Chip Trucks

I grew up in a mill town. Cottage Grove, Oregon marks the southern end of the Willamette Valley (You may remember from history class that that's where the Oregon Trail ended). With a population of about seven thousand people, and surrounded by mountains and forests, There were at least six lumber mills in the immediate area.

I was fascinated by the trucks.

My dad was a third grade teacher in Drain, a tiny town nestled in the mountains a few miles south of our home. He would carpool to work with some of his coworkers, navigating the narrow, twisty and usually wet road that connected the two towns. One day, when I was about six, he saw a wreck.

He said that a chip truck had overturned on a corner and spilled its load. I was appalled, thinking of the bags of Doritos and Lays going to waste there in the ditch. My brothers and I asked if he'd managed to grab any.

As it turns out, a chip truck hauls wood chips. As wigwam burners were phased out and markets developed for wood by-products, there was a need to move sawdust, planer chips and hog fuel between locations.

Sometimes referred to as "possum-bellied", the shape of the trailer maximizes the amount of chips that will fit into the trailer and also helps to keep the center of gravity a bit lower.  These trucks are still prone to overturning.

Loading is done using overhead bins.

 Unloading is exciting, although the driver doesn't get to stay in the truck.