FTLComm - Tisdale - July 24, 1999
   
On Thursday we told you about the first four trucks that loaded up to head for Quebec. Friday afternoon it was time for the next four, actually one got away Friday morning and in the afternoon these three were making their preparations for the trip. As with the first four these trucks were loading up then heading back to Saskatoon before beginning their trip on Monday. Ontario regulations require that extra wide units like this are off the road by 3:00 Friday afternoon. I asked the truckers if they had considered heading down to an Interstate to make the run from North Dakota the North from New York and indeed the trip would be shorter but much
costly as the permits just to run through the state of New York would exceed all of those paid across Canada. So these four will leave Saskatoon Monday travelling the Yellowhead to Winnipeg then East on number one through Northern Ontario until they reach their destination thirty-eight hours from Saskatoon at the docks South of Montreal.

From the dock yards they will be loaded onto ships and taken to a new air base facility being set up on Baffin Island. The Titan trucks will then pick up loads and head back to Saskatchewan. In the picture above right the two truck drivers were sorting out lights to mark their loads. The trucker I talked to pointed out that with his tractor and loaded trailer he was right at the limit where anything longer would have required a pilot vehicle, his combined length is seventy-seven feet. He said that this was a good load heavy enough to balance properly and no surfaces that would pose aerodynamic problems. He was looking forward to the trip.
This truck pulled into the yard to make the fourth truck to load up Friday. This one with markings on it showing it to originate from Leduc Alberta. The young driver had a young passenger who was going along for the ride to Eastern Canada.

This sequence of pictures shows the loading process, as Northern Steel Industries workers use the hook on one end and a large front end loader on the other to skillfully position the tank on the trailer. The base skids place the tank's weight right on the edges of the trailer. In the picture, below right, the pipe across the back can be fitted with wheels so a cat can be used to pull the tanks into position with them riding along wheels mounted on the aft brackets.
The Leduc truck looks like it suffered a little touch up recently with its right side slightly bruised. As the driver was easing the trailer into place under the tank the massive radiator fan decided it had enough for one day and stopped, requiring a speedy opening of the hood and seconds later everything was once again spinning as it should.
On three more tanks are left in the Northern Steel Industries yard and they will be on their way next week as they have a boat to catch.