Brian Lohnes on Instagram: "The potholes were a nightmare. In 1956 the US and Canada decided they needed a Cold War upgrade and created the Distant Early Warning line of radar in the northern, remote reaches of Canada. With no roads and no technology to get building supplies to the locations of the radar installations, a solution was needed. Mack trucks answered with a fleet of 11 of baddest big rigs in the world. Based on the LRVSW platform, these trucks had 600hp, 1,500ci Cummins V12 Diesel engines, 5ft tall tires, special trailers with 5,500 gallons of fuel and a loaded weight of 333,000lbs a piece. The trucks went on a 1,200 mile trip to white hell on “roads” made by bulldozer teams ahead of them. With temps regularly at 65 below the engines had special air heaters to keep them functional. Making one refueling stop at a remote oil refinery, they completed the trip while slogging 24-hours a day, each man taking a 12 hour shift. Two of the trailers were bunkhouses with heat that t...
3,477 likes, 81 comments - brianlohnes on August 25, 2018: "The potholes were a nightmare. In 1956 the US and Canada decided they needed a Cold War upgrade and created the Distant Early Warning line of radar in the northern, remote reaches of Canada. With no roads and no technology to get building supplies to the locations of the radar installations, a solution was needed. Mack trucks answered with a fleet of 11 of baddest big rigs in the world. Based on the LRVSW platform, these trucks had 600hp, 1,500ci Cummins V12 Diesel engines, 5ft tall tires, special trailers with 5,500 gallons of fuel and a loaded weight of 333,000lbs a piece. The trucks went on a 1,200 mile trip to white hell on “roads” made by bulldozer teams ahead of them. With temps regularly at 65 below the engines had special air heaters to keep them functional. Making one refueling stop at a remote oil refinery, they completed the trip while slogging 24-hours a day, each man taking a 12 hour shift. Two of the trailers were bunkhouses with heat that the off-duty drivers are and slept in. A truly incredible battle of man and machine...won by Mack trucks. The DEW Line went functional in 1957 and worked for decades. #mack #macktruck #iceroad #americana #america #canada #badass #tough #hardcore #victory #unstoppable #slow #work #horsepower #awesome".