Oil patch bits: Colville Transport LLC makes environmental safety milestone

Petroleum News

Fairbanks-based Colville Transport LLC said Jan. 19 that it is pleased to announce that the company has passed a significant milestone by transporting over 100 million gallons of fuel without a spill during transport. From February 2019 through December 2022, its fleet of 38 tractors (trucks) and 67 tanker trailers made over 10,000 shipments between Seward, Anchorage, Valdez, Fairbanks and Colville’s 6 million gallon tank farm in Deadhorse, Alaska. These shipments included over 6,000 trips driving the Dalton Highway, otherwise known as the “Haul Road,” to Prudhoe Bay. The road is a notorious 500-mile, mostly gravel road between Fairbanks and Deadhorse that presents challenges, with steep grades and sharp turns, washboard surfaces and dust and mud in the summer, extreme temperatures, and ice and whiteout conditions in the winter.

According to Robbie Baker, the Colville operations manager in Fairbanks, one of the things the company emphasizes is empowering its drivers to make their own safety calls. He says, “We do our best to keep trucks out of harm’s way even if it means parking them when the weather is bad. We also have a very experienced team of drivers, several of whom have been driving the Haul Road for over 40 years.” Colville credits this milestone to its dedicated team of drivers and the support team that keeps its fleet running safely.

Colville Transport is a subsidiary of Colville Holdings, a vertically integrated supply system in the Prudhoe Bay area that also includes bulk fuel storage and distribution, industrial supply, waste management, commercial towing, Deadhorse airport fueling, and a workforce housing facility.