Background Info

We’ve all seen them on the road: big trucks carrying huge cargos from one point to another. The mission is to deliver the cargo as soon as possible, regardless if that cargo is cement, electronics, or automobiles. The cargo may vary significantly, but one thing remains the same: the cargo must get there, and the only way to deliver it is by truck.

The Northwest Territories are part of Canada. Geographically speaking the terrain is a nightmare. A vast wilderness of lakes, boreal forest and spongy tundra make this terrain impassible. But when winter comes, everything freezes over. The temperature plummets to -30 to -70 degrees Fahrenheit. As the lakes freeze over and the marsh turns rock solid, the terrain becomes passable again. By late December the snow is usually a foot thick.

During the winter months the Northern Territories and Provinces of Canada have a remarkable trucking program, which cannot be compared to any other in the world. The only time of the year when this program can take place is during the winter. This is when highways of ice are built into the Arctic Tundra, with the purpose of transporting equipment and supplies to numerous communities and isolated mining camps.

Many of you are used to driving on solid ground or pavement. But in those regions of Canada this is not always possible. Ironically enough, driving on ice is the best alternative in the winter months. The snow covers everything, making the ground rock solid and freezing the lakes and rivers. As long as the ice covering a lake is thick enough, a large truck can pass over it. Ice roads are the best alternative if constructing year-round roads is too expensive. Thanks to these ice roads communities that lack permanent road access may transport goods in and out of their community.

The concept is fairly simple. Just wait for the winter to come and the temperature to drop below zero. When the lakes are covered with ice, an ice road is plowed on the lake. The ice in the plowed area becomes thicker than the ice covering the rest of the lake. The trucks can then pass and deliver their cargo. It is a race to get the cargo to its destination as the ice roads last for a short period of time.

In one season the truckers must deliver all the equipment and supplies that could not be delivered during the other three seasons (spring, summer and autumn). It is a stressful and demanding job as many truckers get frostbite, crash, or even go through the ice. Once the temperatures start to rise and the ice begins to melt, the ice roads become unsafe and the trucking program must stop.