Question:
Is there any outfits that haul freight to Alaska that lease owner-operators? I have always wanted to haul a load or two up that way to see it- heard it's very scenic.
What kind of preparations must one make when traveling the Al-Can? I have an older (1998) car that's in very good condition, and I carry lots of tools, spare parts, and what not for the needs of others, and myself. I carry a refrigerator/freezer that can hold a week's worth of food, as well as a barbecue grill & microwave .
How is celllular coverage out that way? I use AT&T, and have noticed good coverage when traveling in Canada in years past.
Is the Al-Can paved the whole way now? Also, is there many places to park when it's time for a break?
Does XM Radio work well that far north? I have seen many Canadian cars with XM antennas on them.
Thanks!

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Well Captn
I ran up there in a 97 Century.
first of all my cell didn't work very well.
Make sure your insurance is up to date and you have a paper stating what your ins is and what it covers.. If you are not registered for Alaska it will cost you $360 bucks to enter Alaska for 30 days. $350 for power and $10 for trailer.
food is no problem. They speak english and food is every where. Hunptys is the best place to eat . Parking in most place's is on the street in most places in BC and Yukon. Sort of a frontage road. You will see when you get there.
car stops up there are not what you are used to here in the US.
Yes the Al Can is paved all the way except for some long streches of repair.
Not bad. But mostley 2 lane when not in a major town or city
Check to see if your fuel card is accepted up there and in all the prov's BC Alberta, Yukon, and Alaska. T chek is not. ESSO is the big brand there and fuel is very very high. I used my C Card and let the C card people figure the exchange rate. 1 week and 2 motels $2200 dollars. and that was not in season. End of SEPT. Best time to go. NO tourists and not much snow.
They sand the roads in the middle of the hill and on the up side. NO SALT You will need to take more memory for your D camera and extra batteries.
went in at Montana and came out at Prince George .
The country is beautiful. the people are great.
If you go into Alaska at TOK. you must stop at the place called Fast Eddies.
The guys at the scale are very nice men. A driver has to work very hard to get a ticket there.
they are used to tourists carers,lol
The animals in Yukon and BC are educated and can read. The sign says carriboo next 5 miles and sure enough the next 5 mile were carribo. The buffalo are wild in Yukon and Alaska and run free. Alaska has a herd of over 900. They have the right of way because you can't win the race. very tame tho and love tourists. Not the least camera shy.
After you leave BC places to stop and buy part are scarce as chickens teeth
There are Pulloffs to park in and it is usually at a place that has a resturant or bar but some one alive. Billboard will let you know what is up ahead and of cours the highway signs too. Your map is best left on the seat and get a local or provincial map.
When traveling at night the drivers that run up there have special lighte on their cars and are very very bright. That is to look for moose at about a mile ahead. TRUE. carers are very courteous up there. They do not run channel 19. It really quiet on 19. very few use it.They run LADD1 and LADD2 freq.s to you and me that is HAM freq. 2 meter I think

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Thanks for the response, NiteStar. Sounds like that trip would be an adventure! I've seen some huge off-road lights on cars in Washington state that run up that way (Lynden Transport comes to mind).
I currently use an EFS card, and fortunately, my car has a safe cruising range of 1,400 miles on what fuel it can carry (tanks are 150 gallons, but can only accept 135 gallons each). How far is it from the U.S./B.C. border to the Alaska line?
I do have a digital camera with a memory card capable of storing 164 pictures, as well as a camcorder.

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Capt. Chaos, My only experience in Alaska was last Summer. We bobtailed a '99 Volvo 770 up to Juneau. Crossed into B.C. at Sumas on a Sunday morning and planned to run all night but after a car in front of us hit a deer and I almost ran over a family of Black Bears we knocked off for the night in Fort St. John. The next day we drove to White Horse, Yukon a very nice City on the Yukon River. Along the way we saw 3 Moose, Black bears, Brown Bears, the biggest Buffalo I've ever seen, Mt. Goats, and one Fox. We had a reservation on the Ferry out of Skagway for Wed. Evening so we got in some sight seeing and had a spectacular drive down to Skagway. It was just a little over 1600 miles from the WA border and we didn't have to buy any fuel since we averaged 12.3 MPG. We spent 4 days in Juneau and then road the Ferry back down to Bellingham. The Volvo stayed in Juneau with it's new owner. We had blue skies and 75 degrees the whole trip. Even saw the Northern Lights coming into Juneau. The 2 1/2 day Ferry ride down the inside passage was smooth and comfortable with pretty good food and a bar with Alaska Amber on tap. The Ferry even detoured and stopped so we could enjoy a pod of Orcas. It was a fabulous trip and the guy who bought my Tractor paid all the expenses. How can you beat that? Jeff

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For a caring company beside Lynden try this
For general Alaska information try this
Here is an excellent message board for Alaska Travel
For detailed information go to your local book store and get this
- This is the bible of the north
I drove the highway twice but its been a while. Plenty of spaces to stop with a car. Lots of steep hills also.
I think these links will take care of all your questions

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There are several outfits that come up here to Alaska that will lease owner-operators. Lynden is one of the best. However, most of the companies have strict tractor requirements. Most companies want the tractor to be no older then 6yrs. So you may want to make the trip soon. Once you start driving for them they usually waive the age requirement for other trips if you decided you want to do it again. With Lynden you must have cabover sleeper with 208" maximum wheelbase less than 6 yrs old.


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Yes it is very scenic. The southern part of the highway takes you through a wide range of terrain, from the rich agricultural region of northern Alberta and BC's Peace River district, to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and Cassiar Mountains. Rivers and lakes are too numerous to count, many of them showing the brilliant colors that indicate their origin in nearby glaciers. The northern half of the "Alcan" offers the opportunity to see an incredible variety of landscapes, from the dry valley of the Yukon River at Whitehorse, to the imposing peaks of the Kluane Range, through the permafrost region west of Beaver Creek, and finally into the fertile Tanana River valley at Delta Junction.


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NiteStar has answered this one very well. The only thing I would add is that with all the new updates along the highway you won’t get into much trouble like you used to in the ’80s and early ‘90s.


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AT&T has about the best coverage in Canada however, when traveling among the mountains on the “Alcan” the coverage will be poor and spotty.


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All of the Alaska Highway is paved, although highway improvement projects— such as the Shakwak Project between Haines Junction and the AK–YT border—often means you have to drive miles of gravel road through construction areas, bringing into question whether that statement is altogether accurate.


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Services are usually anywhere from 50-150 miles apart after you leave B.C. They have put in a lot more pull out spots along the highway that have no services just a place to get off the highway. However, be careful of witch ones you use as some are close to the start of a big climb and you will have to back track a few miles if you want to climb the hill in a day. Keep your atlas handy and I would also invest in a Milepost. It is a travel guide for the Alaska Highway including Alberta, B.C., Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Although it is set up for tourist it has very useful information about services and the road.


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Like NiteStar said we don’t run channel 19 up here. Most run LADD1 freq. It is because most of Alaska is mountains and it is nearly impossible to run 19 up here.


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Here is a break down of the trip for you:
Dawson Creek to Fort St. John, 47 miles (beginning of the Alcan)
Fort St. John to Fort Nelson, 236 miles
Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, 330 miles
Watson Lake to Whitehorse, 272 miles
Whitehorse to Haines Junction, 100 miles
Haines Junction to Port Alcan (border), 205 miles
Port Alcan to Tok, 92 miles (as NiteStar said don’t forget to stop at Fast Eddies)
Tok to Delta Junction, 108 miles (what many consider to be the end of the Alcan)
Delta Junction to Fairbanks, 98 miles (the true end of the Alcan)
If you can make the trip I would there is nothing else like it in the world. I made my first trip in 1989 been doing it ever since. Although now I prefer to travel the Cassiar highway now it still is beautiful any way you go. I make about 5-6 runs a month and love every minute of it. Unfortunately I am going to have to give it up after this summer and drive strictly in the lower 48 when I move to CA.

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Captn..
164 pictures won't be enough. and you wont' be able to stop any time you want to down load to a lap top. ( 2 lane) I would invest in a spare batteries and a charger and extra memory. The camera we used would last about 2 hours left turned on, and it took about the same to charge the spare batts.. Kept it ready for those special shots. Took a lot of pictures and the scenery was awsome . It is weird to be looking down on the clouds and the mountain top poking up through them. .Some of Gods best work..
If you get the chance to go don't pass it up. You will see why people go to Alaska to visit and never return to the lower 48.
For the first time I would plan on running daylight hours. Safer unless a full moon. Moose are huge and are the BOSS and know it. They blend in well with the background and folage especially at night.
Good luck ENJOY

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Hey Captain, two other companies I normally see when I'm in the PNW who run Alaska pretty heavy are Van Hopkins (think that's what they're called) They have a fleet of nice black Pete 379's w/ the special lights on some pulling black reefers. Seen a few O/O's pulling their trailers if my memory serves me right. Good looking outfit needles to say. Another common carrier would be Alaska-Minn (or it's the other way around) With a name like that, how could they not travel to Alaska? I've seen a few older O/O's in their fleet so your car would fit right in. It doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is, but any car I've seen going SB on I-5 from Alaska always has a good layer of grime on her! If I've gotten these names wrong, I'd appreciate it if someone could help. Thanks guys!

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Good post, Jeff. Excellent info in return, too.
I've often wondered about this myself (not that I'll probably ever go!).
Just thought I'd let ya know...
Happy trails

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Hey, Wolfcreek! E-mail me at I'm in Louisville and had a blast at the car show! Take care! -Jeff

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Vic Hoskins out of Lewiston, Idaho and Minn-Alaska, don't know where (maybe they have a web site?). I just drive a bus, but if there's anything I can do for you, ask.

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You're right ...a 30 day permit is $360.00...buy the plate instead...it's $320.00 A YEAR only.
The nice light yous ee on the cars that run nortyh are the same ones I put on my T800.... they are called LightForce and come from Australia.
I run 6"ones.. a lot of guys run 8"and 10".. I've seen Lynden cars with 4 10"light s in the front.
When you see them coming towrds you....You sometimes wonder if its a locomotive on high beam.

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Northern Routes Transportation told me they send up 10 cars a week to Alaska.
Don't know if the use owner-operators though.