On 22 January 2003, our "new" tanker made the voyage back to Apex. We had the 2000 gallon tank from the old Tanker 8 remounted onto a brand new Sterling Acterra 8500 chassis. It has a 330HP Caterpillar engine and a 500 GPM Hale pump.

As of that weekend, this truck, now called Tanker 1, was placed into service out of Station 1. It ran its first call on Friday 24 January, where it stood by at the transformer fire on Highway 55 after we disconnected the 5-inch supply line that was stretched across the road blocking rush-hour traffic.

On 26 March 2003, Tanker 1 got the final touches - door patch, lettering and a reflective stripe above the front bumper. Thanks to Jon Brann for providing the latest photos!

Click on the thumbnails to view a larger photo.