Football Field Sized Trucks Head to Canadian Tar Sands with Superloads
People in Montana have been noticing some big rigs on their highways, really big rigs.
Special trucks the size of a football field are carrying equipment cargo in “superloads” to the Canadian Tar Sands for oil extraction.
The Billings Gazette reports on the massive size of the trucks:
How big? One load that is coming up from the port of Houston and began its passage through Montana on Wednesday is 20 feet wide, slightly more than 20 feet tall and 290 feet long. It has 90 tires on 24 axles and weighs 917,000 pounds - so heavy that two trucks are attached to the rear to help push it along.
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One truck’s cargo, weighing over a million pounds, contains a steam condenser unit headed for the tar sands in Saskatchewan. Heading in the opposite direction, giant trucks will be bringing natural gas equipment in from Canada to Wyoming. Not all of the heavy equipment is for detrimental energy projects such as the Canadian tar sands, but some trucks will be carrying giant generator blades to a wind farm in Alberta. Each load costs about $15,000 a day to ship.
Trucks transporting superloads are becoming an industry standard. Superloads are under strict restrictions, such as daytime travel only. These superload trucks often traverse two lane highways because their cargo is too large to fit under interstate overpasses.
All trucks have to pay gross vehicle weight fees and overweight permit fees, and the state tries to weigh each one somewhere on its passage through the state, to make sure it is meeting the gross-weight and per-axle weight limits.
One oil sands company has already notified the state of Montana they plan to bring up to 300 superloads through Montana in 2010 or 2011.
Image: DAVID GRUBBS/Gazette Staff
You, and all of us, won’t think tar sands are “detrimental energy projects” when oil goes back over $140/bbl and we are desperately seeking new sources to keep the price from going even much higher.
Indeed. Little by little the wheels are falling off the anthropogenic global warming bandwagon, it’s good to see they’re finding a place in something more useful.
go ahead and turn down Canada’s “dirty oil”, I’m sure China and India will be happy to pay for it - then try getting your hands on it.
A fascinating article ruined by one word, “detrimental.” I’m not sure what anti-scientific philosophy the author clings to but any project that expands the world’s energy options is beneficial.
Now that, by god sir, (ptui) is Truck Drivin’.
What will you tell your kid you did at work today?
Last time I checked, a football field is 360 feet by 160 ft, or 57,600 square feet. These trucks are 290 ft by 20 ft, or 5,800 square feet. So, these trucks are actually 1/10-football-field-sized. I guess that doesn’t sound as dramatic.
(Even if you exclude the end zones, the remaining amount of the field is 300 by 160, or 48,000 square feet…)
“One load that is coming up from the port of Houston”
Too bad it couldn’t be made in USA.
Do you know anything about the technologies being employed–do you have any idea what this steam condenser is for–before you start spouting off about “detrimental” projects you should get your sorry ass to an knowledge source and figure it out. If you want to write about dirty oil and detrimental energy projects go have a look at California.
Only in the mind if an environmentalist is economic expansion and domestic energy production “detrimental.”
Hi! little Jennifer! Just thought you might want to know. ooooh! ‘blogging*’ can sure be hard sometimes - like Math!! Stick to the weaving and photography - you’re kinda soft on spacial concepts and your background on technology, especially energy is kinda, shall we say, politely, spotty. If you want income for your writing forget it. McDonald’s is hiring - at least until your buddies impose ‘card check’, or wreak the economy some other way.
*Who are you kidding?