Driving to Alaska

When people saw them , they knew to behave!

 

Make sure to service your air dryer. Dry air will save you a lot of head aches. When parking at night don't set trailer brakes. If you are on level ground with deep snow you can leave truck brakes off as well. After you tires cooled off move back and forth a couple off feet to prevent the warm tires melting into snow and freezing to the ground. If you are stuck to the ground you can pore windshield washer fluid over you tires and it might melt the ice around threads. Carry a 10lbs sledge in case your brakes are frozen. You can crawl underneath and hit the edge of the brake drums. Don't hit the shoes or slack adjusters.

Listen to the Canadians about your log book and HOS. When you come into Tok, AK be ready for an inspection. Southern trucks will get inspected upon entry. If you come during 10 and 3 you can go to DMV to buy plate for truck and trailer. Give the Tok DMV a call since they require certain things to get plates. You can spend all day there waiting for stuff to be faxed in.

Make sure license plates and tail lights are clean when entering scales. If not you will be called in quickly.

Yukon will have you buy trip permits and fuel permits. If Watson Lake is closed you can run up to Whitehorse and get permits there.

Probably, don't have a VHF on the truck if you do LADD1 I Alaska Highway, Arrow1 is good for Alaska.

You can check roads on driveBC.com they have a new app as well.

BC requires chains to be carried. Yukon doesn't really have a chain law. They figure you made it there it's up to you to figure it out.

In the Yukon you can drive 15 in 18 and you only need 8 off. When entering Alaska make sure you had 10 off. If not they will park you. Alaska you can drive 15 in 20 and no 30min brake needed.

I'm in the office today and might check back later. Ask questions if you have any.

 

I live 30 minutes from there.

 

I am truelly sorry.

 

Just scanned all my log sheets in from last trip and realized something else.
There are Brake Checks you will have to stop and log them as well. Another easy thing to get a log violation in Canada. You need to pick a cycle as well and note that on your log. Not sure if you are on paper or e-logs.

 

If that is you in the avatar I call BS on your chaining up good and fast.

 

Good piece of advice vikinswen, I forgot about that. It will either be cycle 1 or cycle 2. Cycle 1 is closer to what our 70 hour rule is in the lower 48. Also if you go through Mucho Lake are which you will if you take the Alcan the wildlife likes to stay on or near the road through there including the buffalo. They will not move off of the road in a a hurry at all.

 

I remember, one time, middle of winter, Saranac Lake. Low on fuel. That was stupid. Ain't nowhere to swing a 70 foot truck into for a casual fill up around there I figured out the hard way.

 

Just drop your trailer on the road and bobtail thirty feet to the pump. It's not exactly a high traffic area.

 

The logbook BS is enough to make me not want to go up there. Sounds fun otherwise. Maybe just working AK between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay would be less trouble if you're a northern latitude junky.