Stratford, ON — Calgary,AB — Rimbley, AB — Strathmore, AB — Mitchell, MB — Morden, MB — Guelph, ON
Day one: Stratford, Ontario — Cochrane, Ontario. 841 Kms. (55,488 lbs)
My trailer was already loaded and sat waiting for me in the yard. This load usually delivers in Calgary on a Tuesday, but they put the delivery back a day, to Wednesday, so that I could have a day off. The load is booked for delivery at 10am local time (Alberta is two hours behind Ontario).
I’ve got 25 pallets of medicated animal feed on that weigh 55,488 lbs. I’m pulling a ‘freight pot’. It means I can carry freight or livestock. The downside to this is it weighs a bit more than a dry van or a fixed cattle trailer, and converting it is hard work! My empty weight is around 38,000lbs so this puts me somewhere around 93500lbs.
It is up to me what time I want to head out. As long as I am on time with the delivery they will pretty much leave me alone. I leave the yard around 1:30pm. It is 3632Kms (2270 miles) from the yard to the warehouse and I have about 70hrs to get there.
I leave the yard and wind my way across country to the ‘big’ road. I join Hwy 400 just south of Barrie. It’s all clear for me but the south bound carriage way is jam pack, 3 lanes wide, with standing traffic. Apart from a couple of spots, it’s pretty much like that for 33 miles! Apparently there wasn’t a problem; it was just simply the volume of traffic. Mostly people heading back to the city after spending the weekend in ‘cottage country’.
I would normally weigh the truck at the roadside scale just south of North Bay, but I can’t get in there today because that side of the road is closed for construction. My trailer is a fixed tri-axle, so I can’t slide my axles to shift the weight around if it’s been loaded wrong.
First stop is for fuel in North Bay. We have fuel bunkering there so we have to run Hwy 11 through Northern Ontario, otherwise I would be using Hwy 17, which is a little bit shorter and the scenery is stunning. I fill up my tanks and stop in next door at ‘Tim Hortons’ for a coffee. I don’t stop long. The trip west is all about getting the miles in in as short a time as possible.
I make it up to Cochrane in good time and park in the truckstop there. I don’t bother setting my alarm clock. I would rather wake up naturally, nice and refreshed, than to an alarm clock……………….
Fuel stop at North Bay, ON: 299.14L
Day two: Cochrane, Ontario — Rush Bay, Ontario. 1273Kms.
I wake up to clear blue skies and another sunny day. I really love driving in Northern Ontario. It beats fighting across the M62 every day, that’s for sure. The downsides are the prices and some of the conditions up here. It gets really expensive and some of the places are little more than mosquito ridden dumps. Anyway…. In for a wash and a coffee and it’s time to hit the road.
The next stop is a couple of hours or so down the road in a town called Hearst. From there, not far out of town you lose phone, data, and radio signals. Apart from picking up a bit of signal around the Town of Geraldton for about 30kms, my phone won’t work at all until I get to Thunder Bay, 5 ½ - 6 Hrs away.
After leaving Hearst the next stop will be Nipigon (410 km). I pull into the Esso/Tim Hortons for a quick stop to grab a coffee and eat a pre-packed salad that I brought with me. There was a tidy wrecker busy in the parking lot when I pulled in. (see pic).
I don’t stop to long here before heading west again. From here hwy 11 and hwy 17 join, so the traffic picks up a bit. Otherwise I’ve barely seen anyone since Hearst. The speed limit, once out of town, is usually 90 km. Speeding fines and points start at 115 km. My truck is limited to 103km, so that’s pretty much what I do, which is about the same as most of the trucks out here, so it can mean a pretty quiet run at times.
Next stop is Ignace, where I top up with enough fuel (and some English chocolate!) to get me to the Flying J in Headingly, MB. From here it’s just a case of running my available kms out for the day, which brings me almost to the MB border where I pull off to small, fairly quiet, ■■■■■■■■■■■■ for the night.
Fuel stop at Ignace, ON: 347L
Day three: Rush Bay, Ontario — Redcliff, Alberta. 1256Kms.
This morning I wake up to my alarm. I am not far from the MB border and one of the bigger scales. I still don’t know my axle weights so I want to get moving before the scale opens. My truck has been pulling hard for the last couple of days so it will be a welcome relief to make it to MB. The scale is still locked up when I pass by and soon make it onto the flatness of MB.
I hit Winnipeg right smack bang in the middle of the morning rush hour! And make it around the perimeter, and into the Flying J at Headingly for fuel, without a hitch. I grab fuel and a coffee and decide to do some more miles. I usually stop for a shower and something to eat here but I am making such good time I decide to keep going.
An ex pat guy I know drives for Bison out of Winnipeg so I give him a call to find out where he is. He runs turnpike out of Winnipeg to Saskatoon and back again. Definitely not something I would choose to do. Come all the way out here then run up and down the same piece of road every day. I guess I am kind of lucky, in that I get a lot of variety with my job. Some dry van work, some flat and curtainsider, and a variety of livestock. Local, medium, long, pigs, cattle, sheep. Anyway, he is heading east and our paths are going to cross around Grenfell, SK. Perfect!
The plan was to stop for a coffee and catch up, which turned into a two hour lunch! Pretty good food too. Although I am now behind schedule, it doesn’t really matter. I still have plenty of time to get there.
Time to keep heading her west……
I hit traffic in Regina, nothing too bad, considering it’s the first real traffic I have seen since Southern Ontario.
Driving over the Prairies can feel really odd, Like driving over the Yorkshire Moors except it goes on and on and on for hours. It is really wide open and you can see for miles. The sunset lasts for hours. The sun visor in my truck is less than pathetic, even with shades on and my cap pulled down low my eyeballs are being burnt right out of my head…… time to park up for the night.
Fuel stop at Headingly, MB: 549.739L (5.867 mpg)
Day four: Redcliff, Alberta — Ponoka, Alberta. 508Kms.
No alarm this morning but I am still up a couple of hours before I need to leave. So it’s a lazy morning with coffee and before you know it, its time to go. There is a bit of traffic heading out of Redcliff, but its not long before EVERYONE turns off at the same exit! I guess they all work at the same place, wherever that is?
I turn of the main Trans Canada hwy just south of Calgary. I have been on the same road for almost three days! This road brings me out on the south side of Calgary. I make my way into the South East quarter and to my delivery bang on time. The loading bay door is open and the guy is ready and waiting for me. ïŠ
He unloads me in no time and I ok it with him to stay where I am whilst I convert my trailer over so I can load livestock.
It normally takes around two hours to convert the trailer. I do most of the heaviest work then decide to head around to the truckstop for fuel and to cool down. It is 30c and way too hot for manual labour!! Lol The Flying J is not far away so I head there for fuel and something to eat. I don’t often eat out of truckstops, they are so expensive, but I am almost out of groceries. I get a small salad from the deli counter and the biggest cold drink I can find, 52oz! and purchase it all using my loyalty points. ïŠ I have some sliced deli meat left in the fridge which I add to the salad, perfect! I park up in the back of the lot and have lunch. The temperature guage is now reading 35c! and I still have plenty of work left to do in my trailer. I have just sorted out where I am loading in the morning and I need to rearrange the inside of my trailer. I need to take out my rear deck and stack it away (the deck planks are stacked high up (about 6ft) in the back of the trailer). I do about another half an hour of work in the trailer then give it up. It’s just too hot. I still need a shower and groceries but its almost rush hour too.
I am loading late morning in Ponoka, AB. It is just over two hours north of Calgary. I leave the J and sit in traffic for the next 50 minutes! That 52oz pop was not such a good idea! I grab a quick shower at the J in Red Deer and head up to Ponoka. I have very precise directions for the salebarn I am loading at. I end up driving around town a couple of times but can’t find the place. Typical! I find somewhere to park and give it up for the night. There will be plenty of time in the morning to sort everything out. It is still 28c out so the trailer can wait until the morning. I sit watching the local nightlife until bedtime. Lots of young lads with their jacked up pick-up trucks, cowboy hats, and ripped up jeans, drinking cups of coffee and flirting with young girls dressed in checked shirts and cowboy boots… I’m definitely in Cattle Country.
Fuel stop at Calgary, AB: 630.820L (5.994 mpg)
Day five: Ponoka, Alberta — Morse, Saskatchewan. 844Kms (56,000 lbs)
I wake up nice and refreshed and in a really good mood. There is just something about blue skies, sunshine, wide open roads over rolling hills, and country music turned up loud. ………… to quote a friend of mine… ‘There ain’t no feelin like cow mooooobiling!
So I get my trailer ready for loading, grab a coffee, and take a walk. Good job I did, because I spot the salebarn just up the road. Nowhere near the directions I have……
I have never loaded here before, so I park outside the office and head inside to see whats what. I speak to the girls in the office who point me in the direction of notice board in the hallway which is covered in pieces of paper. Take a look through those and find your load! So I look……… and look………… and look again………. But I can’t find it! So I pop my head around the door for some help… Who are you loading for? They ask. Well, I have four different names and they don’t have anything for any of them!
I head back to my truck and call my dispatcher……… who calls the buyer………… he calls me back………. Um… your load isn’t there (no s***) your load is in Rimbey? According to my GPS it is only 48kms away. Not too bad I guess. Before I set off I check google to find where in town the salebarn is and to find their phone number. You never know………
I set off to Rimbey. The roads are great, the view is amazing. I love driving on ‘new’ roads. My good mood is going strong! I try calling ahead to the salebarn but I am getting no answer. It takes about half an hour to get there. Eventually I track someone down, back onto the loading shute, and get ready to load. I load approx 32,500lbs, 12 cows and 10 bulls. The bulls alone weigh over 20,000lbs. We had a bit of fun trying to get them in the belly of the trailer. They had plenty of room but one bull was a bit feisty and didn’t want to move up. Eventually we got the gate shut. We sort the paperwork, have a quick chat, and off he goes back into the pens. Just then there is a big rumble and the heavens open…… and I discover I am locked out of my cab!!! Oh ffs! I pop the hood and retrieve the spare key…. But it won’t open the doors! I try everything I can to get into my cab but to no avail… eventually the guy who loaded me drives by and I call him over… we go into the main building and he tells me we can’t call anyone because the phones are out!!! Then he pulls out his cell!!! Turns out there is only one man in this two horse town who can help me out and he is out on a breakdown. So…. An hour and a half and 40 bucks later I am finally leaving. What a day………. But, I am on new roads again and sun has got his hat on…
Next stop is Strathmore, just on the east side of Calgary, and right enroute, to fill out my trailer. I pull into the feedlot there and run on a few cows and a couple of bulls upstairs and fill out the back with 7 big (rather amorous) bulls. Everything goes great, no problems here! The guy is a bit vague about how much weight he has put on me, about 22,000lbs or so. I should still be good even if it is more. I get out of there in good time and hit the road……… East bound and down, loaded up and trucking…………
Its been a long day so far and I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I get about an hour and a half down the road and pull in for supper and to check on my load. Turns out those amorous bulls in the back end got a bit carried away and have smashed a load of the deck planks down off and onto the floor!!! Things come in threes right!!! Well, I can’t leave it like that or I’ll end up with massive problems down the road. So I get on the phone to sort out somewhere I can unload so I can sort my trailer out whilst I have supper. What a waste of $15….
There is a salebarn half an hour east of where I am, so I head there and unload and set about fixing my trailer. I eventually get out of there and head east. I make it to Morse, SK before I give it up for the night. I like to park out of the way when I am loaded with livestock. Mainly because I don’t want to disturb anyone and my load needs to rest too.
Day six: Morse, Saskatchewan — Morden, Manitoba. 958Kms
I am up well before my alarm this morning, chuffing bulls ■■■■ near bounced me out of bed so I gave it up as a bad job. I check everybody is ok and wake them all up and make sure they are all standing, do my paperwork, and we’re off… Via Regina which is where I saw the grain truck in the Median (see pics). I stop in at Grenfell for a coffee, then meet up with another eastern cattle truck (He is loaded for home), have a quick stop In Portage-la-Prairie for fuel and coffee at the Flying J Cardlock and keep on trucking. I had already called the place I was heading to, yesterday, just after leaving Strathmore to give him an ETA. I call the guy again as I am coming around the perimeter hwy to let him know I am almost there, just a little bit later than anticipated. He gives me some pretty vague directions into his place in Mitchell, MB……… but I make it without too much issue. Everybody walks off good, I scrape my trailer and head off to pick up some straw. I get my straw loaded up and head into the truckstop in Morden for the night. I get a ■■■■ good shower for $5.35 and treat myself to supper in the restaurant there (I never did manage to shop for groceries).
Fuel stop at Portage-la-Prairie, MB: 753.50L (6.628 mpg)
Day seven: Morden, Manitoba — Kaministiqua, Ontario. 826Kms. (59,580 lbs)
I am loading at 10am local time (11am Ontario time) so I have time to put in the rear deck and have a leisurely cooked breakfast before driving 15 minutes down the road to load. It is a nice easy load today. Nice old farmers who have been in the game a long time. They raise real nice, good quality cattle. I have loaded out of here before so I simply pull into the yard, back onto the shute, and spread the bedding and run the cattle on. They are all fat Steers, 40 head, total 59,580lbs, Which should put me just under my maximum weight. As I finish loading another eastern cattle truck pulls in, whilst I sort my paperwork out he loads his trailer. Soon we are ready to leave. We have to stop into Feed and Water on the way to Ontario so there is no rush. We pop into the Tim Hortons near the perimeter hwy, Winnipeg, grab a coffee and off we go.
We stop for a quick cattle check at the big scale at West Hawk which is close to the MB/ON border. Next stop is Ignace for fuel and supper. Then it is on to ‘The Barn’ in Kaministiqua to unload the cattle so they can have something to eat and drink. We’ve called ahead to let them know we would be there by 11pm. We are making good time and are there by 10pm. They offer to make us supper when we arrive, but I’m still full from tea in Ignace so I decline. There are only two other trucks in there for the night, one who hasn’t arrived and two others who are getting ready to head out. We vaguely agree what time to load, with me being third, so again I don’t need to set the alarm.
Fuel stop at Ignace, ON: 520L
Day eight: Kaministiqua, Ontario — New Liskeard, Ontario. 999Kms.
I wake up and nobody has moved! I check the time, and yes, there should be some kind of action by now. I gather my breakfast stuff and wash kit together and wander across to the drivers room. I open the door and find the guy that should have been loading first looking rather bleary eyed and nursing a coffee and the owner and his helper all sat around the table looking seriously unmotivated. I get washed up, have breakfast and a coffee… and another… and another. Its now getting on for noon and still nobodys is making a move to load. Finally, I decide its time to load up and get out of there. I am delivering into Guelph, ON and have been told not to turn up before 12 noon, so I still have plenty of time. I leave the barn and head east. I don’t get far before I have to stop to get rid of some of this mornings coffee! Lol. Once I get to Nipigon, the highway splits and I turn off onto hwy 11 and retrace my steps from last week. I have a quick stop in Cochrane for a coffee and cattle check. I make it into New liskeard and decide to turn in for the night. I park in the far corner of the parking lot where it is practically empty and figure I won’t be disturbed.
Day nine: New Liskeard, Ontario — Stratford, Ontario. 637Kms.
I am awake early after having one of the worst nights sleep this trip. At 3am someone did a trailer change right down the side of me, waking both me and my cattle (when the trailer brakes were set the whole truck jumped, almost bouncing me out of bed), and when I got up in the morning someone was parked down the side of me with their engine idling (it was 24c). So much for trying to be considerate and parking out of the way. Gotta wonder why I bother sometimes.
I set off, stopping in North Bay for fuel, coffee and breakfast. I don’t hang around too long, it is going to be a hot day today and I want to get the cattle off and go home.
As I head south out of North Bay, the scale is open but they run me straight over, no problems. I weighed about 96,000lbs. I run into some traffic around Barrie, otherwise it was all plain sailing right into Guelph. The cattle were weighed as they ran off and they had around an 8% shrinkage which was pretty good.
I head back to the yard, park up and go home. I have a couple of days off. All in all it has been a pretty good trip. No major problems other than the day when it felt like I was going to turn around and find myself on a candid camera. ïŠ
Fuel stop at North Bay, ON: 646.22L (5.51 mpg)
Total fuel North Bay — North Bay = 3457.279L (760.60138 gallon) 7202kms (4501.25 miles) = 5.918 mpg
Total distance travelled: 8126Kms (5079 miles)
1pm Sunday - 6pm Monday (9 days)
