Backed By Experience, Monitored With Science
Most of Nuna Logistics Ltd supervisors and operators have over 10 years experience building ice roads with many having worked on the ice for over 20 years.
During construction, ice thickness is measured every day with the use of Hagglund (an amphibious tracked vehicle). In addition to drilling holes through the ice to measure its thickness, work crews also use high tech ground penetrating radar to profile the ice sheet. Profiling continues regularly during operation and a local engineering firm conducts regular Quality Assurance/Quality Control checks of the profiling to compare data.
Based on the minimum ice thickness along the entire route, acceptable load weight limits are set. With each additional inch of ice, the allowable weight increases. When a thickness of 70 cms (27-28 inches) is achieved over the entire road, very light loads known as ‘hotshots’ are dispatched. When the ice reaches 107 cms (42 inches) along the entire road, it is thick enough for a super B tanker fully loaded with 48,000 to 50,000 litres of fuel. A super B is a tractor hauling two tanks of fuel weighs approximately 41-42 tonnes.
Engineers regularly review as required weight configuration on trailers for heavier loads to ensure they can meet minimum ice thickness criteria for that point in time.
Routes along lakes follow historical GPS coordinates to, wherever possible, avoid rocky shoals. Experience and data show that when the under ice wave created by truck traffic, reaches the shoals, the wave can actually erode the ice from below resulting in ice which is not as thick as that formed in deeper parts of the lake. Curves help protect the ice at the portage access.
