

Pete takes a break

I spotted this Pete taking a break at the Aulac Irving Big Stop on Saturday. One of the last generation of non-streamlined Pete COEs, it appears to have seen service as a North American Van Lines tractor at one time. It now runs for Admiral Merchants Motor Freight Inc of Minnesota- a large O/O fleet with an interesting history, see: http://admiral.ammf.com/wps/portal
It is amazing to see some of these old COEs still running, even if they do have some body filler around the headlights.

Sterlings - Reddy for work

Despite the demise of the Sterling truck brand , there are still a good many of them on the road. By the looks of some of them, they will be around for a long time to come- and many of them are red!

1. This super shiny Sterling first generation is still running with its original paint.

2. Only on its second owner, it was custom spec'd for the first owner and has a super durable Brandon dump body.

Municipal Contracting is the largest local owner of Sterlings, and they have all sizes and shapes:

4. Municipal unit 4M382 is a tractor with air lift axle. Here it fights its way through rush hour traffic with a wide load.

5. 4M778 is typical of a large number of twin steer long wheelbase dumpers, used for aggregate and asphalt.

6. 4M802 is another in the same group. Te Western Star mud-flaps are a sign of things to come. As these Sterlings reach their service limits they are being replaced by W'Stars from  Lockharts (who were also the Sterling dealers, and still provide service).

7. Another series is fitted for live bottom semi-trailers, such as 4M537.

8. 4M279 is another of the tractors.

Quebec has its fair share of Sterlings too, including this one spotted aboard a ferry on the St.Lawrence River:

9. Excavation Guylain Tremblay runs this "unicorn" (the bell is missing from one of the air horns) for construction work in summer, but is is fitted for winter plow work. See the elevator for the wing plow protruding behind the cab, and the removable bumper.

But they are really everywhere:

10. Harlow Construction Ltd in Shelburne, NS runs this Sterling in its aggregate, ready mix and excavation business.

11. Earlier in the summer this Sterling with a grab  crane was salvaging rail ties from the area that Municpal later paved in the pictures above. It totes a backhoe on the trailer.

Tandem straight trucks

There are loads of tandem dump trucks and transit mixers, but fewer tandem axle box vans. When I see one, I always grab a shot, particularly if it also has a sleeper. Some recent finds:

1. Seagulf is a ship chandlery that supplies the cruise ships with fresh produce and other consumables. They run this sharp reefer/sleeper Western Star.

2. Blue Water is another chandler that supplies the ships. They run this reefer F'liner.

3. Atlantic Industrial Services recovers waste oil around the Maritimes. They run this Freightliner COE straight tanker.

4. Stoney Island Fisheries was delivering ice to a herring seiner on the Halifax waterfront. The International Paystar set-back has no reefer capability, since the run from the ice plant to the boat is usually fairly short.

Just when you thought it was safe...........

Just when you thought it was safe to look at Truckfax again, here I am to shock you with more of those European RVs. Several of them left port yesterday, but there are a few still around apparently.
On September 29 I spotted this very luxurious looking Mercedes in the rain. I suspect it was among those that sailed yesterday.

By contrast I spotted this hardy looking VW 4WD yesterday, so I hope he did not miss the boat:

I been workin' on the railroad

There's a lot of rail work going on the Halifax area at the moment, and I spotted this new looking Sperry Rail truck checking out some new sidings:

The last Sperry Rail truck I saw looked like a bread van, but this one looks a bot more comfortable.

CN's tie replacement crew runs a long string of equipment, to dig our, replace, nail and tamp new ties. Each unit is self-propelled, and obviously they need fuel from time to time. This is the fist hi-rail fuel truck I have ever seen. As with most CN equipment is carries Manitoba license plates:

On my way through Moncton in September I spotted this Peterbilit LCF with CN logos on it:

 Built by R.P.M. Tech Inc. it is used for blowing debris, snow out of rail switches and tracks, but strangely it is not fitted with hi-rail gear. R.P.M.Tech is an interesting company-they also build the TOR trucks, see more at:
http://www.grouperpmtech.com/en/home.aspx