“Turn and Burn”

Summary

Even clear weather and sunshine doesn’t mean easy trips for the Ice Road Truckers this week. From mechanical problems on the truck, to run-ins with the law, the drivers faced a number of delays during their mission to “turn and burn” and keep the money coming in. After nine weeks into the season, the Carlile drivers only have three or four weeks left before the end of the season and the closure of the highway. Phil and Hugh are backhauling this week to Fairbanks, with Hugh still maintaining a small lead over his rival, Alex, and Phil engaging in a friendly rivalry it out over the radio with Drew. For Lisa and Jack, the weather is deceptive. It’s bright and sunny, but it’s a mere -28 degrees (F) as they cross “The Taps”, 70 miles of icy turns and hills. Tim and Lisa are both plagued with taillight problems on their trucks, which luckily they are able to remedy on the road with some quick fixes; otherwise both would’ve had to stop driving in the name of safety. Hugh is delayed as he crosses a way station and gets stopped because of inconsistent charting of his hours and time on the road and off (a major requirement for drivers to ensure safety for all). He’s forced to pay over $200 in fines and assessed three points on his driver license, requiring a trip to the local courthouse to pay up before he can haul out again. Delays aside, the drivers make it on their way and end the episode with Jack at fifteen (15) loads for the season, George with eleven (11), Lisa completing eleven (11), Hugh at eight (8), Alex at seven (7), and Tim at six (6).

Review

·       Episode starts with George and Tim (6^th trip on the Dalton) in the middle of a brutal storm, 50mph wind and snow (blowing snow)

o      Rookie Tim has to heavily rely on George’s knowledge of the road

o      Blowing snow can clog the air filter, stalling the truck’s engine, which would leave them stuck on the road with no heat

o      After 4 grueling hours, they reach the outskirts of Fairbanks

·       9 weeks into the season, about 3 or 4 weeks left for the season before the roads close

o      Weather has caused several delays, lost loads, and thousands of dollars

·       Hugh and Phil are backhauling to Fairbanks

o      Hauling: Sea-Can – 50,000 lbs

o      Hugh is maintaining lead over rival Alex

o      Phil is battling it out over the radio with Drew

·       It’s bright and cold - -28 degrees for Lisa and Jack

o      Connex containers, rig mats – 70,000 lbs

o      414 miles to go

o      “The Taps” – 70 miles of icy turns and hills

o      Lisa learns a lot from Jack and appreciates his patience and that he doesn’t act like she’s an inconvenience

§       Teaches her a new method for avoiding spinouts, how to climb vertical hills without stalling out

§       Lisa finds herself free-wheeling in neutral, after a little nervous time, she falls into the gear

·       George’s truck is in the shop in Fairbanks with an oil leak after taking a beating in last night’s storm

o      Tim is picking up 6^th load of season in the yard

o      High hopes for making good time in today’s weather

o      As the approach the ice road, Tim notices a marker and tail light not working (illegal to drive without daylights and at night could easily be rear-ended)

·       Phil is ready to settle bet with Drew back in Coldfoot

o      Phil beats Drew by 0.5 a trip! 6 to 6.5 trips

·       100 miles South, Lisa is still on the road with Jack

o      Jack spots trouble with Lisa’s taillights, too

o      Uses a bungee to re-attach broken lights, needs the quick fix to last long enough to get her back to the garage

·       Tim is also hung-up with a taillight problem, 3 of his 6 trips up the road have ended with a mechanical problem

·       Alex has been stranded since yesterday when his trainer was forced to return to Fairbanks

o      George arrived last night, without Tim, and has room for Alex in his convoy

o      George warns him he’s one of the slower guys, but that works for Alex

o      George throws his chains on in 15 minutes though, but Alex has trouble with the skill (which already caused one trainer to bail on him)

·       Jack is getting a slow start in Coldfoot

o      Lisa’s ready to go, but Jack is taking his time

o      Lisa takes the lead because she has a lighter load, and on a mission to rack up as many trips this season as possible

o      Jack and Lisa reach the foot of Addingon Pass

·       George comes to Alex’s rescue in getting the chains on the tires

o      Start ascent over Addingon Pass

o      More than a dozen trucks have been taken down on this range this season

o      Alex’s truck doesn’t weigh much, so chains aren’t being imprinted in road very efficiently

o      To avoid spinning out, he needs to maintain speed, while keeping enough distance from George

o      4,200 ft. altitude

o      Finally reaches summit after barely clinging to ice

·       Hugh and Phil are crossing Yukon River bridge 190 miles South of George and Alex

o      Bridge carries both Dalton traffic and the pipeline across the Yukon River

o      If you couldn’t cross the river, you couldn’t get near Prudhoe Bay

o      Largest bridge in Alaska

o      Have to head to scales at DOT inspection station

o      Hugh: Doesn’t have last inspection record on board, only has log book

o      Needs to have 10 hours off for every 16 hours driving

o      Not having records of downtime is very serious, slows him down

·       Alex and George

o      Alex wants to make it within an hour and some change in time for a hot dinner

·       Hugh gets a citation, Phil returns from Carlile with the missing paperwork for Hugh’s trailer

o      3 points assessed to license

o      $200 fine, $10 surcharge

o      Hugh tries to joke around on camera, the DOT official isn’t having it

o      Biggest impact: he’s out of service, can’t drive

·       Lisa and Jack also hit a roadblock

o      A roadblock with four legs (two of them actually)

o      Dal Sheep

·       Another accident on the ice road

o      Recovery specialist, Ben, is heading to the scene

o      When the Dalton is blocked, all of the drivers are held up not making any money

o      Tanker caught the edge of the road and wrecked in the ditch

o      Tires were still on ground and driver escaped injury

o      Had to clean up diesel off road/snow which seeped out of tanker

§       Protects the tundra to clean it up

o      Remaining fuel in the carrier had to be transferred into another trucker

·       Alex is approached by a pickup that wants to pass

o      Truck comes to a stop because of an approaching truck

o      Alex has to try and come to a screeching halt to try and avoid hitting the pickup truck

o      It pulls away just in time

·       George doesn’t want to drive at night, so Alex isn’t turning around and heading back out

·       Jack is racing to unload trailer of fuel

o      Lisa is now hurrying to not get left by Jack

·       Load Count

o      Jack – 15

o      George – 11

o      Lisa – 11

o      Hugh – 8

o      Alex – 7

o      Tim – 6

·       Hugh has to pay his fines for the half hour mistake on his log at the courthouse to get back on the road

Oversize

With only five weeks left in the season, there are a series of arctic storms rolling in, threatening Carlyle’s progress for the season. They’ve already delivered nearly half the loads needed at the oil fields and aren’t aiming to slow down now.

Lisa opens the week hoping to make it as the first female driver in heavy hauling. If she proves she’s got what it takes, it could be hers. She’s put to the test this week with an oversize load, weather, nighttime drives, and a set of hills know as the “Roller Coaster”.

A week of record-breaking weather and more to come, all of the drivers are challenged in this week’s episode.

Tim and George are advised in Cold Foot that travel is not recommended, but the push forth anyway, hoping their short window of opportunity will pay off, and they’ll be able to avoid the worst of the weather as they take on The Shelf and Addingon Pass.

Alex and Jack are returning from Prudhoe Bay along a road that “changes every trip”- it’s either melting or freezing and it’s never the same. Hugh and Phil have their own road hazards to be concerned with, including a tight timeline to do it in, so that they don’t get stuck in impassible conditions.

Hugh is also met with some conditions beyond his control – both those caused by Mother Nature and another driver wanting to pass Hugh and Phil without much visibility ahead. Luckily, Phil is able to spot an approaching snowplow, and the vulnerable drivers barely avoid a large collision.

All of the drivers arrive safely, many ready for sleep after a long night (and early morning). They bring in their season tallies with Jack leading at ten, George and Lisa tied at eight, Hugh at five, and Tim and Alex both at four.

Episode Notes

OVERSIZE

·       7 weeks into the season, Carlyle has delivered nearly half the loads needed at the oil fields

·       5 weeks left, series of storms rolling in, threatening progress

·       Lisa

o      OVERSIZE

o      Preparing to hit Dalton with rig mats (to protect tundra from trucks), metal frame, pick-up truck

o      First female driver in heavy haul? If she proves she’s got what it takes!

o      Heavy load, 500 miles, and major storm conditions up ahead

o      Will know more about it when she gets to Coldfoot

o      Fighting weather and nighttime

·       In Fairbanks, meteorologist is tracking the approaching storms

o      Has broken daily records, and probably more overnight and tomorrow

o      “Everything that can happen with winter weather, is occurring”

·       Reid

o      Cleaning out paths

o      Aim for “sweet spot”, beginning of sweet spot, 3500 feet away

o      Creates avalanches to clear the pass

·       Tim and George

o      In Coldfoot: Travel advisory: visibility down to 0, chains required on hills, “travel is not advised at this time”

o      George calls to consult dispatch about putting his rookie driver, Tim. into the elements

o      Heading north

o      Face deadly duo – ice slope called shelf, then 4700 foot addingon pass

o      Signs up bad weather up ahead – lost trailers, etc.

o      George pulls head to get word from south-bounders who’ve just been through it

o      Tries to make run for it before the Dalton is totally shut down in what seems to be a window of opportunity

·       Hugh and Phil

o      Head S with 5^th load of season

o      Backhaul, lighter, but exponentially more danger

o      9 tons (18,000 lbs) of drilling waste (toxic) that could ruin the tundra if spilled

o      Any trouble could cost his 2 load lead on Alex

·       Lisa

o      Oversize load makes sharing stretch especially dangerous

o      Would rather a passing tucker “dust me out” at full speed than hit breaks and have trailer slide and hit her

o      Approaches “the roller coast” – a set of white knuckle hills, decides to chain up on recommendation

o      Is optimistic about making it to Prudhoe Bay by 1am, even with dark clouds ahead

·       Alex & Jack

o      Return with an empty load over Prodhoe Bay

o      Road changes every trip – either melting or freezing

o      Up ahead – next challenge: Oil Spill Hill, looses traction (spinning tires) on descent (made worse by empty trailer)

·       Lisa

o      Next challenge: Beaver Slide, two mile downhill

o      Drifting slow on top of the hill is making it dangerous to navigate

o      Can’t ride brakes the whole time, you can slide out, or won’t have them for the rest of the trip

·       Hugh

o      Ice fog forms when cold air hits warm front, creates a thick layer of ice crystals

o      “white death”, can’t see oncoming traffic

o      Truckers who don’t know the protocol for driving in fog worry hugh

o      Is approached from behind a truck who wants to pass, starts to hesitate

o      Phil spots a snow plow oncoming, truck clears the oncoming lane just seconds before a head-on collision

·       Lisa

o      Dark at 5, that’s how you know storms are getting worse

·       Hugh & Phil

o      Have to make it over Addingon and over to Coldfoot before road is completely impassible

o      Reach summit, fighting 30 mph winds

o      Have to wait to pass for a spun out truck to be cleared from the road

o      While waiting, they decide to hop out and grill out on a mini-grill!

§       A bbq in -20 degrees, for the man they call the Polar Bear, he’s right at home

§       “it won’t stay hot for very long”

·       Tim & George

o      Heading to Deadwood before next pass of bad weather closes the road

o      Speed and precision required to top Ice Cut

·       Alex & Jack

o      Those already on the road have no choice but to push through (others advised not to travel)

o      Night falls, approach the most feared, addingon pass

·       Tim and George

o      Makes it to stop sign at the end of the Dalton highway

·       Alex makes it to Cold Foot after 3 hours in the storm, on a solo voyage

o      Looking forward to sleeping – it is 3am, after all

·       Load Count

o      Jack – 10

o      George – 8

o      Lisa – 8

o      Hugh – 5

o      Tim – 4

o      Alex – 4

Cold Fury

Five weeks into the season and it’s “cold fury”, the Carlile team has been responsible for more than 625 of the 2000 loads delivered to the arctic’s oil fields.

As the episode opens, Hugh “The Polar Bear” Roland is the first at dispatch, ready to roll out with his fifth load of the season but is delayed waiting on his mentor, and Carlile safety supervisior, Phil – who is actually detained in having to remedy and report on his own accident… a joking point that won’t be easily lived down for quite some time. Hugh’s rival, Alex (along with his mentor, Jack), are able to beat the competing team out onto the road, a nice change of pace for Alex who’s been plagued by mechanical issues and other unforeseen delays all season long.

Lisa’s booked for her longest haul yet, a crucial next step for her in becoming an elite “heavy hauler”. Because of the size of the hauls, if she doesn’t make it out before the “curfew”, she’ll have to wait until after rush hour to make her departure, putting her on pace for a nighttime drive. She makes it out with just minutes to spare, narrowly avoiding a lengthy delay on account of frozen brakes.

Rookie driver Tim Freeman is anxious to meet up and roll out with driving partner George, but a truck that won’t start threatens to cut him out of the four-hour window he has for making the run. Otherwise, he’d have to wait two days for George to return. The Carlile mechanics diagnose the issue as a computer error, and Tim narrowly makes his window of time, too.

Lisa and Alex both face some of the most treacherous terrain as they both cross Addingon Pass, but all of the teams successfully complete their missions, racking up more deliveries on each of their lists. The drivers tally finish up week five with Jack at eight, George and Lisa tied at seven, Hugh with five, and Alex and Time each with three.

Episode Notes

·       5 weeks into a season of “cold fury”

·       Delivered more than 625 of the 2000 loads destined for the arctic oil fields

·       Hugh “The Polar Bear” Roland is first at dispatch at Carlile Trucking

o      5^th load of season

o      Can’t roll out without escort, Phil Kromm

·       Hugh has competed with rival for decades, managed to get ahead by 2 loads, while Alex has been plagued by mechanical problems. Alex is next to roll into dispatch. Hauling pipe, which is “money in the bank”.

o      Unsecured pipe can suddenly become a torpedo

·       Phil is safety supervisor, and is delayed by having to do a report on himself

o      Delayed by a $1,000 (est.) fender bender, he pulled into something, too little clearance

·       Alex and Jack get on the road while Hugh is waiting on Phil

·       Every accident triggers a test for drugs and alcohol, even with a clear report, the accident can be cause for termination

·       2 hours later, cleared to leave

·       Lisa is booked for her longest haul yet

o      Next step to becoming an elite “heavy hauler”

o      If she doesn’t get out before rush hour “curfew”, she’ll have to wait for nighttime

o      Trailer is locked in place by frozen brakes

§       tries to pour methanol in the lines — doesn’t work

§       Tries to hammer off the snow and ice buildup, with two minutes left to get out of yard – it works!

o      Super long trailer is going to be touch on curves, 90 degree turns, and ocean ice

·       Rookie: Recovery mission for Tim Freeman, broke down for second time on his third run

o      Truck is repaired and another problem found: highway robbery - tire chains are stolen off truck

§       Has to run down steep hills w/o chains “barefooting”

§       Chosen when driving conditions are perfect, Tim has no choice

o      Races back to Fairbanks to meet George, running partner who is loaded and ready to go in 4 hours

o      Finds a problem with the starter needing to be fixed in time to leave with George, or he’ll have to wait for another 2 days for George to return

·       Alex is running with Jack

o      Approach “Chuckie’s Corner” (grim landmark, of a rolled truck – pipe broke loose and killed him instantly)

o      Crosses on the road remind truckers it’s America’s most dangerous road

o      Approach Mackie hill – 16 degree grade straight to the truck

·       Third time’s a charm as he hits all the gears this time and makes it to the top – and one hill closer to proving himself to Alaskan truckers

·       Notorious Canadian

·       Hugh

o      Another Canadian

·       Cutting up with smack talking on the radios about the “Canadians”

·       Alex

o      Gears up after overnight stop

o      Flat tires, tread gone – needs replacement (had a flat in his last run), but there is no shop in Coldfoot

o      Hugh’s already passed him by

o      Has to leave now, flat tire or not

·       Hugh

o      In convoy with Phil

o      “bullshit on the radio, tell stories, stories get bigger and bigger”

o      Addingon pass is northernmost road in the world – has just claimed another victim as they pass by

o      4,000 ft. altitude, avalanche area

o      Clean pass over summit at 4,700 ft.

·       George and Tim

o      Noon deadline as mechanics troubleshoot Tim’s truck

o      15 minutes to deadline, problem is narrowed to computer sensor

o      Ready to go and wheels rolling right at noon

o      Carrying petroleum products

o      Tim hits the ice for the 4^th time

o      Tim gets comfortable and finds himself sliding, going too slow is like going too fast

§       Engine lugs causing wheel to drag, often resulting in dangerous slide

§       Follows George’s lead, picks up speed, wheels stop speeding

·       Lisa Kelly

o      Load check

o      The Shelf – next big ascent, scene of many accidents already this year

§       It’s not “if you go in the ditch, it’s when”

§       clears

o      now heads to addingon’s pass

o      80 feet of trailer, corners are tough

§       Clears pass safely

o      Tomorrow: driving on frozen ocean

o      Farthest point north you can get by road, and now going further

·       Alex

o      Climbing addingon pass with bald and deflated tire

o      Lack of traction becomes hazard as descending the hill

o      Tries to control with jake brake (using engine compression) rather than tire braking

o      Still behind Hugh

·       Lisa

o      100 miles ahead

o      Rolling toward the biggest moment of her career, longest haul across the ocean

o      Gets a glimpse of tundra crawlers, the original way of moving freight across tundra (before the dalton opened), “snow train” (could operate in 68 degrees below zero)

§       Took days to cross

o      Lisa gets into Dead Horse in just hours with good weather

o      Tomorrow she will risk it all on the ice of the ocean

·       Tim and George

o      Weather begins to change

o      Hears that its worse ahead

o      Tim doubts that he has it in him for the downhill stretch

o      2 miles long, “slippery as a ski slope”

§       F-bombs, s-bombs

§       “Let’s go a little faster”

§       Jakes locking up, send Tim skidding across ice

§       Tim carefully gears down, regains control of rig

o      Tim and George get to barefoot, weather has closed down addingon pass

o      Will be noon before they get it back open

·       Alex

o      Across the north slope with a huge handicap – flat tire

o      Forced to run slower to make it to the finish line, the difference in the race with his arch rival

o      Hugh, Phil are 35 miles ahead, after leaving four hours later

·       Lisa

o      To get on ocean ice, has to clear a 180 degree turn

o      Wave like motion can be felt

o      Weight of the truck making the ice sag and stretch

o      Keeps speed to 10 miles per hour, any faster can damage it or break through

o      Pulls into finish line

o      Here’s Alaska, we’re right here… above it.

o      Hands over load to crane crew

·       Load count: Week 5

o      Jack – 8

o      George – 7

o      Lisa – 7

o      Hugh – 5

o      Alex – 3

o      Tim – 3

Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Rollovers

At only four weeks into the road season, episode four opens with one of Ice Road Trucker’s own referring to this season as “the worst season I’ve been through”, with good reason.

After a heavy snowstorm left several truckers stranded overnight at the roadway’s only stop, Jack continued his mission to head south – even without the comfort of snow plows ahead of him. In “tow” behind him is one of this season’s young guns, Lisa. She’s carrying two empty trailers, eager for a new payload. “Safety in numbers is a good thing”, they say. 100 miles from Dead Horse and Lisa can only see Jack’s tracks, finding herself alone on the dangerous stretch. As if that’s not enough to make a girl re-think her career choice, they go on to find a rig that has flipped twice, its driver thrown into the tundra. The “lucky” driver was noticed by a passing trucker and med-evaced to the area’s nearest hospital, more than 400 miles away.

Hugh and his mentor Phil are on their own mission – return to Fairbanks to pick up a bigger payload – with Alex, Hugh’s rival and his mentor Jack in direct competition, each team with the goal of racking up more assignments and collecting larger payouts. Along the way they encounter sliding trucks because of their empty trailers and heavy winds that constantly make visibility through the snow additional hazards of the road.

After a month of trucking, the drivers end the week with their hard-earned tallies: Jack at eight, George and Lisa both at five, Tim and Hugh at two, and Alex wrapping up his first run on the ice. “There are girls driving on it, so maybe I’ll be able to”, jokes Alex.

Show Notes

A “roll over”, break failure/runaway truck, hitting a moose is like hitting a brick wall, Ice Road Truckers take on Alaska.  Aerosmith’s “livin’ on the edge” open the show. (I love that there is a girl driver named Lisa, btw.)

4 weeks into ice road season. Breakdowns, whiteouts, and rollovers. “worst season I’ve been through”.

Fierce snowstorm left dozens of truckers stranded last night at the halfway point and only stop on the roadway.

Jack Jessee is on a mission to go south, even without the snow plows ahead of him. 8’’ of snow on the ground. Drives an empty hauler to pick up a big paying load. “Young gun” Lisa is following behind with two empty trailers ready to get a new payload. “Safety in numbers is a good thing.”

Worst start to a winter than Jack’s seen in his 8 years driving.

Lisa can only see Jack’s tracks and now finds herself alone, 100 miles from Deadhorse.

Approach a rig that flipped twice, its driver thrown into the tundra. Dragged himself onto the road where a passing trucker found him – by the light of his flashlight that the injured trucker had in his hand. Nearest hospital more than 400 miles away. Pipeline service unit (closest stop) med-evaced him to Anchorage. Truck was mangled upon morning review by the passing truckers.

Lisa finally spots Jack’s taillights. Radios are their lifeline because there is no phone service, etc. They can alert to conditions, approaching traffic, accidents. Snow plows are approaching, clearing the road for other truckers to come through. North bound trucks have right away where Southbound trucks have to pull over making way for wider loads.

Lisa misses a pulloff, tries to slowdown as another truck approaches. Goes to commercial with no breaks and a slick road.

{Commercial}

Finally slows to a stop as the approaching truck is only feet away. Jack Jessee notes that she forgot to dry her brakes off (by pumping periodically to build up heat and dry them off). Lisa literally has to hang up her radio for a minute and catch her breath.

Hugh Rowland is the next feature, hauling just 3 lbs. of paperwork. Mission is to get back to Fairbanks within the day to pick up a bigger payload. Still requires the supervision of Phil since he’s only been there a few weeks. Hugh is a more of a risk taker, and a little wild, compared to Phil.

North Slope police officer arrives on scene to investigate last night’s crash, 100 miles from Deadhorse. Finds a shoe and a bible outside of the truck and that the driver missed a high-pressure gas line by just feet, hitting it would’ve caused a likely deadly explosion.

250 miles south, Alex is heading North and a broken spring put him behind yesterday. Competing with Hugh for the payload. Hauling a stack bound for oil fields. Driving in convoy with Jack, who is carrying a fleet of pick-up trucks. Traveling up the “shelf” – an incline cut into the side of the mountain. They decide to add chains to the tires. Has to pick the right gear to go up, because downshifting would cause a problem. Hits too high a gear, without traction. Downshifts two on accident, truck slows and stops. Getting started again could send him sliding backward.

{Commercial}

Eases into 1^st and 2^nd gears, putting a lot of power against the ice. Makes it to the top, still has 75 miles to go.

Jack and Lisa are meeting a lot of NB traffic. Sees a reminder of a driver who died. More 35 steel white crosses marks this side of the road. “none of this freight is worth anybody’s life”.

Ben goes to provide pick-up and recovery of spilled load from accident, 40+ pieces of pipe for $0.5M. cables pulled by high-powered wenches on tow truck. Get the truck up, then trailer, which can’t get enough leverage to get it onto the road. Have to reposition.

Hugh – empty load causes a lot of movement. Phil and hugh encounter wind throwing the snow up… blinding them, but they can’t stop on the ice.

{Commercial}

Clears the wind but still has 300 miles to go.

Alex

“turn and burn” to catch up with Hugh. Discovers a flat tire at Carlile yard. (yesterday: broken tire spring, today: flat tire. Must wait for repair putting him behind in the “dash for the cash”)

Deadhorse is a company town, thanks to the find of an oil field in the 60’s. “all that far and still no bar”

New obstacle for Alex: arctic speed bumps known as frost-heaves. Earth buckles under the ice, and it’ll buck you out of your seat “just like the rodeo”.

Jack and Lisa

Approach Fairbanks, tough backhaul, but a good run for a ice road trucker. Pull into carlile yard, but no rest for jack. Ready to turn and burn with another load. Ready to make more money. Lisa takes a few hours off in her truck – shows off her craftsman tools. Kicks off her shoes. Shows off her house on wheels.

{commercial}

6 minutes left in the show, Alex’s truck in the shop at Deadhorse. Tire tech trying to find the hole and fix it. severe service duty tires only last about 6 months and at $400/piece, it’s worth the time to patch them. Mechanic mends the hold. Alex heads for the load. Backhauling an empty van trailer to Fairbanks. -18 degree F that the bay is famous for. Heads south to catch up with the competition.

Jack Jessee preps for next run – a night run. It’s a high and wide load, has to go slower. Pipes, 50K pounds. Try to get out of Fairbanks without knocking down stoplights. Has to go slow to not bounce up and hit the lights. BARELY clears the lights with the tall load. “Getting out of town can be its own special challenge”. “75 miles up the road, the pavement drops off the and pavement begins”. Heads into wilderness, with a new hazard approaching… lots of moose out this evening and they’re hard to see at night until they jump out righ tin front of you. Hitting a moose is like hitting a brick wall, it’s gonna tear your truck to pieces.” Pilot car spots a dead one in the middle of the road.

Alaskan moose can weigh up to 1500 lbs, pulls it off the road because it can save another trucker’s life.

Another sighting up the road. Moose crosses in front of truck just barely, downshifts to miss him. The call from ahead alerted him .

After a month of trucking:

Jack – 8

George – 5

Lisa – 5

Tim – 2

Hugh – 2

Alex – 1

Overcoming many obstacles, Alex has completed his first run on the ice. “There are girls driving on it, so maybe I’ll be able to.”

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There was a lot of good action in the final episode of Ice Road Truckers season two. After 12 weeks on the ice, there is less than 12 hours to move a crapload of materials before the road closes. The temperatures are rising and warmer waters are melting the ice.

Trucker Jerry Dusdal said (about the ice): “You can make good margaritas outta this stuff. nice and slushy.”

The truckers are racing against the heat and each other to see who can finish with the highest load. Hugh Rowland and Eric Dufresne (the man to beat) have each hauled 66 loads. Hugh is running into some tough ice up north, where the water is coming up on the ice and turning it into slush. The artic road has lost 6 inches of ice in two days.

100 miles south, Rick Yemm is waiting to go on one last run of the season. Rick has an annoying, know-it-all attitude, don’t you think?

While Hugh is on his way to Inuvik, Eric, who is heading north, runs into a giant white-out. I can’t imagine trying to drive in these conditions. Have any of you out there had to do this? Visibility is horrible in this ice fog!

Rookie Devon Neff looks like he’s freaking out a little bit on his way to Inuvik. I probably would too if I was used to seeing ice and then I started seeing a lot of water.

Finally Rick gets the go-ahead to go to Tuktoyaktuk. Can’t believe he doesn’t know how to run a winch though, so he’s having problems getting the loader on the truck.

Meanwhile, Drew Sherwood is driving on the ice roads on his way to Aklavik.  Not sure how I feel about Drew. Definitely like Hugh a lot better though. Season two of the show has only confirmed this belief.

Eric finally makes it to Langley but by that time Hugh is done with his load. Rick still can’t get his stuff loaded haha. Finally he loses it and is fired. Moron. Other truckers don’t seem to feel too sorry for him.

Eric has one more load to complete, going back to Inuvik. If he makes it back, it will be his 67th load, tying him with Hugh. But Eric is 3 hours behind Hugh.

HAHA Drew driving naked wtf!? I don’t know if anyone wants to see that…

Bear Swenson is pretty rational when it comes to talking about the melting ice. He says, “suck it up and get goin’”

Rookie Devon makes it back on solid ground, and I’d bet he’ll be back as an Ice Road Trucker in the future.

It’s all coming down to Eric and Hugh. When they pass each other it’s like the trucker version of a face-off/stare-down.

Hugh dumps his load and just has to make it back to Inuvik.

Hugh “the Polar Bear” Rowland has edged out Eric for the win. That wraps up an awesome Ice Road Truckers Season 2. What did you think about season 2?

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?

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!

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.

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.