There are 2 types of scales in Canada, the 1st is if the amber lights are flashing the scales are open and you have to go in.

Q'ing at the scales

The second sort has a weigh plate on the main highway that gives the DOT man a rough idea of your weight. Two signs will light up then either telling you to bypass the scales or report to scales.



Moose and deer are a big problem on the highways

Truck loaded with cattle

Spring time in St Hyacynthe PQ

Strange back in the UK all you ever see are Canadian geese, here wild white geese

Approaching Thousand Island Bridge (The Skyway) back into Canada

Veiw from the bridge. How the other half live. Each Island has a lavish house built on them.

Used to work for this company in the UK. Aviagen are a worldwide company.

This is Micks picture hanging on TBR's wall. You can't see it clearly it's top right

Theodore the Tug, Halifax water front

Sorry I have'nt posted for a while. The weather has started to get better so when I've been getting home I've been spending my time in the garden or going out sight seeing. Next time I 'm home I'll sit down and get you updated on whats been happening

We move a lot af our containers by rail. I roughly measured one train as I psaased it and it was over 3km long

This was taken on the Thousand Island Bridge crossing back into Canada. The plaque on the wall shows the border line between the States and Canada. At this time I was sat in Canada but my trl was dtill in the States

Shorty

Okay this en't going to be a long trip, well it's not long in a lot of respect. Let me explain.On the Tuesday morning rang Dispatch and was told to go in. When there Ron asked if I could do him a favour and take a trl from our yard to a Home Depot store in Dartmouth, drop it on a door there, then go and pick a chassis (sorry skelly) from just down the road. But then he said I'd have to shut it up to 40'. WHAT? A shorty. Now I dropped the 1 off at Dartmouth and the guy there was originally from Ipswich, been in Canada 5 years. God dawn, go and pick the chassis up and the boss there came from Aberdeen, moved over here in the 70's. I'm thinking of moving, too many expats here : ) . Anyway went down to the container terminal in Halifax and got my can on, a short, short contaner of 40 foot. Oh shit it looked so funny sat behind my "Lady". It was also sat on a tridem axle chassis, it'll be 22 wheels and rolling, but oh boy do those close axle tridems drag, especially when so close to the tractor. Anyway set off from Halifax and started my journey to the Mitchelin drop yard in Saint Laurent, Provence of Quebec (812miles local run). Now I'd got in mind where I was going to stop that night, a truck stop just outside Riviere de Loup, PQ. Now don't know if I've explained before, but when we climb hills and mountains and the speed drops below 70km we have to put our four ways on. Now I was climbing up his hill, dropped my 4 ways on, all good, till I reached the top and went to turn them off. All of a sudden the turn signals are flashing from one side to the other, ABS lights on, panel lights flashing on and off," mmm I thought something wrong" . Pulled over to the side so I could have a look outside and see what was gooing on. Well the tractor thought she was at an 80's rave. Turn signals flashing from one side to the other, marker lights flashing and head lights on when they were'nt turned off. Turned my attention to the trl and she was at a different party, heck marker, brake and turn signals going off to a different beat. Well pulled the suzy in case it was the trl causing the problems, but no, the tractors still looked like she was on acid dancing to the Beasty Boys. Well never came across this before. The place I was planning on stopping was only 40 mile away, it was'nt dark yet and there were no scales ahead, so I decided to run up to there with my mobile disco. Who wants to call roadside assistance when your sat in the middle of nowhere. Got to the truckstop and rang Penske, nice guy, gave him the details where I was and the problem, he said he'd put me on hold while he finds someone. Now after a few minutes he comes back to me and says" i think I've found someone, but do you speak French because I can't explain to him the problem" Told him if they were selling beer I could order a large glass of lager, plus mussels and fries. "I'll try someone else he said, get back to you". It did'nt take him long to get back to me to tell me he'd found someone and they'd be with me with in 15 mins, but they only spoke little English. Did I really care what language they spoke as long as they understood Freightliner. Well the guy was soon there, he could'nt miss me in the park I was the one with the light show. He spoke a little English, but kept scratching his head, checking this and that, making phone calls then decided I need to take the truck to the workshop 10 mile down the road. He'd follow behind with the beacons on. Got down to the garage and pulled straight into a bay. Now the mechanic they put to work on her spoke no English at all,  but through sign language I explained I was going to bed till he was done and left him to it. Just gone midnight he knocked on the cab door to tell me he was done and show me the problem. Badly corroded battery lead and a corroded main fuse. All sorted I pulled out of the bay and stayed in their parking lot for the night. Now the next morning it was a straight run to St Laurent, even the traffic in Montreal was good. Left the container in the swop yard and hooked up to a proper trl, an mt 53'. Got a message to head to Laval (12 miles away) load that trl then take it to our Terminal in Concord, near Toronto.  The trip to Concord was a good one and arrived there 9am the next morning. No sooner had I dropped the trl a message came over the qualcomm that there was a loaded trl there for me to bring back to Dartmouth NS. Lovely, it's nice when there's no hanging about, I was soon hooked up and on my way back to the Maritimes. On the way back I got the usual message "what were my plans once back in the Maritimes". If I was going to head straight back out it would mean me reseting my hours on the road. So I was faced with a choice, reset at home or the road. No brainer "reset my hours at home" was my reply. No problems, Chris replyed he'd book me off till Monday. Jobs a gud un. Another weekend at home. So Friday afternoon saw me back in Dartmouth and by 530pm I was home and finished. Told you it was a shorty. Catch you all soon and take care

Sorry to those that know, but those that don't, double click on the pictures to enlarge.
Do's double clicking enlarge other things I wonder??????

Look carefully you can see the bridge in the distance

So different from the last time I crossed here

My girl with a "can" on

My mate Jozsef

Bluewater bridge crossing into the USA at Sarnia Ontario

Shortest US visit

Don't believe the lyrics of some songs, best one is "call me Mr Flinstone cus I'll make your bed rock" . Mind you sounds like a chat up line from Mr Rich P....
Anyway, buckle up and lets roll...
Rang dispatch Sunday morning to be told they'd got a load for me to take to Charlettown, Prince Edward Island, delivery Monday morning. Well I had to make a decision, either leave Sunday afternoon or early Monday morning. PEI is only 4 hrs away. Trouble is to get there you have to cross an eight mile bridge across the sea and the slightest breeze and it's shut to trucks. Now Sunday was a nice day but mixed weather was coming in Monday. So decided to head out Sunday afternoon. Easy day, left home at 3pm, feet up in PEI by 730pm. Now this was the 2nd time i'd been to PEI, the first was at the beginning of the year when it was flipping cold(-40 + chill factor) the truck was'nt turned off for 48 hrs or so because of the temp. The APU could'nt put out enough heat to keep the cab warm yet alone keep the engine from freezing. When I crossed the bridge then the sea was frozen. Looking down at the blue sea this crossing with the sun shinining, those cold times seemed a life time away. 7am the next morning booked in and backed on a door. A short while later another Clarke truck pulled up, it was my old mucker Jozsef. Well it was a lovely sunny morning, so on a morning like that when you have a clean truck and lots of time what do you do? Get the polish out.. Okay sad to some of you, but hell I don't care. Now The Canadian way of life is so layed back it's nearly horizontal some times. Thats okay unless your an ex Draycote driver who don't like sitting round. Okay I was being paid waiting time but I like moving. So by 1130 I'd had enough, rang dispatch and advised of situation and was told to leave my trl on the door and head for Truro. Moving again, sun still shining and so was my truck, was I a happy bunny or what(yes, sad I know). Got to Truro and picked a loaded a trl and took it to the docks at Nth Sydney (202miles away), dropped it, picked an mt up and headed back down to Port Hawkesbury(93miles). I was to drop the mt hook up to a load heading for Midland, Michigan. Sod it, pulled up at the papermill that night, cooked some tea and went to bed, swap trls in the morning. Chris sent a message to say once on my way when did I want the load booking in for????? If I'd said Friday they may have done it. But it was an easy 2 day run so I told them I'd be there by 9am Thursday morning. It was only 1626 miles away (ONLY). It's hard to believe but that is an easy 2 day run, no pressure and pays well. Got parked up at Bridgeport, Michigan Wednesday night, and Midland was only 30 mins down the road. Now "early bird catches the worm" next morning on the door at 730, unloaded and waiting for reload by 8. Did'nt take long, head for Clarkston MI (87miles away) load then take it to Niagara, Ontario. Now the one question Canadian Border Control always ask is "how long were you in the USA". The shortest was 3 days, but this trip trumped that one, 25 hrs thats all I spent in the States this time. Again no pressure run for Niagara so headed for the TA truckstop in Woodstock, Ontario. One hold up on the way was a truck fire. Poor bugger all he had left was a chassis. Then when I came down the exit ramp for the truckstop there was a shout on the CB "shit he's rolled it on the ramp". On the west bound exit ramp for the truckstop a guy had rolled his rig. Now there was a lot of concern for the driver, people asking over the CB if the driver was alright. But then someone said that they'd seen him out of the cab and he was a rag head... Oh boy sympathy soon disappeared. I totally agree, out in Ontario is a large Indian and Pakistani community and there driving is poor, no it's not it's bloody shit. They call Brampton, Ontario, Bramledesh. Okay lets get off the soap box. Short trip next morning down to Niagara and a quick unload. Now Niagara Falls(the city) is one of the most cleanest places I've ever passed through. Nothing seems out of place. Even got a glimpse of the falls. Next time I deliver there I'm dropping the trl and going sight seeing. Anyway back to the plot. Head for Toronto load and take it to our terminal in Concord ON. Hell when I dropped that trl in Concord the Qualcomm went wild. 3 pre plans. Hook up to a trl where I was, take it into Toronto, tip it, bring the mt back to Concord, bobtail to Hamilton pick up a loaded trl and take it to Mitchelin Drop Yard in Saint Laurent (Montreal), bobtail to our yard in St Laurent pick another loaded trl up and head back to the Maritimes. Sounds worse than it is. Saturday morning saw me dropping in St Laurent and by Saturday night i was parked up just outside Oremocto (Waasis to be precise) New Brunswick. Sunday morning, drop that trl in our trl yard at Moncton, grab an MT, take that to our trl yard at Truro and leave it then bobtail back home. Now by 10 am Sunday morning I was having a home cooked breakfast with my beautiful wife. Now with this little run I've clocked up 3942 miles so I think it's time for a beer. Back on the road Tuesday.. Be safe... ctch you soon..

And yhere are trl's with even more axles than this.

Can't get away from my last job in UK, this is an Aviagen truck