What do you carry to Prudhoe Bay? John McDonald, vice president: “A list of what we don’t haul might be shorter. “The simple answer is that we carry everything the people up there need to live and work, year round, from their groceries to the giant modules that make up part of the drilling rigs. ”What is a “module”? “They’re modular buildings that contain various equipment needed to produce the oil. It’s vital gear, like heat exchangers or gas-water separators, pumps, and so on.”

How big is a module?

“They’re up to 80 feet long, 20+ feet wide, 14-1/2 feet tall, and can weigh over 100 tons.”

Can you move that with one tractor?

“We use one tractor pulling and four pushing. The grades are pretty severe on the haul road, many of them run 10-12 percent, so you need lots of power.”

It must be tricky, moving a load that long.

“It is. Depending on the configuration, the tractor and trailer combined can reach an overall length of 215 feet.We can steer the back of the trailer. That’s something I sometimes do. It’s sort of like a fire engine hook-and-ladder truck, but much bigger – and with other trucks pushing."

A module heads up a grade on the Dalton Highway. On tractor pulls, while four push.

How long does it take to get a module to Prudhoe Bay?

“It’s about 875 miles from Anchorage to Prudhoe. We can’t run during the day near population centers because of traffic, so it usually takes us two or three days to get from Anchorage to Fairbanks.

“Once we’re on the haul road, if we have good weather, we can make it to Prudhoe in five or six days.”

That’s only about 100 miles a day. How fast can you go?

“The speed limit on the haul road is 50, but with a big module, we can only make about 25, maybe less, depending on conditions. Plus, we run chains most of the way, which keeps our speed down to 20 mph or less.”

"In the winter, the road is actually pretty good, because it's snow-packed and frozen solid. You get good traction, and if weather and traffic cooperate, you can move along fairly well."

What kind of conditions do you encounter?

“In the winter, the road is actually pretty good, because it’s snow-packed and frozen solid. You get good traction, and if weather and traffic cooperate, you can move along fairly well.”

“But the weather can be unpredictable. “In the spring, when everything starts to thaw, what we call ‘break-up,’ the road can turn to mud. It’s much harder going then.

“And, in the summer, when it dries out, we get washboarding and potholes. Winter’s actually the best time to run the haul road.”

Can it get too cold to run?

“If it gets much colder than 50 below, air system problems are common, wheel bearings don’t like to turn, melted snowdust can freeze brake shoes to brake drums when you stop, the tires harden and metal fatigue becomes a huge problem.”

Editor’s note: In Fairbanks, nearly 500 miles south of Prudhoe Bay, schools stay open and schoolbuses run, all the way to 60 below zero!

It must take outstanding drivers to run the haul road.

“It helps. We usually have new drivers run it a few times with a veteran before they drive it the first time.”

How tough is the haul road on equipment?

Steve Grzebski, terminal manager, Fairbanks: “Equipment can get pretty beat up. The haul road is gravel and the tires throw that gravel against everything.

“We have to be very careful to make sure we’ve got mud flaps in place, plus we have to install special covers and protection for hoses, fittings, brake cans and other parts that would be destroyed by the constant bombardment of gravel."

The road is pretty bad in summer, too.

“That’s right. As John said, we get lots of potholes and washboard surfaces.

“I’ve driven in the lower 48, and you see plenty of trucks down there that are four or five years old, and look and ride practically like new. Up here, a truck can be almost worn out in that short a time.”

Do drivers have to make repairs on the road?

“Usually not mechanical repairs, but they often have to deal with tires. In the summer, we use rock tires, but we still get punctures.

“Our drivers carry an air wrench, and have to know how to change and repair a tire. We can’t afford to send a service truck 200 miles or more to fix a flat. You have to be resourceful.”

How well do tires hold up for you?

Chuck Webster, director of maintenance, Anchorage terminal: “We don’t get the kind of wear people in the lower 48 expect. For one thing, even our interstate highways aren’t what you’re used to down there. “Most of them are just two lanes, and we get lots of frost heaves that create breaks and holes. “On the haul road, we’re using a lot of Bridgestone M774 drive tires. A tractor will probably go through about two sets of those in a year’s time, maybe 60-65 thousand miles each. “We used to try to use tires with a harder compound in the summer, but we’re finding the M774 is working pretty well all year round.”

Are the chains you use hard on tires?

“They can be. In the winter, we may have to chain up all the tires, even the steers. Occasionally, we have to run chains 100 miles or more.”

With the oil coming down the pipeline, what do you do for backhauls?

John McDonald: “We probably have about one load back for every five we take up north. Running empty on the haul road can be tough on tires. On steeper hills, wheel spin can be a problem if your driver dosn’t have good throttle control.

“In fact, that’s one of the ways we can judge a driver – by how well his tires hold up. Fortunately, most of ours are pretty good.”

Our sincere thanks to all the people of Carlile K&W who gave so generously of their time in helping us prepare this article.