Cover Photo: Remorquage Belzile recovers a truck and tanker trapped under a bridge in northern Quebec.
When a truck and tanker full of diesel plummet off a bridge in northern Quebec, authorities call on Remorquage Belzile to handle the recovery.
by Tow Canada
The Challenge
On May 11, 2023, a tanker truck and trailer full of diesel fuel rolled off a bridge on a back road in northern Quebec, creating an environmental hazard in the river below. It was Remorquage Belzile that was called in to handle this delicate recovery.
Initially, the recovery was delayed by a day because a specialized team was required to pump the diesel out of the tanker prior to Remorquage Belzile implementing its recovery plan.
“We spoke with the company, and at that time, we learned that the tank was fully loaded and needed to be emptied before the recovery. It took them a full day to do that operation, and we planned to go the next morning to recover both units,” said Jerome Belzile, scene supervisor and Remorquage Belzile co-owner.
A change of plans
Initially, the team had planned to use two rotators to lift the truck and trailer over the bridge one by one. However, that plan changed once the team laid eyes on the wreck.
Originally published in
Tow Canada, November-December 2023
“When we saw it, we changed the recovery plan because there was so much water flowing under the bridge,” said Jerome. “The current posed a bigger problem than we expected because of the water pressure. We discovered the tanker had filled up with water during the night, so it was fully loaded again. If we had lifted the tank from the bridge, the thing would probably have rolled over (and under it) with the force of the water. So, we decided to disconnect the truck from the tanker and recover each unit individually by the side of the bridge.”
The recovery
To prevent the truck from floating down the river when the trailer was disconnected, the team had to attach it to some trees.
“We put a sling through the front end of the truck and secured it to the trees. We then proceeded to recover the tanker by the back until we had access to open each individual compartment so we could empty the water, lessening the resistance we had to overcome,” said Jerome.
“The tanker got a little bit easier to move without the water in it, but the first pull was very, very heavy,” he said. “We recovered the tanker to the side of the bridge (as it was laying on its side during the pull), and when it was on a level surface, we used a WreckMaster technique called mid-air-roll to put it back on its wheels.”
It was Jerome’s brother Xavier Belzile who was at the controls of Remorquage Belzile’s rotator during the recovery.
“After recovering the tanker, we managed to pull the truck out of water by using the two NRC CSR50s. The 50-ton hydraulic sliding-rotating wrecker booms were used to lift the truck by the wheels,” said Jerome.
"The current posed a bigger problem than we expected because of the water pressure.”
“We rigged to the wheels for the lift and swing of the tractor up and out of the river between the two tow trucks, and we placed it down on its roof. We then executed the up righting in a more secure environment and placed it back on its wheels.”
The Ministry of Environment was also present to help manage the scene. “There was a leak during the wreck, so the Ministry gave us a strict procedure to prevent any further damage to the environment,” said Jerome.
Another company was also on scene to help. “We called our friends at Remorquage Guilbert when we realized that our recovery plan would require the use of two rotators. Ghislain Hinse, the co-owner/operator, had the expertise to help us succeed with this recovery,” said Jerome.
"The tanker got a little bit easier to move without the water in it, but the first pull was very, very heavy.”
Once the tanker was recovered, getting it back to the yard also posed its own unique challenges.
“The pumping crew had removed all the filling pipe from underneath the trailer to pump it, and they cut all the airlines, so we could not tow the tanker in its normal fashion, so we used a set of tow wheels on the trailer’s front end and transported it backwards down the road,” said Jerome.
In all, the recovery took about 12 hours to complete. According to Jerome, traffic was not a problem, and the team could take the time it needed to do the recovery without pressure because the accident had occurred on a forest road. A detour was implemented so motorists could bypass the accident.
Remorquage Belzile is justly proud of its team’s work that day, and the quality of service and expertise that both companies provide:
“Our staff and our equipment are where our strength lies for such delicate environmental interventions.”
About the company
Remorquage Belzile has been around a long time. The company recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary. Founded in 1973, it is a family-run business and one of the oldest in the area. In its early days, the company offered light towing services, automobile repairs, and gasoline sales. In the beginning, Remorquage Belzile had only one shareholder, its founder, Charles Belzile.
Following the company’s second year of operation, three successive shareholders held a stake in Remorquage Belzile (along with Charles) until June 1997 when his son, Serge, repurchased the other shares.
During the summer of 1997 (when Serge joined the company), Remorquage Belzile began offering heavy towing. A few years later, the company continued to expand, offering heavy towing service in Val d’Or and Rouyn Noranda. And finally, in the beginning of 2000, the company left the gas station behind and moved to new and bigger premises to focus on towing services.
In the last decade, the company has expanded its light- and medium-duty towing service in Val d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda. For that, it needed to add equipment to its fleet and hire a significant number of employees to serve the high demand in the area.
Today, Remorquage Belzile remains a leader in the towing industry in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and northern Quebec area while also delivering specialized transportation services across Quebec and Ontario. Remorquage Belzile has three service centres: one in Amos, one in Val d’Or and two in Rouyn-Noranda. The company recently bought another towing company based in Rouyn-Noranda, Remorquage Richard.
Three generations
Remorquage Belzile is now co-owned by Serge’s three sons, Jerome, Arnaud, and Xavier. As co-owners, all three are involved in the family business. Jerome and his brothers have been around towing their whole lives: “Our grandfather and dad used to bring us when they were doing towing service. Since a young age, we have been around it,” said Jerome. “I am only 29 years old, but I have been at it for almost 15 years.”
Remorquage Belzile is a member of the Association des Professionnels du Dépannage du Québec (APDQ), and the company’s heavy-duty operators are WreckMaster certified. The company’s head office remains in Amos, Quebec, and it employs a total of 30 employees and 25 tow trucks.
With the third generation in charge, the future of Remorquage Belzile seems to be secure and in great hands. We look forward to seeing what this family does next! 🍁