Trucking in alaska

@akfisher

 

Snow don't bother you?

Such Hubris....

Let me tell you something. Alaska is it's own world. There are things that happen up there in Nature far exceeding anything we lower 48's have yet to experience and see.

Ive been tempted to take on Alaska myself.

We have personally done necessary business in Alaska in the past. But we will not want to live up there any time soon. The winters are more savage and way beyond anything offered here in the lower 48.

How bad? The oil bill for heat each month in Fairbanks is around 1200 dollars.

If you wanted to drive to Anchorage from Fairbanks, there are 5 massive mountain ranges to cross. Some of which will kill you in your truck. People simply do not go there if they do not have to.

 

The last statement is truth. Or you were born there.

 

You would enjoy running the Rockies then. Just have a set of chains and be willing to toss em on there.

Summers are short. But Beautiful. Winters not so bad as long you respect what's coming.

I do respect that recently Mass and Buffalo has been hit with big Lake snows. It's awesome for that area. I loved the west and always will even though I was such a East Coast Rat. The little mountains in the Appalachian Range was good training wheels for the big ones to come later.

We had family in Alaska at one time. Not anymore. Sold the home, took almost a year to get it done. In the meantime endured all the utilities and so forth in addition to our own home. And flew up there to make things happen as well. There is no commercial flight on earth capable of getting to Alaska in 24 hours time. It's that far away. You could not even use the US Postal Eagle Overnight to Fairbanks. Next morning shows it a few hundred miles prior to Anchorage in the air.

Alaska was tempting. Very tempting. However stories came out of there about a life for many which is not ideal and not the kind I would want to see in our own. Arkansas has been good to us and here we stay.

 

While they are not based in Alaska, Halvor Lines claimed they have consistent freight running back and forth from there to the lower 48 when I talked to a recruiter. I have never talked to any of their recent drivers though.

 

There was and is a number of carriers that cross Canadian Land to get to and from Alaska. During Probate, our mother in law, the sentimental fool she is... wanted to ship the furniture set from Fairbanks to Little Rock. A trucking company in Montana entered negotiations with us to find the total cost.

They were willing to commit a 18 wheeler from Montana to Fairbanks and load up back to Arkansas for around 5500 gross. At the time we turned it down because my advice to the Mother was simple. The value of the goods being brought back is sentimental to her and not even close to the total billing for someone to go there and get it. We could buy the same furnature right here in Little Rock for thousands less.

Fortunately she did not follow through and commit a truck on a wild goose chase that far.

 

Depends on what you want to do depends on pay. I drive tanker and make 26$ an hour. All the hours I want in winter then slows to 40 hours in summer. Alaska will make you a good driver thats for sure. You will learn to throw chains in minutes. Climb grades that were not made for Trucks. (Where I am) Alaska is huge too so take that into consideration.

 

I think they build trucks to a 15% GRADE Standard. You should be able to clutch manually and move a loaded rig on a 15% DOT slope without rolling backwards, in addition to; the brakes being able to hold that rig on any grade when parked.

Trust me, Ive a little thrill seeking with it in mountains. If Im not on a mountain (Steeper the better) Im not happy. I blame my trucking school instructors for hammering that fear they detected in me the first time I had a truck on a steep hill somewhere in Maryland. I squealed like a little girl and they laughed at me. Then said bad words told me to grow a pair, shut up and get this *&^% over the top... then we go to downhill school.

I loved my instructors then. And fear is not a problem in battle as long you refuse to give in to it. And continue to make decisions, execute them fast in the time you have left prior to a smash.