Friday, November 01, 2024

Two longtime truckers with more than 10 million miles between them have embarked on a cross-country trip from Seattle to Washington D.C. with the Capitol’s Christmas tree in tow.





John Schank and veteran transporter Fred Austin are the ones taking on the big job for Lynden Transport. This specific 74-foot Sitka Spruce was harvested from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, and the harvest celebration just wrapped up in the town of Ketchikan. (I've been there, in the fjord there at least, it's near a Navy testing area, SEAFAC)

John Schank has 40 years of service on the Dalton Highway connecting Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay. Schank has racked up 6.1 million miles of accident-free driving

Fred Austin is a seasoned pro apparently nicknamed “Icon of the Alcan” for his experience on the Alaskan Highway, which connects the state to the contiguous U.S. by running through Canada. He started in 1975 when construction began on the Alaska oil pipeline in Fairbanks, and now, at 90 years old now with roughly 4 million miles under his belt, he’s a driver trainer and mentor at the logistics firm’s training center.

Lynden’s sister company Alaska Marine Lines then shipped it via barge to Seattle where the tree and trailer hitched up to the duo’s Kenworth T680. It’s now on the way to the U.S. Capitol Building’s West Lawn

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