HEAVY HAULAGE In The Jungle | Full Documentary

the sao manuel hydroelectric plant in the heart of brazil deep in the amazon rainforest everything the site needs must be transported via a long and arduous route these transformers weigh over 200 metric tons each they have to travel 4 000 kilometers before they reach their final destination the workers at megatrans are experts long distances are easy for them you have to drive very carefully our tank is full 1200 liters of diesel we're using up four leases for every kilometer the haulage convoy covers most of the route easily but the last 100 kilometers are difficult it's getting dusty and it's hot the temperature is 40 degrees celsius in the shade the conditions merciless the road's dusty and the bridge is old this is demanding work for the workers and the cargo but it's also a bonding experience mistakes can be fatal the way across the river is dangerous a fairy is repurposed into a barge a highly risky maneuver nerves of steel are just part of the job but that's no use when your luck runs out you never know what will happen in the state of mato grosso it's a sleepy little town but it's become an important hub for heavy halls of all kinds alta floresta is the last town before the rainforest meaning it's on the route to the salman well hydroelectric plant this transformer which has already been on the move for six weeks will be built into the facility in the jungle the men have covered 3500 kilometers since loading up a slow grind northward into the heart of brazil now it's time to transfer the goods onto a new vehicle the rest of the journey is unsuitable for the long trailer until now the transport has been over asphalt roads from now on the jungle awaits [Music] eight megatrans employees have accompanied the cargo day and night in a dusty parking lot they prepare to reload the heavy transformer they use huge wooden beams to secure the gigantic machine while the mobile base is being disassembled thomas veitman has been organizing heavy halls in brazil for 30 years he knows all the challenges of the trade the trailer when the transformer was loaded onto the trailer it was on 24 axles so now we have to reduce it to 12 axles to continue and that's what we're doing now so far the transport length was almost 50 meters long 24 axles and two trucks the cargo alone weighs 200 tons weights like this are more common in brazil but this transport is still an unusual challenge the next 100 kilometers will demand everything from the team the transformer weighs 206 metric tons the tricky thing with this haulage will be the river crossing and the 100 kilometers of dirt roads 200 kilometers that's where things have gone wrong before so you have to drive very carefully [Music] with heat dust and dried out dirt roads riddled with holes the journey is getting dangerous sometimes progress is a matter of centimeters [Music] a previous hall ended in disaster when a sudden rainfall softened the road then there's the river crossing with over 200 tons of cargo the current is gentle but whatever falls into the water is lost the ferry is old and rickety it's motor weak usually it transports cars and small trucks as there are no concrete ramps the ferry can't more securely to the shore making the loading even riskier this driver was only just able to save himself from an accident everything else went under heavy halls like this are forward transactions delays cost money lost cargo costs more money thomas weitman and his mega trans colleagues are pros they won't leave anything to chance the last six weeks have gone well for the team but the next six days will decide between success and failure the transporter is still 50 meters long to ensure that the transformers weight is spread optimally to protect the road but the trailer needs to be shortened at 40 degrees celsius in the shade it's back-breaking work the workers have placed heavy timber beams under the cargo 12 axles are supposed to be removed from the transport work which will be done mostly by hand in the middle the load is split over 24 axles by two heavy steel girders first the girders are detached then the individual axles can be moved normally on federal roads we're limited to 12 to 13 metric tons per axle from this town onwards we'll be on dirt road so it won't be possible to continue on 24 axles we have a special permit allowing us to do that the trailer is moved by a power pack at the end of the vehicle the engine generates enough power to lift lower and move the entire cargo as long as everything works but the remote control has failed meaning the men will have to steer the beast by hand when the time comes a risky maneuver we can do some things with the backup device but it's much better to use the joystick since all the instructions have been programmed breaking steering it's harder to do that with the backup on this parking lot the men have room to maneuver they can afford to be off by a meter or so but that will soon change as they move on to the narrow tracks leading to the ferry space will soon become a rare luxury thomas veitman starts the next day by inspecting the vehicle the next 100 kilometers will be the hardest of the whole journey breakdowns mean delays which are expensive on a german motorway no vehicle would be allowed to continue driving with these tires the last 3 500 kilometers have made their mark in brazil the show must go on if one is damaged and it's fine but it should be repaired at some point with this one only the rubber casing is damaged not the mesh underneath so we can keep going it's maybe five months there are eight tires on a road if one or two are damaged we can still go ahead it doesn't matter 96 tires carry the cargo weighing over 200 tons soon enough we'll see that having damaged tires matters after all the work on the trailer continues the transport train is being shortened from 24 to 12 axles reducing the length to around 30 meters anything more would be too much for the narrow tracks and the small ferry the men loosen the trailers retaining chains and screws these cones weigh 15 kilograms a weight which they must support several times over the trailer acts as a harness to ensure the transformer never stands alone if one part of an axle is pulled out then the other follows all of the axles are still connected to one another precision work at a weight of over 200 tons the screws have become stuck from the oil and dust this is back breaking work the sun is blazing and there's no shade the back part of the trailer has its own engine so it can drive and steer itself but the remote control is still faulty meaning the maneuver must be steered at the vehicle itself first the self-driving part which will later carry the cargo is released slowly the 12 axles move forward now the self-driving part will be let around the other transporters once it's in position the truck can pull the other part out from under the transformer meanwhile a new truck is being prepared nearby a real heavyweight this kenworth has over 1 000 horsepower and thanks to its transmission the necessary power to tackle steep inclines the axles apply four metric tons of counterweight onto the ground if the kenworth breaks down on route the mega trans workers have a real problem out here there's no backup this means nothing can be left to chance one last inspection is carried out before departure a few more liters of oil in the engine and diesel two from here the truck will only drive 100 kilometers more still a full tank is needed and that takes time we have two tanks with 600 liters each but we'll be using four liters per kilometer that's 400 liters for every 100 kilometers when driving carefully after half an hour both tanks are full the kenworth is ready while the last preparations are being made in alta floresta thomas veitman inspects the road which leads to the river he sets out for the dirt road in a pickup slowly checking for bumps and other tricky areas his 30 years of experience in the haulage industry have taught him the importance of being well prepared about this the route to the river and eventually to the plant passes through fields and dense forest nine bridges await they're all made from huge tree trunks but they're primitive structures and can be dangerous they were built by eye not complex geometry soon they will have to withstand weights of over 200 tons [Music] the bridge is quite basic so it's made of tree trunks with some planks on top but lengthwise [Music] the kenworth must be sparkling clean and that takes time [Music] oh [Music] the trailer is nearly ready for the all-important switch maneuver the self-driving base is in position ready to be moved underneath the transformer the engine's remote control isn't working meaning steering must be done manually which is difficult and imprecise despite the help of a truck the trailer must be steered by hand the team is reducing the rig from 24 to 12 axles anything else would prove too long for the next 100 kilometers switching out the trailer requires caution and a bit of eyeballing the self-driving trailer is slotted underneath the transformer from behind while the truck tows the previous trailer out from the front even if it's stable the transformer must not stand alone at a weight of over 200 tons a doubled support is the best option the men drive the trailer underneath the transformer at a snail's pace adriano ferraz is the site team leader a kind of foreman and a middleman between the office and the team he's been present for the whole of the two-month journey and is getting ready for the end hopefully a positive one [Music] [Music] coming from canoes in the south we've only had a few small problems so far like smaller bridges and towns but the ready heart part is coming up now the dirt track and the ferry crossing the team is still making good time the big rig is ready for the last section and the transformer is being secured to the trailer these steel cables will need to hold a weight of over 200 tons on the bumpy road ahead adriano ferraz and his right-hand man jose reigno hand out the team's radios these are vital for communication thomas veitman has driven the first few kilometers of the gravel road it looks good and the team is making good time the trailers ready i think we'll set out tomorrow morning and start the transport the rig is all set after four days of preparation the dirt road awaits the next day final preparations on the trailer the men have been divided up carefully and every step counts the men attach a heavy drawbar to the front of the trailer where the truck will latch on the self-driving trailer's remote control has been fixed for now at least now the trailer is pulled out piece by piece between the two steel beams this is precision work jose has taken on the supervision of the rig he's actually long retired but still makes the occasional exception for cases like this where his experience is essential it's jose who notices the power line overhead one meter further and there would have been an accident with unimaginable consequences a lucky escape it's not always serious accidents but sometimes seemingly small incidents which can delay or even derail the project the workers had forgotten to fix the bars down to the transformer which they are doing now the bars are there to push up any snags which might arise in front the truck is positioning itself to tow the trailer one employee lowers the heavy iron cones using a hammer for all their modern technology sometimes elbow grease is the workers only option [Music] the pressure hoses for the hydraulics are attached jose reigno makes some last arrangements with the driver later he will be sitting in the convoy's leading vehicle by 10 am local time the team is ready adriano ferraz gives the go-ahead the heavy goods transport is finally on the move for the last few meters the men accompany the convoy on foot later in the jungle this will be the rule rather than the exception bumps can be smoothed out from the vehicle itself as long as the technology complies the first stretch of the journey is the highway to paranaita a small town at the edge of civilization the 40 kilometers should take three hours to complete [Music] this is still an asphalt road wide and manageable the bridges here are made from steel and concrete stable and in reasonable condition the cargo has been on the move for almost two months and the mega trans employees have covered some 3500 kilometers the destination a plant in the jungle seems within reach in just a few days the journey should be complete the heavy hall convoy is slowly edging forward and effortlessly tackling the steep inclines paranaita the last town before the jungle is today's destination the equipment is working for now nature however is proving less helpful while everything on the road is going according to plan the news from the river is bad the water level drops suddenly overnight meaning the crossing can't take place the ferry would run aground and get stuck the heavy hall convoy left alta floresta three hours ago at 20 kilometers per hour the truck is advancing at a swift pace and the next bridge is stable enough to pass this asphalt road is leading to paranaita a small town in the middle of nowhere after this everything will change thomas weitman is inspecting the route he's one of brazil's most experienced cargo transporters the transport has gone well so far but the river's water level is low this could pose problems for the ferry used here as a barge a heavy haul truck on a small barge thomas veitman is not happy with the route long before starting we scoped everything out the ferry is short small and past its prime its capacity is nearly the exact weight of the load some 200 tons will it hold out around here there aren't many options and the margins in the haulage industry are slim here every dollar counts we also thought about dismantling a barge bringing it here and putting it back together that would have been too expensive during crossing the conditions must be right on land and water if the ferry isn't moored properly disaster beckons this ship was forced from the bank by the weight of the truck at low water levels the opposite is possible [Music] when you come up to it you have to make sure that it's not completely stuck if it is stuck and you want to set off then you won't be able to that's why we're going to dig some more ground out so we have a bit more depth on the riverbed you can give it to give a license direct and flush pet the heavy haulage convoy is making good time it has nearly reached its destination the small town of paranaita where the asphalt road ends after 40 kilometers the 200-ton transport is leaving civilization for good if the rig gets stranded on the narrow dirt roads it will cause huge problems for everyone no one would be able to pass and megatrans is not the only team hauling goods in this wasteland one last check before the team heads for the river there's still enough space here to park the convoy by the side of the road it's dusty the fine sand is also tough on the engine's filter the truck's first oil change before the trip has even begun leakage is part of the deal the tires aren't in the best condition they're showing some wear and tear following 3500 kilometers carrying over 200 tons i checked the tires and we have two flats a stroke of luck in the wilderness practically next door is a tire repair shop with a vehicle weighing over 200 tons changing the tires will be tricky but doable [Music] to change the tire you have to raise the axle using hydraulics and take it out from underneath the experts get to work with a small car jack and a very large screwdriver with a temperature of 40 degrees celsius and high levels of dust it's arduous work a full tire change is carried out the mega trans team has eight spares but after that it gets tight one hour later the job is complete out here nothing is thrown away the rubber will be patched up and recycled later either on another tire or a piece of furniture the operation cost the team around seven euros [Music] the heavy haul rig is now on route to the river 50 kilometers on a primitive dirt track the workers cover most of the journey on foot they can't afford to let anything go wrong now if the 200 tons of goods start to slip then it's already too late the men check the tires and the cargo over and over the axles can be adjusted to smooth out any bumps at a height of almost 10 meters the cargo is not particularly stable if it starts to move or tilt nothing and no one else is there to secure the cargo this bridge is particularly narrow and old it's made of nothing but a few thick tree trunks and a mud coating nail biting minutes for the team but the bridge holds out dangers lurk around every corner even on a seemingly safe dirt road this transport didn't make it a few months before another transformer was on its way to the sao manuel hydroelectric plant it turned out to be a disaster costing millions the road hadn't been properly prepared and suddenly gave way everything was lost out here nothing can be salvaged the transformer was cut into pieces there's a whole load of copper in there which can be reused but it was carved up and taken away so just to get the crane there it would have needed a capacity of one thousand tons capacity at one thousand thousand tonne [Music] prevention instead of damage control the men must march on despite the scorching heat the road is getting tighter the bridge is narrower the team is continuing on foot guiding the kenworth and its heavy cargo through the country [Music] ahead the path is being leveled the clay road is rock hard and riddled with deep holes this grader has been tackling the road's worst holes and bumps for the last two days at a huge extra logistical cost for the heavy haulage but it's worth it 30 hours in the transport reaches the river the first stage is complete but that was the easy part [Music] the transport has covered over 3500 kilometers now the 500 meters across the river will decide between success and failure we're happy that we've got here okay it's always tricky on dirt road as you saw there are a lot of narrow bridges to cross a welcome break for the men the trip was taxing and tomorrow the team's biggest challenge awaits the rest of the day is free the crew members are often out together for months at a time so they know each other well for this tight-knit community the highlights of the jungle are the coconuts communal meals in a big group are an important part of the day it's almost like home almost it's a tough business and to observers a strange world the sense of humor is particularly unique one morning dionysio biseta found his colleague dead at the wheel cigarette still at the corner of his mouth hence his nickname [Music] each of us has our own nickname are you dead on the shore the team prepares for the crossing the landing zones have to be dredged up hundreds of tons of mud and rocks the river's gauge is low meaning the ferry could run aground with the heavy cargo to avoid that the ground must be dug up thomas weitman and jose raino are inspecting the riverbank time is ticking here's some departure this is where the barge will dock tomorrow for the transformer we'll need to dig up a bit so that the barge fits he says everything will go as planned we'll see at first glance the ferry looks like a rickety little boat it's mostly used by the few farmers who live in the area but since the plant was built it's seen more traffic the ferry was modified to accommodate transport of heavy goods it's good business for the operators and an expensive necessity for thomas weitman without the modifications this would be the end of the road for the heavy haulage it's just a regular car ferry it was modified a year ago so it can take heavy loads the deck was strengthened and on the interior they installed cross and side beams as well as side tanks to improve stability the ramps were also strengthened the ship is further stabilized for transport with these external tanks but it's still a risky undertaking the ferry is small the ground soft this vessel was not built for transporting more than 200 tons of cargo it's been done many times before but you still have to be quite careful since the stability in this ferry is uncertain we barely have any freeboard success or disaster this small car ferry is carrying over 200 tons of cargo deep in the brazilian jungle for the megatrans employees the key moment is approaching and nerves are running high there's no room for errors these are the deciding preparations the team has been trying to get the technology running all day the self-driving trailer has caused continuous problems particularly with the all-important remote control without it the crossing wouldn't work as the ferry is far too short for the entire convoy a 200 ton heavy transformer a huge tractor an accompanying truck and some smaller vehicles all of this must make its way across the river in the middle of brazil the ferry has been reinforced especially for the crossing now additional tanks are going on deck to increase the ship's buoyancy in spite of the time pressure this is still brazil and these are the toughest boys in the transport industry even a hen and her eggs are taken into account the ferry's weight limit is the same as the load which needs to cross almost to the kilogram the tanks should provide additional uplift if the ship sinks too low [Music] the mega trans employees screw the heavy tanks onto the deck a total of four floats should provide more security [Music] we've secured the tanks so that the barge won't tip over there's no shade here at noon the temperatures rise to almost 40 degrees celsius but there's no more time for breaks a bulldozer smooths out the last meters of the road before the ferry [Music] up above the heavy transport rig gets moving the kenworth will be used as insurance on the other side because the self-driving trailer probably won't manage the steep incline from the ship alone the ferry already sinks down under the weight of the truck how will it cope with the cargo which weighs over 200 tons heavy steel cables should prevent the ferry from drifting off which happens often sometimes with grave consequences the first crossing is a success the ferry brings its load across the river the men's next task getting the 200-ton transformer on the self-driving trailer now the buck stops with deonicio bisera who will be steering the cargo after eight years at megatrans he's trusted with the hardest tasks so far the remote control has kept failing will it finally work as it should the trailer approaches the bank at a crawl even the way there is complicated and it's almost completely straight the 200 plus ton load edges towards the bank now the trailer's in position first to board the barge is the driving axle and for a good reason as the team will soon find out [Music] the behemoth edges onto the ferry bit by bit then suddenly it stops the ship has now sunk so far into the water that the outrigger is lifting up too high the men try to use planks of wood but at a weight of over 200 tons it's not enough the cargo is only halfway on the ferry and it's applying huge pressure the axle just makes it on deck but causes the ship to lift even more the captain goes full throttle on the gas to push against it two men are needed the captain who must push back against the 200-ton pressure with his little fairy and the man with the remote deonisio bisera aka jamurrell the cargo is caught the trailer has pushed the ferry so far into the water that the ramp has been raised up too high for the trailer with its weight of over 200 tons the captain is still holding firm and stepping on the gas deonisio bisera is steering the trailer by remote control until now it hasn't been working correctly a game of chance all of the trailer's axles are steered separately by hydraulics allowing it to glide over and smooth out bumps almost like a millipede when one axle gives in the last one hangs in the air for now it's enough to get the trailer on deck axle by axle the heavy cargo is now completely on board the ferry the ship can now make its way slowly to the opposite bank where alterations await on the other side we'll need to change out the drawbar after landing otherwise the trailer won't be able to disembark the crossing goes well although the ship is extremely deep in the water the current is gentle [Music] on this side too there are problems getting from ship to solid land the kenworth truck is now the team's life insurance the self-driving trailer wouldn't make it alone the ferry is deep in the water and it's a steep slope the men shovel earth between the ramp and the ship placing some planks to help if the trailer gets stuck here or pushes the ferry away it could be a disaster [Music] slowly axle by axel the heavy cargo makes its way onto land the megatrans employees replace the drawbar out front the new drawbar is much more stable it needs to carry more than 200 tons uphill next the big kenworth gets in front of the cargo the truck pulls the 200-ton load from the ship with all its might thomas feitman is relieved i think everything went well there were a few little incidents but that's to be expected but in the end everything worked out the cargo made it on board successfully even though the angle at the start was pretty big and disembarking from the barge was totally fine there were no problems at all [Music] the river crossing was just one more step 70 more kilometers of track and rainforest await the men and their heavy haul the progress is slow sometimes at a snail's pace narrow bridges carry the road through this virtually infinite wilderness under the blazing heat the men drive through an area which few people have ever seen the roads on the other side of the river are relatively wide but the gradients are brutal up to 17 the kenworth will endure all of this through the dust and the heat it's used up almost 500 liters of diesel over just 100 kilometers the drive through this expanse will take four more days and then the destination will be in reach [Music] [Music] [Music] so so [Music] after 53 days the heavy haulage convoy reaches its goal the salmonella hydroelectric plant having crawled nearly 4 000 kilometers over seven weeks [Music] they've made it we've arrived without any accidents that's the main thing it took a little longer than planned but that's to be expected there were a few malfunctions and difficulties in getting the right slot on the ferry but on the whole everything is fine it's okay honestly it will be another few weeks before the transformer is fitted and running the unloading will take another two full days and then the transport will continue on site the experts raise up the 200 ton transformer using hydraulic pistons before pulling the trailer out from underneath heavy logs secure the transformer now the behemoth is secure the cargo has reached its destination for thomas weitman and the mega trans experts this is a routine job but they can't help but feel a little pride when the turbines finally turn and the plants start supplying power we've been delivering to these two factories for three years now [Music] we delivered their transmission line so we know what an important role we've played when the plant finally starts operating in a few months the mega trans employees will be long gone working on another route where they don't know yet but they do know that the load will be large and heavy somewhere in the vast expanses of brazil [Music] you

Channel: WELT Documentary

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Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, haulage, haul, heavy haulage, jungle, transport, jungle haulage, jungle transport, São Manoel, brazil, Amazon rainforest, megatrans, transformers, heavy transport, Hydroelectric Plant, arduous route, long distance

Id: FDRssXVrBe8

Length: 49min 16sec (2956 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 21 2021