J.J. Keller & Associates Inc. is stepping up to help move this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, a 53-foot red fir nicknamed Silver Belle, from Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest all the way to the West Lawn in Washington, D.C.
Mark Siebenaller, vice president of service operations at J. J. Keller, said the company is proud to be part of the effort. He explained, “Our Permits Team is honored to guide the tree and truck through 10 states and 14 whistlestop appearances. We’re proud to help ensure safe transport of this national symbol.”
This haul is being done in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Society of American Foresters. The job isn’t as simple as putting the tree on a trailer and rolling out. Because of the size and route, permits are required in every state the load moves through, and that’s where J. J. Keller makes the difference.
The company’s Permit Service runs around the clock and handles close to 100,000 loads a year. Siebenaller added that helping with the move lines up with the company’s values: “Our Permit Service aligns with J. J. Keller’s core values of protecting people and businesses, so everyone returns home safely.”
Silver Belle will be harvested in late October and make appearances throughout the country on the way to the Capitol. The planned stops include:
- Carson City, Lovelock, Elko, Las Vegas, and Hoover Dam, Nevada
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Amarillo, Texas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Lenexa, Kansas
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Paducah and Lexington, Kentucky
- Chillicothe, Ohio
- Eighty Four, Pennsylvania
- Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
The lighting ceremony is scheduled for early December once the tree reaches Washington, D.C.
If you want more background from drivers who’ve hauled previous Capitol trees, there are stories available from past hauls that give a behind-the-scenes look at the experience.
Source: JJ Keller and The Trucker
