LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It isn’t every day that a 300-ton kiln furnace is hauled on rural highways — and the logistics of such an operation are almost as big as the piece of equipment itself.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), along with the state highway police and Barnhart Crane and Rigging of Memphis, Tennessee, spent six days — from Wednesday, May 10, through Monday, May 15 — overseeing the mega-haul operation that stretched from the Ouachita River Port of Crossett, Arkansas, to Gum Springs, Arkansas, where the kiln will be used to incinerate car batteries at the Veolia Thermal Hazardous Waste Treatment Operation.
That’s roughly a distance of 130 miles at no faster than 20 miles per hour. All along the route, everyone from school children to the elderly were stopping to take photos of the spectacle.
“Arkansas highways have seen many things in their day, but the 300-ton kiln transport was definitely one of the most memorable,” a post on ARDOT’s Facebook page states. “To anyone who got stuck behind it — thanks for being patient with us! Roads are all clear.”
Anna Simpson of El Dorado, Arkansas, says she has never seen anything like it before.
“It’s pretty awesome,” she said. “I brought my kids, and we made a half-day of it. It’s something they will remember, for sure.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
