Convois de titans, un travail pour chauffeur d’élite

Convois de titans, un travail pour chauffeur d’élite

All over the world, truckers have the enormous responsibility of transporting massive loads, heavy and oversized. In Canada, Clément Paquette must cross 3 different provinces, in order to deliver a gigantic piece of wind turbine tower, before his transport license expires. In France. Cyril Marquetoux, must use delicacy,

In order to successfully carry out without incident a barge, from Strasbourg to Alsace, in Mâcon, in Burgundy, through the many towns and small villages. These 2 drivers and their teams must exercise extreme caution, and do everything possible to make your way on the roads, despite the challenges that await these exceptional convoys.

It’s dawn in Quebec. Clément Paquette is already near his truck, to inspect it one last time times before departure. – It’s a bit superfluous to make a mechanical inspection coming out of the garage. It was done by the mechanics. But with a load too imposing as a piece of wind turbine,

Clément prefers to check everything 2 times rather than once. We check if everything is correct. Especially since we can’t afford, to put oneself on the edge of the road with overload. The truck that carries the base of the wind turbine tower, is equipped with a trailer 75 ton double hydraulic,

Which makes Clément’s vehicle, an immense serpentine 50 meters long, articulated in 3 pieces and comprising no less than 46 wheels. Clément must now load the base of the wind turbine tower that he will deliver. This is the biggest section and the heaviest of the structure.

Clément asks Sébastien for help, his rear escort, to position himself. It’s a delicate operation, if the piece is not well fixed, it can come loose along the way and cause a serious accident. This intervention also endangers. – This can be very dangerous. Working with the wind turbine, you have to be careful.

You can lose your balance and fall down. It’s just big equipment, it’s big tools, they are big boxes, everything is heavy, everything is big, everything is heavy. Clément must now adjust the height of the cylinder depending on the ground. If the room is too low, it risks catching on the roadway.

If it is too high, she can tear out electrical wires. – We just raised 120,000 pounds or 60 tons. The tower has been loaded correctly. Clément can set off. This is Joanne, Clément’s wife. She is a head escort on exceptional convoys. She accompanies her husband all stages of the journey.

9 huge pieces are needed to the manufacture of a wind turbine. These will be assembled once on site in wind farms, and have no other means of getting there than by road trucks. The construction of wind turbines depends on the skill of experienced drivers, like Clément Paquette.

At the same time, in Gaspésie, other parts of the wind turbine start up. This is a hub and blades 46 meters long. They will have to surrender, just like the room from Clement, to the maritime provinces. Clément and his team must now travel the 1100 kilometers,

Which separate Trois-Rivières from the wind farm from Irish Monton, Nova Scotia. It will take 3 days to complete this journey. Clément must act quickly, because he must necessarily arrive before 12 p.m. on the 3rd day. Time at which his license to circulate expires.

They had barely begun their journey, that an unusual incident occurs. Clément realizes that the canvas protecting the front of the wind turbine part, just came unstuck. We must react immediately. He notifies his entire team and stops on the side of the road. – We will try to stabilize it until we stop.

This incident slowed down the entire convoy. Clement must find a solution quickly. On the other side of the Atlantic, the problems will not be long in coming. Cyril, the driver of the exceptional convoy, don’t know it yet, but he will have to adapt to everyone the unforeseen events he will encounter,

In order to carry out his extraordinary convoy. – It’s a nice big convoy and very long. So wide, I had never done before, This is a first for me. I’m very apprehensive. It’s especially when we love the convoy, we always fear, otherwise it would be too easy.

The route of the convoy that will lead Cyril is indeed far from simple. He must cross France and its many villages. It took more than a year to obtain the required authorizations. Cyril has already dropped off his truck at the point departure of the convoy last week, to avoid the slightest setback.

– It is precisely designed so that we can leave on time, on time, and who has as few worries as possible. So that there are as few delays as possible possible, everything has been prepared in advance, both trucks and trailers. Port of Strasbourg, This is where the convoy will start.

Above all, Cyril must put on your safety clothing. Indeed, he enters a dangerous zone, where a security breach is unforgiving. Cyril greets the team in charge to prepare your trailer. But when he got there, he surrendered realizes that the work has not been done.

– The other piece of trailer is over there. When I arrived on Friday, we unloaded together, together and their container ship broke down, we were just able to put it on the ground. SO that basically I had to assemble it here. So that complicates things a little. This is just the beginning.

Trailer elements are not ready. However, the barge he must transport is already arriving. It’s all up in arms. All cargo must absolutely be finalized during the day. To transport this barge, we need to bring out the heavy artillery. 2 trailers of 16 meters, having 20 wheels each, all connected by a third plate.

You have to quickly go up all to accommodate the barge, which is already ready to be lifted. The assembly of the trailers is finally complete. This is a good thing since it is then from the water outlet for the barge.

To remove this steel juggernaut, it is necessary a crane capable of lifting more than 30 tonnes. 15 men are needed for the maneuver. The operation is delicate, everything must be done to the millimeter. – We hardly have any margin at the level of the seat, of the barge.

We must be around thirty centimeters which will be placed on the trailer. The barge must exceed the same length on each side, otherwise the trailer would be unbalanced, and could cause accident during transport. The barge is now installed. But the work is far from finished.

It still needs to be stabilized by having use very special equipment. – We are going to secure the barge with chains, and we’re going to put at least ten of them. In total, you will need around ten channels, to ensure that the barge 30 meters long will not move.

80 tonnes, 2 modular trailers, 7 full-time men, it took no less than a whole day to prepare this convoy like no other. An exceptional convoy. Back in Quebec. Unable to fully resolve the problem of the canvas, and there is no question of wasting precious time. Clément finds a temporary solution.

This is not ideal, but he has no choice. The whole team gets to work. – We lost our flags, but the other team will bring us some soon. There are always small things like that happen. It’s the first time that the canvas comes undone. The convoy leaves.

Clément hopes that the repair will hold up. As a lead escort, Joanne is on board a vehicle equipped with a pole, which allows him to check free space at height. – I am Clement’s eyes, it’s me who reopens the convoy, it’s me who takes care of everything that happens up front.

My job is to measure structures, wires, etc. I use my pole. Currently, she is 15 feet and 4 inches tall. A normal viaduct must be about 4 meters tall. I’m not far from 5 meters. So if we try to pass, I’m sure I’m going to hit the bridge very strong.

You really shouldn’t try because we are going to break the bridge. That’s why I’m so far ahead. When I touch a structure, a Clément viaduct, it stops. Joanne has just warned Clément. In a few minutes, it risks catching electrical wires, which are placed lower than normal.

– Most of the wires which are at the top, these are telephone wires, we’re careful, but it’s risky. House entrance wires, have a steel chest and it causes damage. It’s risky, but Clément decides to give it a try.

If these cables are ripped out, that’s it a block of houses that will be without power. Fortunately, the truck passes under the wires. Clément narrowly succeeded. – If an obstacle, it is necessary that you make a decision, quickly. You need to be in contact with everyone and your environment.

Clément’s convoy must respect a precise route and sometimes, it is necessary to circulate on small rural roads. Another danger presents itself. – We arrived at a deviation in the road, that we didn’t have weeks before. Each side there were maples trees, the branches touched each other,

We have no choice, it’s the only road. This time the tower risks being damaged by tree branches. Joanne is worried. It must provide the right information to Clément to avoid an incident. Clément has a confident nature. The danger doesn’t worry him. But an electric wire hides under the branches.

The truck made its way, but the tower was hit. – The tower will have grooves, but we have no choice. The wind convoy cannot drive at more than 90 kilometers per hour. It is therefore necessary to calculate the time of the journey accordingly.

After traveling 400 kilometers, Clément and his team arrive on time near the New Brunswick border. They can stop there to sleep, before starting a new portion of their crossing. In France, Cyril has still not left. He has to settle the last details before the big departure.

Cyril will have to travel more than 500 kilometers while driving at 30 kilometers per hour, between Strasbourg and Mâcon. On the way he goes cross 4 major cities. The whole thing should take more than 4 days. Unfortunately for him, from the first meters, driving is tricky.

It must squeeze between the containers which, this morning, are very numerous. Barely out of port, the tone is set. At the first turn, cars are parked incorrectly and the problems begin. Just like in Quebec, our driver is not alone.

To help Cyril in his maneuvers, José and Cédric assist him 24 hours a day. They make sure nothing hits the convoy. Despite the pressure, the orders and sometimes counter orders, he absolutely must keep his cool. – You have to keep calm. As soon as we start to panic,

We do anything and This is where the breakages happen. Problems are inevitable in this type of journey. We must therefore try to avoid them as much as possible. When a panel is twisted, simply just put it back in place. Walk 150 meters leaving the port took 1 hour.

As in Quebec to supervise this exceptional convoy, there is a whole team. 5 people are active around the convoy, but the only person responsible remains Cyril, the youngest of the group. – Have so many responsibilities, It’s a lot for my age, that’s for sure. It’s because the boss has confidence in me.

It’s true that it’s a great source of pride anyway. Tell yourself I am capable of doing as well as the old ones. Cyril knows well that the reputation of the driver, is systematically delivered in question with each transport.

It is never acquired. He must therefore being able to rely 100% on your entire team. When Cyril drives on a national road with a 30 meter long barge, he must stand in the middle middle of the roadway. To help him move forward, 2 motorcyclists are responsible for traffic.

They order everyone cars arriving in front, to park to let the convoy pass. Meanwhile, cars that are behind are forced to wait. Cyril can now relax a little. It runs on a double track. The road is wide, there is no no built-up area to cross. A moment of respite that will not last.

Due to the delay this morning, they are forced to stop. They missed the window of time allocated to cross the next town, or between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. But stopping isn’t easy either. They must now cross the double track, to hope to find parking adapted to the size of the convoy.

The team will therefore simply block contraflow traffic. But this obligatory stop does not suit Cyril. – We were a little late, because we maneuvered at the port, so it pays off, we’ll say at the end. – What does this kind of thing lead to? – Delay throughout the duration of the convoy.

Hoping it doesn’t happen not the same elsewhere. Supervised by the police, they redo an action plan. We’re going to leave here at 1:45. They can’t cross the road before the start of the afternoon. Back in Quebec. Clement, barely awake, must take stock with his team.

They must ensure that the canvas will not cause other problems, before their arrival in New Brunswick. – These are operations which are always dangerous. It’s quite high. If his truck, trailer or license, do not comply with the laws of this Maritime province, they will have come all this way for nothing.

Another difficulty awaits them on the way. – It’s just this little bit. We know that it turns out thanks to the big signs. The convoy now finds itself stuck in construction zone. Sébastien, the rear escort, who also acts as co-pilot, during risky passages, gets out of his vehicle,

And helps Clément to move forward without complications. As always, all these maneuvers security creates big traffic jams. They arrive at the border. The inspection must go perfectly if Clément wants to stick to his schedule. A delay could cause a cancellation of his license. Sébastien is nervous.

– The hardest part is doing everything stop so that the weight is equal everywhere. We have to meet the standards. If we are too heavy, we can just unhinge. Except that when we get to the other end, to load, to unload, It’s going to be a lot longer.

As he feared, the passage of the border is going to be longer than expected. This time, it’s not the weight involved. – They want to come and do an inspection for height and length, we try to stand as straight as possible possible to get the right length.

To avoid problems, Clément modifies the height of the room relative to the floor, and cross your fingers, while waiting for the inspectors. Clément awaits the verdict. Fortunately, everything is correct. It was a close call. The convoy can now access to the second province of his journey.

In New Brunswick, traffic laws are different from those of Quebec. Clément’s wind turbine tower cannot not travel without police escort. It is Clément who is responsible to coordinate their interventions. – When you arrive in the city center, there At a landing, we will stop and get up.

Despite this additional protection, Clément keeps his eyes open. – Even if it’s the third time we comes here, we check all the time. You never know, you never know takes nothing for granted. For barges like for wind convoys, a simple turn can be a particularly complex operation.

Clément must now cross an elevated intersection, a delicate operation which requires the expertise of 2 drivers. Clément steers the front of the truck while Sébastien directs the trailer to the rear. Sébastien uses a remote control, which manages the management system of the last portion of the trailer.

– It turns in 3 different places. When you turn a corner, you always have to calculate your 3 points that it doesn’t break. For its part, the truck who carries the pale, also has a corner of complex street to maneuver. The 2 convoys crossed their intersections without delays,

And can continue on their way. In France, the meal break is over. It’s finally time to get back on the road. Due to the delay, timetables and passage authorizations for Belfort no longer work. It is therefore necessary to renegotiate with local authorities. This is the role of Felix, 72 years old.

– We’re going to be at the entrance to Belfort, 15-20 minutes from now. His mission today is not simple. He must acquire a new right of way. Authorizations are validated, the convoy can finally cross Belfort. Crossing a town of more than 500,000 inhabitants during rush hour, will not be an easy task.

The crossing is done under the gaze attentive of the national police. When the team doesn’t listen, the tone rises and things become complicated. – We work every day here, with much bigger ones. – I do not think so. – Yes, sir. – The mechanic and the driver, didn’t listen to us.

As soon as we start to maneuver axles within limits, at the level of rotation, we risk having a mechanical breakdown, a hydraulic or other rupture and break down and block the city. While a little further, as we told them, it goes easily. The gentleman replied to me than convoys bigger than that,

I must never have seen one in Belfort. Obviously, no one unable to coordinate. Even Felix, the most experienced, does not let himself be listened to. Felix takes things in hand, But the worst is yet to come. We must now enter the city fortifications,

A real test of strength for a convoy of this size. The barge passes a few millimeters only city walls. It’s Cédric who takes orders. – I drive the rear wheels, and the truck drives the front wheels. At the exit of the first fortification wall,

You now have to dismantle all the furniture urban, which blocks the passage of the barge. The city is transforming in a real battlefield. Even city employees give a helping hand. Even if the city contributes as the convoy passes, she only gives him 2:30 hours to pass, not another minute.

– We can easily neutralize a city. Look at all these people, do you think this is normal that they are all blocked, because there is a convoy passing? It’s his business, it’s his interests. But all the other people, the buses, the firefighters, everyone, refrigerated transport, there are also interests at stake.

Afterwards, it has to be that lasts as little time as possible. Cyril finally leaves Belfort, after 2h30. 2h30 of pressure for the young man, but the mission is successful and he is satisfied. – We had quite a few intersections tight, quite a few lights dismantled,

And we also had to move some panels, which was not planned. We finally got out. More urban areas on the agenda For now. The team has 75 kilometers to go on quiet country roads. Cyril can finally relax, and admire the landscape. But the campaign hides also small villages,

Which involves passages narrow and sharp turns. The problems will therefore start again. It will take more than 30 minutes to overcome this simple turn. The golden rule is above all to know how to handle pressure, and to remain calm in all circumstances.

At the exit of the village, the truck is out of danger. Making a forced stop is not never good for the engine, but his rest will be short duration. The climbs are coming. The truck is visibly straining way too much uphill. Hydraulic clutch is giving up. Cyril prefers to stop.

– It’s much more serious than what I thought anyway. There’s a huge leak, I understand. We still see oil stains which squirted a little on the wing, and it’s the converter oil. This is what belongs in the box speed to increase the torque, I won’t be able to leave at all.

A breakdown in the middle of a city would be a real disaster. Traffic would be completely paralyzed. The problem is irreparable on site, the only solution is to change trucks. The team must spend the night there, wait for a new truck the next day.

In Canada, it’s the 3rd and final day of travel for Clément’s convoy. He and his convoy now have traveled more than 875 kilometers. This next passage under a viaduct is perilous, because Joanne’s pole, has violently hit the structure. Clément moves very slowly. If the tower was not sufficiently or uniformly lowered,

Or if the roadway is not level, the consequences could be disastrous. Fortunately, Clément and his truck passes the test. – This is Nova Scotia’s problem. The bridges and viaducts are low. But at least it passes, but they are low. Clément must now leave the highway, but the exit ramp is uphill.

He has to stop to adjust the height of the tower, to prevent the part ventral does not catch the road. He must then carefully follow Sébastien’s instructions, and be very careful so as not to damage the tower. Damage may cause exorbitant fees. For example, this wind turbine part worth €185,000 alone.

Thanks to precise teamwork and effective from Sébastien and Clément, the truck can continue its journey. The third day ends and Clément finally arrives in New Glasgow, near the wind farm. He is satisfied, because for the moment, they are on time.

But it is not finished. Tomorrow he will have to climb the hill with his convoy, to get to the scene delivery on time. In France, it is the beginning of in the afternoon and Cyril is broken down. Still no truck relief on the horizon. At 2:30 p.m. they arrive finally on a trailer.

The teams barely time to say hello, that needs to be loaded quickly the truck and get back on the road. To make up for lost time, the only way is to stop at least possible until the entrance to Mâcon, the final destination. It’s David, another driver from the fashion designer team,

Who will drive with Cyril alternately. – For now, it’s David who will drive for 4 and a half hours, and I will relay it after 4:30. This way, the convoy almost never stops. The convoy team is reinforced. David takes the wheel, but he is not as comfortable as Cyril,

With a convoy of this size. So he’s going to get help during the first few kilometers. – He was like me, this is the 1st once it is this wide, so let him get his bearings. I’ll stay next to him if I have to guide him through difficult places,

I have to be there too, I’m not going to sleep all the way through. That wouldn’t be right. Cyril and David resume the road serenely. This portion of the road is easy, and the landscape is absolutely beautiful. The next town to cross is called Arc-lès-Gray.

To get through this difficult little town, we are going to take extreme measures. Cyril and David have an important meeting. They park on the side of the road. Patrick Couturier, the big boss, comes himself lending a hand to his team. It is there to prevent the problems are piling up.

Patrick knows Arc-lès-Gray well and knows that the passage is delicate. Last year, there was broken street furniture. Its passage is therefore not very well seen by the town hall. He had great difficulty obtaining a new authorization to pass. This time, he wants to that everything is going well.

Exceptional convoys are not not appreciated by the people at the town hall. Conversely, for residents, see a convoy like this, is a spectacle not to be missed. – We already had one that had passed, but I think more spacious. Because she got stuck there, at the town hall for a while.

While the inhabitants observe with enthusiasm, Patrick Couturier is worried. – I’m going slowly! Crossing the city fortunately went well, but the delay accumulated on the journey requires our team to ride and ride again. However, Cyril and his team will have to make another forced stop.

– A small incident, a tire which exploded on the road. As I said at the start of the convoy, this It’s something you can’t predict. The tires were not hot, but There was one who farted anyway. No choice but to stop and reassemble an axle.

A tire bursts. Cyril no longer hopes be able to fulfill its mission on time. In Canada. It’s Saturday morning, and all that remains is to deliver the basis of the hourly tower at the top of Irish Mountain, where the wind farm is located.

– We cross in convoy, there will be 2 turns. We leave for the site before 12 p.m. Because our license ends at 12 p.m. If Clément exceeds the deadline of delivery, he will drive illegally. He would risk a fine of several thousands of euros and demerit points, on behalf of the transport company.

One last obstacle awaits them on the road leading to the wind farm, a railway bridge under which the loading of Clément, might not pass. Clément must deliver the wind turbine tower, to the highest point of the hill from Irish Mountain, where the wind is favorable.

To reach it, the convoy must cross almost 10 kilometers of unpaved roads, whose narrowness and inclination don’t make things easy. Clément finds himself despite himself, in a race against time, before his transport license expires. He is forced to slow down, because the truck fails to climb the slope.

Worse still, the engine shuts down completely. Clément’s truck backs up dangerously. The brakes barely respond. The whole team also backs up and walks away without delay, fearing the worst. – We modify my suspension to give traction on the truck. Clément tries to climb the slope again.

Once again, the guidelines of Sébastien prove essential. Clément succeeds in resuming control of his vehicle. Clément arrives on the site at the last moment. On the other hand, it remains still unloading the part. Clément insists on directing the operation itself. He is the one responsible of this precious piece.

– I try to supervise the work forward also because it is my journey, it’s my tower. I don’t like it when it’s other people, I know they are capable, But he’s like our child. When you go down the back of the tower, you should always talk to yourself like that.

The others tell me to come down, I shout we go down, everyone understands what is happening. The wind turbine tower was discharged successfully. But before leaving, Clément must now assemble the trailer of his truck again. – We step back, we do the last sprint as we can say.

When we reach our destination, the tower is delivered, we are really happy. The stress is over. Enthusiastic, Clément carries out the maneuver with a little too much haste. – We still have the flame, we call like that, the flame begins, but when you’re done, you’re glad to have finished it,

Especially when nothing has happened. Clément is proud of his work and that of his entire team. He has a feeling of accomplishment, he is ready to face the 1100 kilometers, who will take him home, where he will wait a new beginning, on board, of a future exceptional convoy.

Back in France, Cyril can finally get back on the road. He will ride at all costs with one less tire. He still has 172 kilometers left before arriving in Mâcon. Unfortunately for him, in the end of only a few meters, he must make another stop. A sign prevents the passage of the truck.

It is heavy and you have to call on the entire convoy team to dismantle it. Even Cyril gets his hands dirty. Once the sign is on the ground, the convoy can leave, and try to go through this narrow bend. The road continues, but all those hours of driving

Without respite on roads obscure, exhausted the team. With fatigue, the false maneuvers accumulate. The convoy must now ride all night, to be able to cross Mâcon, before 8 a.m. the next morning. They have to get there before expiration of their authorization to pass,

Otherwise they will meet again stuck on the side of the road. Cyril is starting to see the end of the road. After Dijon, there will be no more really difficult on the journey. Unfortunately, he will never arrive in Mâcon. The second truck will fall also broken down,

Will be immobilized on the side of the road of the road, near Dijon, for a whole week. A week later, in Mâcon, we found Monsieur Couturier at his warehouse. The convoy was particularly unlucky, but he arrived safely. – We had no deadline requirements, we will say that we are on time,

If only indeed, we had 2-3 mechanical problems, because of the route which is really not easy and very technical. It was not an easy challenge, there was no breakage, other than the material, it is that’s important somewhere. The mission is successful.

The barge will now winter for 6 months before being recovered by its owner. He’s going to give it a makeover for its return to the water in the spring, and give him a second life on the canals of Mâcon. A new life that would never have been possible without this exceptional convoy.

Although their deliveries never go as planned, Clément and Cyril are far from being intimidated by oversized loads, and the complex obstacles they create. Conduct operations on time and ultimately is a very laborious task, it is a challenge worthy of the skill, and the aspirations of our drivers.

Supported by their team, they are ready to face new adventures, aboard unpredictable convoys and exceptional.

Canada, France, ces chauffeurs de l’impossible ont pour mission d’acheminer des marchandises quelque peu particulières, de véritables mastodontes qui mettront à l’épreuve leur sang-froid, leur santé, mais surtout leur talent de conducteur, où la moindre petite erreur est fatale !