Ice Road Truckers Season 2 - A Rookie Fumbles

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This episode (”A Rookie Fumbles”) from Season 2 of Ice Road Truckers was especially interesting to me because Hugh is given the job of training Isaac Lenny, a new guy. This is pretty funny to me, because it seems like he hasn’t really driven a truck much before (if he has, he’s definitely not a 20-year pro).

Why would they have a rookie on the Ice Road in these types of conditions? Especially when there are many, many other experienced truckers (some of you who may be reading this) who would love to have an opportunity to drive on the Ice Roads, and have much more wisdom and skills.

Did you think it was a good idea to have Isaac on this episode? Or should they have had a more experienced trucker?

season 2, Hugh Rowland | 0 Comments »

Best Cold Weather Coat for Ice Road Truckers

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If you’re one of the ice road truckers (or aspiring to be one) or live in a place with very cold weather, you really need a good coat. There are a wide variety of manufacturers and many great cold weather coat designs.  The fact is that if you want a great sub-zero coat to wear in the cold you should look to see what the scientists are wearing in Antarctica.

Antarctica is the harshest environment on our planet.  Sub zero temperatures are the norm there.  You must have a great cold weather coat to survive and work there.  Wearing the wrong jacket there means death.

Scientists and support staff for many arctic expeditions wear extreme gear made by Carhartt.  One of the coats worn is the C55 extreme weather coat.  The C55 delivers superior warmth even in sub zero temperatures.  Made and designed with 100% Cordura Plus Nylon and an arctic weight lining.  The C55 has a water proof polyurethane finish that provides protection from the cold and wet conditions.  The C55 has also provides great functionality.   It has large pockets, Velcro closures, and storm cuff wrists.

The C55 is an extreme arctic coat.  It is highly wind and water resistant.  It is also extremely strong material that is rip-resistant.  This coat is what the scientist use in the most extreme conditions on earth.  Some of its features are:

• Under collar snaps for optional hood.
• Zipper front has a wind flap with a Velcro closure.
• 100% Cordura Plus Nylon in 1,000 Denier.
• 100% Carhartt nylon quilted polyester Arctic liner.
• Extra large front pockets and two chest pockets with Velcro flap closure.
• Pleated elbow, storm cuff rib knit sleeve, waist draw cord adjustments and underarm grommets for ventilation.
• Available hood accessory.
• Arctic quilt lined.

This coat is world-renowned for its rugged, durable design.  It is extremely warm and will keep you that way all day.  This rugged coat will last for years in the harshest environment.  If you want to stay warm in extremely cold conditions you want a Carhartt winter coat.

You can get this coat for a little over $100 from Amazon.com. If your serious about staying warm in the cold, this is a great coat for you!

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Being an Ice Road Trucker

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Ask anyone what does being an Ice Road Trucker mean. Most will probably answer “driving a truck over icy roads back and forth to several locations”. But is it really that simple? Here are some details about this special job.

First of all, some may wonder how much Ice Road Truckers are paid. In some cases, they end up getting $90000 in three months. Canada’s tundra is one of the most desolate places on Earth, and due to the lack of experienced drivers and the money they give you, Ice Trucking becomes one of the most attracting offer when it comes to high paid jobs. Tempting, isn’t it? Not really, given the fact that the risks that they are exposed to aren’t worth all that money. You can find more about some of the dangers they encounter in a special article dedicated to this topic.

Now, what would you have to do if you were an Ice Road Trucker?

Your main job would be to take the cargo to its destination. You must take care of the cargo, and also make sure that you safely return to the place of the departure. Besides this, you must be VERY careful while driving. Some parts of the road must be crossed with a certain speed, for example, if you are lucky, you can travel with 50 km/h, or if you find a delicate area, you must not cross 5 km/h.

Secondly, you must calculate how much sleep do you need, because if you didn’t get enough rest, on a freezing weather like that, anything might go wrong. You must also take into consideration the fact that you should keep track of a certain schedule, as loading and unloading cargos in that area can be very problematic.

The truck is also an important aspect of this job. You must take very good care of your truck, for it is your companion, your best friend, which helps you carry the journey safely. If anything malfunctions, it must be quickly repaired, because timing is essential, and on those icy roads, no mistakes are allowed.

Be sure to have all life, accident or injury insurances signed when you apply for a job like this. And most of all, remember to be nice to your fellow colleagues, for you never know when you might need them.

Training is required, but all taxes will be paid by the hiring company, and usually, so will the transportation taxes to/from the city and country in witch you reside. If you live outside of Canada, you must contact the hiring company and request an application form. After you send it in, if they like what they see, you will be interviewed by phone, and if finally decide that you’re the man for the job, they will give you a Work Petition, which will help you when you go to the Canadian Embassy in your country to get a visa.

trucking jobs | 9 Comments »

Season 2, Episode 4: Arctic Whiteout

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Here’s a few things that happened in season 2, episode 4 of Ice Road Truckers (episode title is “Arctic Whiteout”). The show kicked off by telling us that the ice is holding at 38 inches thick.

Eric Dufresne is working on moving a rig that wasn’t making any money. The company is losing $250,000 a day until they get the new rig up and running. “It’s just like a lego game.” Eric will be hauling 70,00+ pounds of equipment to the new location for the rig.

Hugh Rowland is hauling a load from Inuvik to Langley. The load is 30 tons of oak rig mats (the rig sits on these so it doesn’t melt the ice underneath), and Hugh will make the 115-mile journey to deliver his load.

Rick Yemm is off the ice again. He busted up the first 2 trucks and now truck 3 is also out of service. Rick is wasting time (and money) waiting around. Do you think it’s his driving that messed up the trucks or just the harsh conditions?

Drew Sherwood has an exciting load - groceries. He’s got to take 10 tons of junk food, pop and chips to Tuktoyaktuk 112 miles away.

Everthing is going fine until a bad snow storm moves in. It’s blowing like hell out there. Eric (I think?) has to spend the night in his truck. The episode kind of ended shortly after this, and I must confess I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have to tell you what happened. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts about this episode.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the Ice Road Truckers community that we’ve started.

season 2, Eric Dufresne, tv-show, Rick Yemm, Hugh Rowland, Drew Sherwood | 0 Comments »

Season 2, Episode 4 Preview

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Hello Ice Road Truckers fans! Here is a short description of what will happen in the fourth episode, “Arctic Whiteout”, which is scheduled to be aired tonight (June 29, 2008) at 9pm Eastern Time.

The camp is being moved to Langley in order to continue the exploration for natural gas. Alex and Hugh are on the road, while Rick waits for two days for his truck to be repaired. Erick takes a survival shack from Langley, but he can’t pass by the power lines in Inuvik, so he’s there to stay for the night. Another storm hits the Arctic roads, just as the drivers were prepared for a big move, which is canceled due to the harsh weather conditions.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the names of the areas mentioned in this second season, here are some details about them.

- Inuvik becomes a part of Canada’s highway system after the Dempster Highway was finished. It is connected to Tuktoyaktuk through an ice road that crosses the Mackenzie River.

- Tuktoyaktuk, or Tuk, as its common name, is a city placed on the Arctic shore. Locals explore gas and oil from the Beaufort Sea. It is approximately 194 km far from Inuvik.

- Mallik is a gas hydrate field that lies in the Mackenzie River delta.

What new challenges will await the drivers? Will they be able to face the rough weather conditions? Will the Arctic Ice Roads scare them? Stay tuned, and watch Season 2 of Ice Road Truckers!

season 2, tv-show | 0 Comments »

Bear Swenson and Jerry Dusdal

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Here’s some more information about Bear Swenson and Jerry Dusdal, who are new to Season 2 of Ice Road Truckers. We also recently profiled Eric Dufresne, in case you missed it.

Bear Swenson

Bear Swenson was a lumberjack who got his nickname due to the resemblance to Smokey the Bear. Although he is critical when it comes to mistakes made by rookies, he is always looking out for them. Like Eric, he has a strong sense of humor, and his approachable personality gave him the chance to earn the local respect. He has two children and seven grandchildren, and he does the ice road trucking for the money, motivated by the fact that he has to take care of his family.

Jerry Dusdal

Jerry Dusdal is “the man behind the truck”, the field supervisor. His main responsibility is to make sure that the truckers work under safe conditions, especially in the Arctic area, where everything is much more difficult to do.

Jerry Dusdal, Bear Swenson | 0 Comments »

Eric Dufresne

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As you may have seen from the recaps of the three so-far aired episodes of Season 2 of Ice Road Truckers, new names join the crew as they travel to northern Canada. One of them is Eric Dufresne.

Eric Dufresne was born in Montreal, and his passion for ice trucking started when he was only 19 years old. He’s an eco-trucker, probably because he discovered the natural beauty of those places at an early age, moving to Northern Canada. His sense of humor and the fact that he loves to listen to music while driving his truck, along with his excellent mechanic skills make him an excellent co-worker. Eric Dufresne is married, but has no children, and likes to go fishing and hiking.

Eric Dufresne, season 2, tv-show | 3 Comments »

High Gas Prices Affecting Truckers?

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In New York, truckers recently gathered to protest against high gas prices. I wonder how the high fuel prices are affecting our ice road truckers this year? If any of you reading are in the trucking business, how have the high prices affected you?

See below for the video about the truckers protest in New York.

general | 1 Comment »

Season 2, Episode 3: “The Big Blizzard”

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The third episode  of Ice Road Truckers season 2- “The Big Blizzard” - first aired on June 22, 2008.

This episode shows the drivers trying to deliver their loads before the ice road becomes impassable due to the first major blizzard that closes in on the region. Rick is still off the road, because his new oil pan hasn’t arrived yet, and Hugh takes a vacuum tanker to Aput, being helped by a student trucker. Drew finally drives on the ice roads, being paired with veteran Kelly. However, his condition gets worse, and so Kelly has to finish the run. Alex discovers a tire that is low on air and which he must inflate quickly to be able to take the pump house he has been assigned to deliver from Aput to Tuktoyaktuk. The storm closes in and visibility starts to drop to zero, as the snowplows clear the road. Hugh takes the vacuum tanker to Aput and Rick borrows a truck to haul a load of industrial waste to Inuvik.

season 2, tv-show | 1 Comment »

Season 2, Episode 2: “Mechanical Mayhem”

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The second episode of season 2, “Mechanical Mayhem”, premiered on the 15th of June 15, 2008.

The second episode of Ice Road Truckers season two shows Drew finding work at a local moving company, instead of going home after he quits. He first drives a forklift, then a box truck. Soon after that, he gets sick. Bear Swensen, a six-year veteran, also joins the crew, taking a load of rig mats to Mallik. Rick returns to Inuvik with some equipment form a military post that belonged to the army fighting in the Cold War, Eric hauls a vacuum truck and Rick takes a boiler, both to the same destination: Mallik. Alex hauls a load to Tuktoyaktuk, but on his way back to Inuvik, he spots a flipped-over box truck, but its driver was nowhere in sight. Rick gets ill, but he keeps on driving. His problems won’t stop here, as he looses engine oil on his way to Tuktoyaktuk, due to the opening of the oil pan after his truck hit a bump. The mechanics explain that the hole cannot be repaired, and so he has to wait for a new pan before he can start working again.

What did you think about this episode?

tuktoyaktuk, season 2, tv-show, Alex Debogorski | 2 Comments »