Moose Bars- needed in Quebec

 Quebec is not the only part of the country where moose are a road hazard. However it must be especially bad on Route 138 on the North Shore of the St.Lawrence judging by the number of trucks fitted with impressive moose bars.

 Most of the moose bars I saw this summer were pretty basic frames, 

 

but some were contoured to fit specific trucks.

The wide load banner on this one appears to interfere with the headlights.

 

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  and this one appears  to be integrated with the bumper, and does not extend below it.

Highway 138 running the length of the St.Lawrence River is usually only two lane and passes through may miles of woodland. Compared to the cost of repiirs after a moose (or bear, or deer) collision, a substantial moose bar may be a small investment.

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Truck Show

 As usual with the Atlantic Truck Show there were some very impressive trucks on display at the Moncton Coliseum (May 9-10). As I learned a few years ago it is worth a trip through the parking lot too as some of the delivery trucks and attendee's trucks can be equally impressive.

 The interior of the various halls was as usual crammed with exhibits making it difficult to take pictures, There were also lots of people.

 

Frankly I was expecting to see more innovation. This TICO yard tug was something I had not seen before. Powered by Volvo electrics, it is North American built.
 

Other "new to me" sights out in the parking lots was this small sized Peterbilt 220 - also an EV.

Most of the major brands had demos or recent deliveries out in the parking lots. 

Navistar International had several models:

and the others, such as Kenworth:

and Western Star...
 

were there too.

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Under Wraps

 Among the best looking trucks that I see are those of Paddock Transport International (formerly Earl Paddock Transport) of Stoney Creeek, ON. Always Kenworths and always very clean black with red trim, each truck is also named after a former company employee.

 

Although they are from the Hamilton, ON area, the trucks aren't carrying steel when they arrive in Halifax. The company specializes in hauling military vehicles built by General Dynamics in London ON. At one time the LAVs or other wheeled units were easy to identify, but recently they have been tarped. Whether this is to protect them from roads salt or to conceal them from prying eyes is anyone's guess.

 

I have seen their trucks in the United States too - they are easy to spot!

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Big Crate

 Express Mondor from Lavaltrie, QC, sent this Kenworth to pick up a big crate from the Fairview Cove container terminal in Halifax. I didn't have time to find a label on the crate or the maker of the trailer and jeep.

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From the Land of the Big Trucks

 After a few weeks in Quebec you get used to seeing big trucks thundering down the highway, and you forget that you are in the Land of the Big Truck where four axle trailers and B-trains are the norm and Western Stars every where.

The biggest trucks, at least by volume, are the wood chip transporters, running from woodlands to paper mills, some times great distances apart.The trailers have tarp tops, and sometimes tarps over screen sides, and are unloaded by suction.

 

While most rigs have sleepers there are some rare day cabs too.

They don't only haul chips with those 'Stars. 

 

 

The dealer in Amqui also sells Freightliners, but his lot was full of 'Stars...

 

Including this long wheelbase unit:

 Of course all trucks in Quebec are not Western Stars, there are lots of Kenworths and other hi-spec haulers (Peterbilts are still relatively rare.).

 

 

If one of these trucks breaks down you will need a heavy duty tow such as this hefty unit from Baie- Comeau:

 Or perhaps something a little lighter will do:

The roads need to be built and maintained, so you need beef to haul machinery and equipment. A Kenworth will do nicely with a Manac 60 ton low bed for example.

 

There were lots of other trucks to see, but that is for another post.

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Big RVs

 In the past few days I have seen several large European RVs in Halifax. These huge rigs are not uncommon - see many previous posts - but two of the recent ones were a little unusual.

MAN (part of Volswagen) is, not surprisingly, a popular choice for German travellers, and this shiny grey unit could be considered fairly typical. It was built as an RV by Actionmobil.com

 

From where it was parked it took on a reflection from an MSC container.

Although it was badged as a Steyr, this unit was also MAN, marketed to Austria under the name of the pioneering Austrian automobile and truck manufacturer. (But I think this one was Swiss.)

Today's rig was the biggest surprise.

Expecting to see another MAN or perhaps a Mercedes emblem, I was more than a little startled to see something more familiar between the driving lights.

That's because this is not a European RV at all. It was built by Global Expedition Vehicles of Springfield, Missouri on a Kenworth chassis. Comparing it with the previous two RVs it appears to be less rugged, and with a longer wheelbase than most of the Europeans. It does seem to be AWD but even the tires are smaller.

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Mack and Trout

 Interesting exports from Halifax in recent weeks include: some Trout River live bottom trailers. I have never seen a trailer with six axles before. Even with one axle air lifted they must be beasts to turn.

A nice Kenworth hauled the trailers to Halfax.

Trout River Industries is based in Coleman, Prince Edward Island.

A Freightliner from White City, Saskatchewan (near Regina) made the long trip to Halifax with a very rough looking load.

It is hard to believe that it would be worth hauling a very beat up Mack Model R all the way here and then export it to some third world country. Produced from 1966 to 2005, it was the longest production run of any North American truck.(Some were also built in Australia and Iran.) So this beast must be closing on twenty years of age or more, but apparenely still runs and has some value - perhaps as a rolling parts pile.

I hope the driver has a backhaul it's a long trip home.

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Sinotruk

 Sinotruk (Hong Kong) Ltd is part of CNHTC, the state-owned Chinese National Heavy Duty Truck Group. They produce a line of trucks called Howo some of which are exported. They are rarely seen in the overcrowded North American and European truck market, so it was a surprise to see one in Halifax today, June 18.

The Howo 266 model straight truck has been fitted with a stainless steel tank and pumping gear, for an unknown use. It arrived in the port area on a truck operated by Timewise Tilt-N-Load Inc of Mississauga, ON. It may be going to Newfoundland or to the French islands of St-Pierre et Miquelon.

 It seems likely then that the tanker body was installed by a Canadian company in order to ensure certification for Canadian use.

Timewise operates from the Greater Toronto area to Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, and New Brunswick, but this is the first time I have seen one of their trucks here. The slick long wheelbase Kenworth carries the name "Hurricane" and is hauling a Trail King tiltbed trailer.

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