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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More KWs and more

 More visits from Earl Paddock Kenworths in recent days. These always good looking trucks from Stoney Creek, ON (near Hamilton) are usually seen hauling military vehicles, but this time they were hauling Caterpillar 320 backhoes.

One of the KWs (named for B.D.Baum) is painted in the standard Paddock black and red but the other, operated by a contractor, J.Syvret + Co Ltd, is named also, but I could not read the name from a distance. 

Caterpillar equipment is usually carried by Bellemaire trucks, so this may be a change.

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Paddocks with a difference

Among the finest looking trucks I see from time to time are those of Paddock Transportation from Stoney Creek, ON. They are regulars here transporting military LAVs for export to Saudi Arabia. The LAVs are built by General Dynamics in London, ON and arrive in Halifax on Paddock trucks in time to load aboard Saudi ships.

 

Consistently painted in black and red, there is still considerable variety in the actual trucks.

 
Most of the trucks are Kenworths, although I have seen a Western Star, but I got a surprise this week when a Freightliner COE put in an appearance.

 A shrink wrapped LAV waiting on the pier.

 A Freightliner COE lurks behind a piar of KWs.

 

Impressive Freightliner is equipped with a lift axle.

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Who's LAVs

A quartet of LAVs showed up on the waterfront July 21. Shrink wrapped for shipment, the LAVs showed no identification markings.

General Dynamics Land Systems in London, ON manufactures the rigs and has had contracts with many countries in the past, primarily Saudi Arabia. A huge 14 year contract for more LAVs for SANG (the Saudi Arabian National Guard) was signed last year, but deliveries are not expected to start until 2016. Although the deals are between the US and Saudi Arabia, Canada takes credit for them because the LAVs are built in Canada and exported through the Canadian Commercial Corp. However Saudi Arabia is free to buy "one-off" units directly too, and these usually receive no press coverage.
If not for Saudi Arabia, these four may then be part of an order for Columbia which is ongoing now.

In the past scores of the LAVs have been stockpiled in Halifax then shipped out en masse on Saudi Arabian ships. We will keep an eye open for more.

As usual it was shiny black and red Kenworths from Earl Paddock Transportation of Stoney Creek, ON that delivered the LAVs using B-trains. The company is now marketing itself as Paddock Transport International:  http://paddocktransport.com/

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