Pioneering Tanker Driver's Passing Mourned by Alaska Trucking Community

[Mike]

A Dalton Highway veteran said to be the only woman driving fuel tankers to Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oil fields died in a rollover crash early on Aug. 24. Authorities on Aug. 27 identified the driver as Joy Wiebe, 50, a Fairbanks resident and transport driver for many years. The crash occurred about 31 miles south of Deadhorse.

Wiebe was hauling a 59-foot tanker with 9,700 gallons of diesel fuel bound for Prudhoe just before 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 when the tractor went off a soft shoulder and down a steep embankment, according to the statement. The force of the impact caused the tanker to flip, which then flipped the tractor further into a swamp basin, the company said.

“I am honestly in such shock,” said Amy Butcher, a professor at Ohio Wesleyan University who is working on a book about Wiebe. “I did that road with her in April. She knew that road better than anybody.” Wiebe drove the road for 13 years, according to Butcher, who plans to finish the book, she said.

The gravel and dirt highway once known as the North Slope Haul Road runs 414 miles from the Elliott Highway to Deadhorse.

Pioneering Tanker Driver's Passing Mourned by Alaska Trucking Community

 

[Rigjockey]

A Dalton Highway veteran said to be the only woman driving fuel tankers to Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay oil fields died in a rollover crash early on Aug. 24. Authorities on Aug. 27 identified the driver as Joy Wiebe, 50, a Fairbanks resident and transport driver for many years.

Rest In Peace truck driver!

Wiebe was hauling a 59-foot tanker with 9,700 gallons of diesel fuel bound

Do they actually make 59 foot tankers? Probably not being there would be only a small market and probably only in Alaska.
Journalists should probably do some fact checking.

 

[Mike]

Do they actually make 59 foot tankers? Probably not being there would be only a small market and probably only in Alaska.
Journalists should probably do some fact checking.

B Train most likely, being 59 foot.

 

[Ontario Outlaw]

9700 pounds of fuel? That’s what, roughly, 70,000 pounds? That’s pretty decent, if my math is right

 

[Rigjockey]

B Train most likely, being 59 foot.

Possibly, But the article says "a 59-foot tanker "
"A" being singular and not plural, I would think they just got it wrong.

 

[Mike]

Possibly, But the article says "a 59-foot tanker "
"A" being singular and not plural, I would think they just got it wrong.

Possibly, but 59ft is a common size for those up there.

I think.

 

[Ranger_375]

B trains or doubles, it's rare to see stuff moving bulk that isn't in BULK, unless it's a local delivery.

 

[Fageol]

B Train most likely, being 59 foot.

Not saying there isn't one or more here, but the only b-trains I've seen up this way are run by the board haulers out of B.C. That's evidence that b-trains are legal but for whatever reasons, they're not used. A-trains (doubles) like those of Sourdough and the other freight lash-ups, Carlile, Lynden, Midnight Sun, et al are the norm. In Alaska, combinations can be no longer than 120'. The last I saw was that trailers can be no longer than 53'. Those lead tanks look long but I doubt that they're longer than 53'. And I suspect that the lead tanks could hold about 20,000 gallons. But depending on product, I don't know how much they can carry on their 4 or 5 axles.

The tail tanks look like they can easily haul more than 12,000 gallons of gas on 4 or 5 axles. I've never seen a converter dolly under a tail trailer, i.e. the tanker outfits use pull (or full -- take your pick) trailers with about 10' tongues -- the main difference between them and the tanks used for local deliveries is that they're one-holers.

The first pic is of a lead tanker at the Weaver Bros. Anchorage yard. Doyle, the owner of Weaver Bros., hangs out in the Kenai yard. I think that he likes to fiddle around with the winch trucks of his oilfield operation. He has some hot oil tankers there in Kenai. I haven't seen many holes in his shirts (you wouldn't know him from one of the drivers, mechanics, or yard hands) so I'm guessing he doesn't fool with those hot oil tanks very much. I always liked the color of Weaver trucks. It's a union lash-up but that doesn't mean much other than port access -- the IBT had a deal that only union lash-ups could haul freight (mostly containers but not fuel) out of the Port of Anchorage. The IBT/Port deal is slowly going away.


A small set -- location unknown, maybe Healy. Crowley has ships, barges, trucks, terminals all over the world.


Heading to Prudhoe (doubles are not allowed on the haul road). Alaska West is one of Lynden's companies -- Lynden has that big Milky Way operation in OR, WA, CA, Idaho, and perhaps elsewhere. It also has a bunch of C130s for its airfreight operation centered in Anchorage (which makes sense as Anchorage is one of the top five freight airports on Planet Earth). (The super big Antonov 225 is fairly commonly seen here. Its comings and goings tend to attract crowds a the end of runways -- we like our aircraft.)

Most commonly seen sets that haul jet fuel to Fairbanks (stolen from its web page)


My friend Lolly gets a pass as propane is hauled in semis only. She's mounting up, ready to haul to the Pogo (gold) Mine by Fairbanks

The Antonov 225 taking off (location unknown). I have a pic of it sitting at the Anchorage Airport but the plane was too far away for a good shot with my little camera. Sometimes it sits here for weeks. When here it looks abandoned sitting behind a simple 8' cyclone fence while traffic buzzes by on the runways, taxiways, and the road to the UPS, Fed Ex, other freight operations, the main post office, and the passenger terminals.

 

[Uncle Birchy]

Not saying there isn't one or more here, but the only b-trains I've seen up this way are run by the board haulers out of B.C. That's evidence that b-trains are legal but for whatever reasons, they're not used. A-trains (doubles) like those of Sourdough and the other freight lash-ups, Carlile, Lynden, Midnight Sun, et al are the norm. In Alaska, combinations can be no longer than 120'. The last I saw was that trailers can be no longer than 53'. Those lead tanks look long but I doubt that they're longer than 53'. And I suspect that the lead tanks could hold about 20,000 gallons. But depending on product, I don't know how much they can carry on their 4 or 5 axles.

The tail tanks look like they can easily haul more than 12,000 gallons of gas on 4 or 5 axles. I've never seen a converter dolly under a tail trailer, i.e. the tanker outfits use pull (or full -- take your pick) trailers with about 10' tongues -- the main difference between them and the tanks used for local deliveries is that they're one-holers.

The first pic is of a lead tanker at the Weaver Bros. Anchorage yard. Doyle, the owner of Weaver Bros., hangs out in the Kenai yard. I think that he likes to fiddle around with the winch trucks of his oilfield operation. He has some hot oil tankers there in Kenai. I haven't seen many holes in his shirts (you wouldn't know him from one of the drivers, mechanics, or yard hands) so I'm guessing he doesn't fool with those hot oil tanks very much. I always liked the color of Weaver trucks. It's a union lash-up but that doesn't mean much other than port access -- the IBT had a deal that only union lash-ups could haul freight (mostly containers but not fuel) out of the Port of Anchorage. The IBT/Port deal is slowly going away.
View attachment 79672

A small set -- location unknown, maybe Healy. Crowley has ships, barges, trucks, terminals all over the world.
View attachment 79673

Heading to Prudhoe (doubles are not allowed on the haul road). Alaska West is one of Lynden's companies -- Lynden has that big Milky Way operation in OR, WA, CA, Idaho, and perhaps elsewhere. It also has a bunch of C130s for its airfreight operation centered in Anchorage (which makes sense as Anchorage is one of the top five freight airports on Planet Earth). (The super big Antonov 225 is fairly commonly seen here. Its comings and goings tend to attract crowds a the end of runways -- we like our aircraft.)
View attachment 79674
Most commonly seen sets that haul jet fuel to Fairbanks (stolen from its web page)
View attachment 79676

My friend Lolly gets a pass as propane is hauled in semis only. She's mounting up, ready to haul to the Pogo (gold) Mine by Fairbanks
View attachment 79681
The Antonov 225 taking off (location unknown). I have a pic of it sitting at the Anchorage Airport but the plane was too far away for a good shot with my little camera. Sometimes it sits here for weeks. When here it looks abandoned sitting behind a simple 8' cyclone fence while traffic buzzes by on the runways, taxiways, and the road to the UPS, Fed Ex, other freight operations, the main post office, and the passenger terminals.
View attachment 79682

Got anymore pictures of "Lolly"

Sorry I just hadda go there.

 

[Fageol]

Got anymore pictures of "Lolly"

Sorry I just hadda go there.

Here's her latest post of a few hours ago.

Here's her latest aphorism


She posted this on Palm Sunday (she is pretty conscientious about going to church).


Birchy, here's hoping that this works at least a temporary fix.

Later this morning, I'll be helping my friend who does stained glass in the winter and is a landscape contractor in summer and is a part-time model any old time. I've posted pics of her; however RJ says she has fake boobs, so I don't post pics of her any more. She's fearless and would make a great trucker. But she would have to do OTR; she attracts too much attention even in street clothes. A case in point was a few nights ago. She (Cean), my brother-in-law (at 84 still rides about 4000 miles a year on his 1150 BMW), and I were at American Legion Post 15. Every man in the joint had to come by and say hello to me. But their obvious intent was to check out Cean, she's that good looking in plain old clothes. As usual, the three of us were just goofing off; we've been friends too long to take each other too seriously when we're out and about.

Just got back from driving 1800 miles through Nevada and Cali. with my little buddy Sue who did a lot of the driving and did a good job for a gal who runs a little hyper. If she wants to make the transition from hair dresser to trainee trucker, I'll give you a whistle.

Here Sue is at the table of my rich relatives ranch in the Sierras (the table sits at least 15).

Here's the main room of the ranch house. The kitchen (where she was sitting) is on the left.


Stay safe.

Best, Fageol

 

[Duck]

Got anymore pictures of "Lolly"

Sorry I just hadda go there.

He doesn't disappoint

 

[4mer Trucker]

Dear @Rigjockey

Please take back what U said about the "Bolt-ons" so we get more pictures, I do have a Archive to maintain

Thank U