Ice Road Truckers (2007) s04e03 Episode Script
Facing Down the Blow
Next on Ice Road Truckers The longer we wait around Here, the worse it's gonna get.
We gotta get outta here now.
In a raging Storm It's very dangerous.
I hope I [bleep.]
get out of Here.
Jack battles the Elements.
The motor's gettin' cold, And if I leave it shut off too Long, it won't start again.
Lisa faces a Breakdown.
My truck is not working Right.
Things could get ugly fast.
Ray is pushed to The brink.
Been one of the [bleep.]
days I've ever flippin' had.
I'm gonna quit.
And alex is a Heartbeat away from losing it All.
And the only thing that's Holding you up right now is your Blood pressure.
That's the one thing that Automatically disqualifies you.
The first storm of The season rolls into alaska Like a runaway truck.
Big travel advisory right Now, state of alaska warning That there's a big blow going up On the haul roads there.
Looking at temperatures today.
What does it say? Well, somewhere in the Neighborhood of minus 50.
High winds hammer The north slope and drive the Windchill down to minus 90.
Towering snowdrifts on atigun Pass have caused the storm's First casualty.
We were, uh, you know, Cleaning the snow out and Everything on atigun pass here And, uh, we're letting a truck Come up, and as he was coming Up, he hit some loose snow and He spun out.
The spinout has Traffic backed up until the D.
O.
T.
Can get the truck out of The way.
He was a old-Time driver.
He's been up this hill a million Times, but it happens to the Best of 'em.
In prudhoe bay, other drivers Weigh their options Wait out the storm, Or try to slam through it.
Even though haul road ace jack Jessee has a deadline to meet, Toughing out an arctic storm is Part of the job.
The storm really hasn't moved In, so we're kinda in a hurry.
They say it's supposed to come In today.
You never know what time, so We're gonna check everything out And get the heck outta here.
On his heels is Hugh "the polar bear" roland.
All righty, sir.
So you have a deck set.
Okay.
Thanks.
All right, have a great trip Back.
Thanks.
Out in the yard, Hugh's rival, alex debogorski, Is fueling up.
Yeah, I was tryin' to sneak Outta here while you were Sleeping, but obviously I made Too much noise and woke you up.
I was sniffing around last Night, I knew where he was.
I don't knowI don't really Have anybody to go with.
I should just haul with you guys Maybe.
Yeah, we got jack.
Jack jessee probably'll be in Front andYeah, if you wanna Come along, no problem.
I may as well, I mean, uh, May as well head back the same Way.
Yeah, well, let's head her Back and get a load.
While other Truckers wait out the storm in PrudhoeThe trio of ice road Veterans heads into the teeth of The storm.
Out in front, jack jessee is Hauling two enormous shipping Containers.
Connexes are ocean-Going Cargo containers.
They're all uniform size, Just a big sail I'm pullin' back Here in this wind.
They both have about 20,000 Pounds in 'em, which'll be Good, 'cause the wind's blowing And if they were empty, it could Bump me right off the side of The road.
Every oncoming rig Is a near-Miss situation.
Yeah, I had a [bleep.]
of a Time back there seein' the Delineators.
Before it's over, This storm will put their Driving and surviving skills to The test.
My biggest concern is get the Job done and get home and see my Wife.
I wanna get home at the end of Every trip.
Just behind jack is Hugh, a veteran trucker who's Faced down many a storm.
You deal with whatever the Ice roads throw at ya, and ya Gotta make the best of it.
Otherwiseif you stopped Every time the [bleep.]
wind Started blowin' and it started Snowin' and blowin' and couldn't See, you wouldn't make any [Bleep.]
money, so That's my philosophy anyway.
What hugh enjoys Almost as much as making money Beating alex.
I'm definitely gonna pull More loads than alex, that's for Sure.
Once I pass alex, he never Catches up.
Same every year.
He's gotta live his life lookin' Over his shoulder lookin' for Me.
Right behind hugh, Alex is hauling two stacked Flatbeds known as a deck set.
Alex is always up for a Throwdown with the polar bear, But this morning he's proceeding With caution.
On his last run Holy mackerel! Alex took out two delineators When his trailer caught an edge.
He faces a driver's review and An eye exam when he arrives in Fairbanks.
I guess when I came down the North side, I was goin' a little Quick.
Basically, the trailer, uh, went To the side.
I mean, I felt it in the seat of My pants.
He needs to pass Them both or he'll lose his License.
It does happen sometimes.
I guess I coulda been going a Little slower comin' over the Top.
After 29 years on The ice road, this could be Alex's final run.
Are rolling into fairbanks, Planning to turn and burn.
Well, we oughta just get into Town, grab a load, and just get Back up here to get what we can Before the end of the pay Period.
Yeah! Ray veilleux is Just glad to be on the road.
Something's burnin'.
On his last run, An engine problem turned out to Be less serious than he feared.
We're gonna fix it and get ya Back on the road late tonight Or in the morning.
Nartor: Now All right, baby, come on With it.
Let's see what you got.
They're warming up For the race north There ya go.
As they sprint into The yard.
Right behind you.
Ray veilleux and I are Runnin' together, so hopefully We'll get another load, turn Around and get back to coldfoot This evening.
First in line, Greg boadwine.
Uh, well, kinda what it is up There, blowin' like crazy.
Pass is supposed to be about Tonight's what they're saying.
Greg, how we doing? The weather up North has greg wondering if he Or his truck is up for it.
I got a question for ya.
Yeah.
MyAnnual is due on the First, andWhat do you think The pass and everything's doing Up there? The pass is not good right Now.
Uh, it's blowin' like crazy From 62 mile all the way into Prudhoe.
I think you'll be in trouble.
Uh, why don't we see if we can Get you in the shop tonight? Greg's truck is Scheduled for mechanical Inspection.
For greg, it's a mixed Blessingmissing out on a load But avoiding the storm.
We met up with ray there to Run through all this together, So he had kinda a buddy system Goin' on, but he might be a Little disappointed once he Finds out the bad news.
But I don't knowwith the pass Blowin' shut, I think I'm gonna Try and talk him into staying Down here and Slowing downone truck Off the road is enough.
What? Don't be talking him into Sittin' in town if I can find Someone else for him to run With.
Okay.
Loads stacked up like crazy.
Oh, really? Yeah.
Get your truck over to The shop, and we'll go from There.
All right, we'll do that.
Thanks.
After all is said And done, ray will have to face The storm alone.
I think you're scared! Hey, scared is safe at times.
Oh ho ho ho! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Have fun up there, buddy.
You get stuck up there, we'll See you tomorrow.
All right.
Have a safe trip.
I'm definitely disappointed.
It sucks that I'm sittin' here While ray's getting ready to Head north again.
DelaysSuck.
Jack, hugh, and alex have hit The open tundra and the full Force of the storm.
Nobody can see [bleep.]
at All, so we're just kinda Guessing at what the hell we're Doin' here.
Gusts of 45 miles An hour push the windchill to Minus 93 And the visibility to near zero.
Heading south, jack jessee is Out in front when suddenly Oh, that's not good.
Oh, that's definitely not good.
That is my air cleaner gauge.
It's, uh, it's collected too Much snow inside it.
If I don't get this thing Changed, it'll actually shut the Motor down.
And this is definitely a place I Don't want my motor to shut Down.
Now the engine Warning light comes on.
The clot in his air filter has Moved to the heart of his truck.
It's telling me right now That I don't have time.
I may not be able to save this Motor.
A hundred miles South of prudhoe bay in a raging Arctic storm Jack jessee's got Serious engine trouble.
We got the storm comin' in, I Got all this snow flying in the Air, it's plugged up my air Cleaner.
As snow is drawn Into the air intake, it clogs The air filter.
As the blockage builds up, the Engine is deprived of the air it Needs for combustionuntil it Shuts down.
The moment a truck stops, the Drifting starts.
Snow piles on until it can bury A driver alive.
I'm about to climb my first Hill.
I've got to need more air for The motor.
Jack's air filter Gauge hits the critical mark.
Anything over 35 can Jeopardize the motor and Possibly kill the engine.
He alerts hugh.
I think I'm gonna have to Change this before I get into Clear air and clean weather.
So put that truck in Neutral and just rev that [Bleep.]
right out of it.
If the motor doesn't get Enough air, I won't be able to Pull the hills.
Jack is forced to Pull over, but hugh decides He's not stopping for anyone.
Anything can happen in this My mission is to get back to Fairbanks.
Yeah, I'll probably make history Today, 'cause I left king james.
Jack has only Minutes to change the air Filter.
The moment he shuts off the Engine, he's on borrowed time.
The extreme cold quickly saps The power of his batteries Until they're as good as dead.
The way this thing goes in, I have to slide the whole thing Out, and this gets really tough To do.
Uhh! There we go.
Okay.
All this snow is packed in here.
This snow has the Dry, hard consistency of sand.
So I'll get it cleaned out as Best I can, grab the new air Filter as fast as I can because The motor's getting cold and if I leave it shut off too long, it Won't start again.
This is my only spare, so I have To get out of this wind and snow Before I run out of air Cleaners.
Jack replaces the Air filter but his problems Aren't over.
Okay, here we go.
Come on.
Dang it.
Until he gets the Engine started, he can't get out Of the way.
And suddenly Whoa! Whoa, baby.
Oh, that's jack there.
After narrowly Missing jack, alex radios back To offer help.
You okay? Yeah, I think I'll be all right.
Stopping when it's blowing is A bad thing to do because it Gives the potential for somebody To run into you.
It looks like there's nobody There, you know? You don't hear much Communicating.
The next thing, somebody's gonna Run into you.
Jack has the Battery power for one more crank Of the starter.
Come on, you can do it.
Come on.
There we go.
Yeah.
The big diesel Roars to life.
Whew! I dodged a bullet on that one.
Jack is back on the Road but not out of trouble.
In fairbanks, lisa kelly is Running against the wind of a Different kindbeing a woman in A man's world.
Because I'm the girl, Everybody's watching twice as Hard, and so if I get one simple Load, everybody's gonna say Something negative about that.
It's like, "boy, I wish I had Tits and an ass so I could get Easy loads.
" And that is horrible for me as a Female.
But I kind of screwed up with my First load because I took the Easier load.
All right, pull it in.
Me and ryan are swapping loads Right now.
On her first run, Lisa had to trade down a load.
Just say when.
While she bought Back some of her pride helping a Fellow trucker, it wasn't Enough.
I think that might help me Get a little step closer to be Able to fit in and show that I Can pull my weight up here.
Lisa wants a shot At the big loads and the Long-Term respect that comes With it.
She takes it up with the boss.
Hey, lane.
Hey, what's going on? Got a minute? Yeah, come on in.
What's going on? Uh, I was just kind of Wanting to improve this year.
Like, I had set some goals, and I kind of wanted to, like, let You know what they are and See if you could help me out a Little bit with them.
What are you thinking? Just wanting to take a couple Bigger loads this year.
You know, I can't take light Loads once.
I'll never hear the end of it.
So the biggers are better.
You know, you still got a Ways to go to learn, and I Appreciate you coming to me and Talking about this, 'cause there Are things that we could do to Help.
And I could definitely use Some shop time just to grow as a Driver.
Right, right.
And then one last thing is, Um, I was wondering what you Thought about me snowboarding Down atigun.
That's scary.
But for now, no Matter what the boss says, Lisa still needs the luck of the Draw at dispatch.
Good morning, tim.
Good morning, lisa.
How we doing? Good, how are you? Not too bad.
Are you ready for another one? Yep, ready to go again.
All right, uh, another load Of pipe? Okay.
All right? Thank you.
Thank you.
You have a good trip.
Thanks, see ya.
Lisa scores a load Of pipe.
It's not glamorous, but it's Load she's hauled this season, And she's taking it into the Storm.
My goal this year is to make Good choices.
Right now I'm focusing all my Energy and all my time into Being as good as possible.
Is rookie ray veilleux, also Hauling a heavy load of pipe.
This is my third load going To prudhoe, and it is the Heaviest load so far of the Season.
Ray is running by Himself, unaware of the Dangerous weather ahead.
As he climbs the first hills, He feels the immense drag of his Cargo.
I can feel that it's heavy.
It's a little harder to pull.
It drags me down a lot on the Hills, so I've really got to pay Attention on my downshifting Because as I grab another gear, It just about stops the whole Flipping truck.
As he makes the Crawl up the icy slope, he goes For the critical downshift.
Come on.
Come on.
Don't stop here.
Now we're screwed.
Missed a gear.
Now we're screwed.
Ray has come to a Dead stop in a bad place.
At any moment, a Big rig can come around the Corner and slam into him.
The first vehicle Approaches.
Luckily, it's a carlile pilot Car.
Did you like that one, deb? I missed a gear.
A lot of rookie [bleep.]
going on Here this morning, deb, huh? I'll just scoot up.
I'm coming back down towards You.
It's a little level down there.
Okay.
Deb clears the Road.
We got a four-Wheeler and a Big one backing up, off of Three.
Backing down a hill Is never a good idea.
Tire chains would give him the Traction he needs, but putting Them on at the crest of a hill Is a risky move.
He decides to go barefoot, Factory tread on slick ice.
Look at that.
Bring it on.
I'm good, bring it on.
No chaining.
Just got in some gravel there.
Got a little better traction.
Ah, that really sucked.
It's all business now.
No more messing around.
No more screwing up.
Road and heading south, hugh Rowland finally emerges from the Storm.
When you go over the next Hill, around the next corner, [Bleep.]
changes, so Piece of [bleep.]
cake! Man, I love this job.
Going for broke has Paid off.
Everybody said, "you're [Bleep.]
crazy to leave," and I Said, "well, going slow is Better than not going at all," So I [bleep.]
headed out of There and drove right out of the Storm, and everybody's sitting And waiting today, and I'm Driving.
Now I'm ahead of everybody now, So I got lucky.
Took the gamble and I won.
Next stop, Coldfoot.
Coldfoot is known as the Farthest north truck stop.
In 1981, dick mackey drove a School bus up there and started Serving hamburgers out of it.
The truck drivers liked that.
They decided it's a pretty good Place to have a truck stop, so They started dropping off empty Crates that could be used to Build a better camp.
Board by board, Truckers dropped off the Building materials, carpenters From the pipeline project drove The nails.
It's the only truck stop in the World built by the men who used It.
And when you walk in the Front doors over here, right Behind the counter is a support Timber that holds up the main Part of the roof here, and That's signed by all of the People who had pitched in to Build the place.
At the coldfoot Truck stop, the polar bear packs It in for the night.
Well, it took a while to make Her through that storm, but made Her to coldfoot, anyway.
Go have something to eat and Think I'll sack out here for the Night.
Just as hugh pulls Out of the storm, lisa rolls Right into it.
I've never been in a Situation where I've had to pull Over.
I've kept going, no matter how Bad it was.
I don't mind fighting snow Drifts and blows and stuff.
Uh-Oh.
What the [bleep.]
is going on? Something's going on.
My truck is not working right.
The truck's not doing anything, And the "check engine" light Came on.
A warning light can Be the first sign of a Breakdown.
I don't want to put myself In a situation where things Could get ugly fast.
I'll see what's wrong with the Truck.
If it's something that's, like, I shouldn't go on any farther, I might just go back.
In earlier runs, She's had to radio for help, But this time she's determined To troubleshoot the problem Herself.
One, two, three.
One, two, three, four.
Code 34.
Primary engine speed, loss of Signal.
Just need to make sure all my Gauges are good here.
With a Malfunctioning speed sensor, Drivers are not allowed to start A run, but once they're on the Road, they have the option to Keep going.
I haven't seen that code Before.
Okay.
You make money for trips, not For sitting around.
Lisa makes the call To go ahead.
With the storm coming, I'm Hoping we make it okay.
Wow, it's really snowy down Here.
We're going right into the mouth Of the monster, and we know it.
Jack jessee Rolls into coldfoot.
Well, we made it.
After a day in the Storm, jack's ready to call it a Night.
I have an important message.
But his trip is About to take a big u-Turn.
"You need to switch with Doug, with trip number Tanker number, in coldfoot.
Looks like I'm switching to a Tanker, and I'm gonna go right Back up to prudhoe.
'Cause the wind wasn't blowing Enough, I didn't have enough Fun, so I gotta do it again.
Hey, doug, I'm gonna get out and Drop mine and, uh, then I'll Come over and find you over There and get ready.
I'll be ready to go.
They really need this fuel up Here but, boy, I just got out of That blow.
After slugging it Out with a monster storm all Day, jack is going right back Out for round two.
This storm's gonna get worse Before it gets better.
Next, the first man You want to see and the last Place you want to break down.
Okay, hold on.
I'll do my best.
And a legendary career on the Line.
Your blood pressure is the One thing that automatically Disqualifies you.
Coldfoot is jack jessee.
The storm is just getting Worse.
I don't know when it's gonna die Down.
And on an open road that we Haven't met anybody yet, that's Never a good sign.
Just when he rolled Out of the blizzard Uhh! We made it.
A change in orders Sent him right back into it.
The tanker's a day behind Already so, I mean, I've got to Get it up there as fast as I Can.
Then, out of the Void Hey, this is terry.
Is there anyone out there on the Road tonight? This is terry, calling out for Some help.
Hey, terry, what's happening Today? Yeah, hey, jack, it's good To hear your voice.
I'm down at the base of Atigun and the car won't start And, uh, and my gearsmy Gears are off.
Okay, hold on.
I'll do my best.
We're so far out, and we've Got 480 miles of no cell phone Coverage.
No 911, no anything.
This environment up here, this Is no place for anybody to be Stranded.
Well, I'm gonna stop and see if I can't lend a hand.
Terry.
Go ahead and turn the heaters Off.
Roll you into up or down or Whatever you want, but go ahead And shut the motor off.
Well, my battery light came On.
I have no idea, um, what it is.
I hope jack can figure it out.
In this cold, Frostbite strikes in less than Five minutes.
Luckily, jack sees the problem At once.
Yeah, we're losing juice.
You see that? We found out what's wrong with The alternator.
It's got a bad wire.
Few truckers pack Soldering equipment.
Fewer still can solder in Sub-Zero temperatures.
It's putting him behind Schedule, but there are times When deadlines take a back seat.
In my opinion, this is more Important than any hold-Up I Have to worry about because this Is somebody else's life that I'm Dealing with here.
Life before load in my book, and If they don't like it, that's Their problem.
We are successful.
This one has been fixed.
Sometimes this is also my job.
I didn't ever realize I signed On to be a mechanic too, but Sometimes in the life of an ice Road trucker, you never know What you're gonna expect.
Jack is lisa kelly, on the Approach to the 4,700-Foot pass.
I am coming up to atigun Pass pretty soon, and the last Hour or so, I was just kind of Deciding whether I'm gonna chain Up or not.
That's always the question.
It's snowing pretty good, so There's more chance of spinning.
Lisa's already Dealing with an engine problem, And she's not taking any more Chances.
I'd rather err on the side of Caution, so I'm pretty much Putting it in my mind I'm going To chain up.
I'm just gonna slow down here.
These are my "just in case" Chains, my "when in doubt" Chains.
I almost got it, but my gloves Are so bulky, I'm getting caught In the chain there.
I think I need more slack.
The more you do this a year, the Faster I'll get.
Yeah.
That'll be better.
We're doing what we gotta do to Be safe, making the best Decisions we should.
Just five miles North of lisa, rookie ray Veilleux faces the same Decision.
As you're coming up to the Hill, you know you're coming up And you're thinking in your Mind, do I chain up or don't I Chain up? Chaining up is gonna take 15, 20 Minutes.
Getting tight on the hours here, 'Cause this load is dragging us Down, so we gotta do everything We cano try to make that up.
We're gonna hit it without the Chains.
Once again, he's Going barefoot.
And up the hill we go.
This morning went a little slow.
I thought it was gonna go good, And then I wasn't paying Attention.
I lost the gear, so I spun out Up on the top.
Come on, come on, come on, come On.
This is bad.
Come on.
Whoa! Shoot! I'm done.
Rookie crap, rookie crap, rookie Crap.
The steep hill of The pass is one of the last Places in the world you want to Stop.
Hey, I just spun out over Here.
On the cb, ray Hears a familiar voice.
Uh, I copy that.
Um, are you blocking the, uh, Thing or can I get through it? No, your best bet is to Kind of drag your feet.
All righty, will do.
I'll let everybody know.
Well, you don't have to tell Everybody, but okay.
That's not what I meant.
Sorry.
Oh, I can't flippin' believe This day.
I'm chaining up, 'cause I Screwed up.
So now I get to look like an Idiot.
For the second time Today, the rookie has gambled And lost on going barefoot.
Wow, we got, like, life.
Look at that.
We're getting a line going on Here.
One, two, three, four.
Four people waiting.
I was, like, questioning whether I should chain up or not.
But now I'm glad I did, because He spun out.
As the trucks pile Up behind him, ray struggles To get the chains on quickly.
This sucks.
I think I'm gonna have to go Find another job after this.
Oh, jeez.
I just want to quit now, man.
I think I've had enough.
All right, I'm out of the way.
Even when he's back On the road, he can't escape the Rookie move.
Ray, did you burn out On the pass? Can you believe that, dude? Were you barefoot? Yeah, I was.
That's embarrassing.
I just want to get to prudhoe And get it behind me.
I hope the worst is over.
But bad luck just Keeps on coming.
Uhh! My engine light's going off now.
Oh, why me? What a crappy day.
One of the [bleep.]
days I've Ever flippin' had.
Ray came to the Haul road hoping to turn his Fortunes around, but instead He's struggling to hang on.
I think I've had enough.
I'm gonna quit.
When I get back to fairbanks, I'll just put in my resignation Papers.
After a 500-Mile Run, hugh rowland heads into Fairbanks.
I'll go across the scale and Then I'm heading into the yard To drop the trailers, hand in my Paperwork.
He's just tackled a Monster storm, but this is what He dreads.
I hate going to the scales 'Cause they always seem to find Something wrong.
Last year, carlile Drivers got 16 violations.
Nine of them were hugh's.
Unfortunately, you're gonna Get a citation today.
I'm just trying to figure out What all these violations are Here.
Here, I'm gonna slip him a 20 And see if he lets me go.
If he gets a Ticket, he could lose every Dollar he made on his run north Or lose his license.
So basically, right here, um, Where you went into, uh, "on Duty, not driving," you gotta Notate where you're at, City and state, every time you Change duty status.
Okay, I see what you mean.
I'm supposed to have, uh Yeah, see, you On duty, at the yard.
Okay, yeah, in fairbanks.
So there's that.
Drivers are Required to keep accurate log Books, but paperwork isn't Exactly the polar bear's strong Suit.
"Miles driven today" isn't Filled in either.
This time, the Number of violations could cost Hugh his job.
"Mile 28, check.
" Is that what that says? "Check"? Yeah, I checked both.
All entries are supposed to Be legible.
I can read them, barely.
Um, so just kind of try to clean It up a little bit.
I'm not trying to teach you some English here, but Make sure you put "ak" in there.
We're in alaska.
Okay.
"Ak.
" Yep.
They bust my balls 'cause I'm Canadian.
After this, it'll probably Happen again, right? How long are you gonna be up Here? A couple months.
He gets off with a Warning, but not before sending A warning of his own.
Hah! I know one american's ass I'd Like to kick.
No, I don't love them d.
O.
T.
Guys.
I hate 'em.
Fellow canadian Alex is next to roll into town To face the music on a bigger Infraction: Taking out the Delineators.
Okay.
I heard we had a little incident This trip with the delineator Going off the north side there.
Yeah, I was going off the North side probably a little too Fast and what happened, I Applied the brake too hard and So the trailer locked up.
You stopped right away and Checked to make sure everything Was good, though, before you Continued on? I didn't really look in the Mirror.
I could feel the trailer wasn't Doing what it was supposed to be Doing.
Well, uh, I mean, did you Realize right away that you took Out a delineator or? It was at night.
It kind of caught me a little Bit by surprise coming over the Top of it and Alex's confusion Could mean his eyesight or his Reflexes are impaired.
Now he'll need to pass a full Medical exam before he drives Again.
Well, it's not an age deal at All.
It's a d.
O.
T.
Requirement.
So, I mean, a driver has to have The d.
O.
T.
Card, a medical card, A physical.
Okay, very good.
All righty? Great.
Alex heads to the Doctor's, his season, if not His career, hanging on it.
Yeah, it's not a good thing.
I'm, uh, I'm gonna miss at least One round trip, maybe more and, Uh, that'll give hugh a chance To catch up.
And of course, that's less money For the old, uhto put in the Bank account.
Less loads, less money.
Outside in the Yard, greg boadwine gets a Second chance to get out of Town.
Today, his truck is good to go, But the tires on his trailer Aren't.
That one's flat.
Flat.
Flat.
Time to go to the trailer shop, Guys.
Come on.
Definitely another delay, and I'm starting to think that's Just what I'm supposed to deal With this year is delays, so If I don't go truckin' today, I'm going drinking tonight, I'll Tell you that much.
Alex may also need To drown his sorrows after his Medical exam.
Come on in.
What can I do for ya? Alexander? He knows the test Results could end his trucking Career.
Two years ago, alex's ice road Season ended when he suffered A blood clot, and the stress Of 29 years on the ice roads is Still taking its toll.
Do you wear contacts or Glasses? No.
F-E-L-O F-E-D.
Go ahead, I'll take that for You.
You have a seat right in this Blue chair.
We're gonna get your blood Pressure.
The provider should be in Shortly.
Hi.
Alexander? Yes, ma'am.
I'm a nurse practitioner, Here to do your exam.
Say "ah" for me so I can see Your tonsils.
Ah.
Have you had some ear Problems in the past? No.
Very good.
Okay, just breathe normally for Me.
No? Let's see.
Go ahead and sit up for me.
Okay, alex, in reviewing Everything we just did, your Blood pressure is really the Only thing that is keeping you Back.
That's the one thing that Automatically disqualifies you.
Alex's career could Be over, unless And I'm gonna recheck your Blood pressure and see if we can Just get it under the 140.
Okay, calm thoughts.
Okay.
Well, that's much better.
You're about 120 over 80.
So it looks like everything on You is just perfect.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Take care.
See you later.
As the week ends, Jack's ahead with four loads.
Alex hangs onto his lead over Hugh And more importantly, to his License.
You know, as a driver, I've Got to try to protect that License, you know, by trying to Stay healthy.
I gotta keep doing this stuff Until I can't do it anymore.
My wife and I have 11 children.
I'm gonna have to make money to Support 'em.
I'll do ice road trucking as Long as I can do it.
Next week on Ice road truckers Oh, hold on.
Greg heads for the Ditch Two ice road giants Go head-to-head I'm not here to make friends.
I'm here to make money.
And the biggest Storm of the season slams down on Atigun Pass.
We gotta get outta here now.
In a raging Storm It's very dangerous.
I hope I [bleep.]
get out of Here.
Jack battles the Elements.
The motor's gettin' cold, And if I leave it shut off too Long, it won't start again.
Lisa faces a Breakdown.
My truck is not working Right.
Things could get ugly fast.
Ray is pushed to The brink.
Been one of the [bleep.]
days I've ever flippin' had.
I'm gonna quit.
And alex is a Heartbeat away from losing it All.
And the only thing that's Holding you up right now is your Blood pressure.
That's the one thing that Automatically disqualifies you.
The first storm of The season rolls into alaska Like a runaway truck.
Big travel advisory right Now, state of alaska warning That there's a big blow going up On the haul roads there.
Looking at temperatures today.
What does it say? Well, somewhere in the Neighborhood of minus 50.
High winds hammer The north slope and drive the Windchill down to minus 90.
Towering snowdrifts on atigun Pass have caused the storm's First casualty.
We were, uh, you know, Cleaning the snow out and Everything on atigun pass here And, uh, we're letting a truck Come up, and as he was coming Up, he hit some loose snow and He spun out.
The spinout has Traffic backed up until the D.
O.
T.
Can get the truck out of The way.
He was a old-Time driver.
He's been up this hill a million Times, but it happens to the Best of 'em.
In prudhoe bay, other drivers Weigh their options Wait out the storm, Or try to slam through it.
Even though haul road ace jack Jessee has a deadline to meet, Toughing out an arctic storm is Part of the job.
The storm really hasn't moved In, so we're kinda in a hurry.
They say it's supposed to come In today.
You never know what time, so We're gonna check everything out And get the heck outta here.
On his heels is Hugh "the polar bear" roland.
All righty, sir.
So you have a deck set.
Okay.
Thanks.
All right, have a great trip Back.
Thanks.
Out in the yard, Hugh's rival, alex debogorski, Is fueling up.
Yeah, I was tryin' to sneak Outta here while you were Sleeping, but obviously I made Too much noise and woke you up.
I was sniffing around last Night, I knew where he was.
I don't knowI don't really Have anybody to go with.
I should just haul with you guys Maybe.
Yeah, we got jack.
Jack jessee probably'll be in Front andYeah, if you wanna Come along, no problem.
I may as well, I mean, uh, May as well head back the same Way.
Yeah, well, let's head her Back and get a load.
While other Truckers wait out the storm in PrudhoeThe trio of ice road Veterans heads into the teeth of The storm.
Out in front, jack jessee is Hauling two enormous shipping Containers.
Connexes are ocean-Going Cargo containers.
They're all uniform size, Just a big sail I'm pullin' back Here in this wind.
They both have about 20,000 Pounds in 'em, which'll be Good, 'cause the wind's blowing And if they were empty, it could Bump me right off the side of The road.
Every oncoming rig Is a near-Miss situation.
Yeah, I had a [bleep.]
of a Time back there seein' the Delineators.
Before it's over, This storm will put their Driving and surviving skills to The test.
My biggest concern is get the Job done and get home and see my Wife.
I wanna get home at the end of Every trip.
Just behind jack is Hugh, a veteran trucker who's Faced down many a storm.
You deal with whatever the Ice roads throw at ya, and ya Gotta make the best of it.
Otherwiseif you stopped Every time the [bleep.]
wind Started blowin' and it started Snowin' and blowin' and couldn't See, you wouldn't make any [Bleep.]
money, so That's my philosophy anyway.
What hugh enjoys Almost as much as making money Beating alex.
I'm definitely gonna pull More loads than alex, that's for Sure.
Once I pass alex, he never Catches up.
Same every year.
He's gotta live his life lookin' Over his shoulder lookin' for Me.
Right behind hugh, Alex is hauling two stacked Flatbeds known as a deck set.
Alex is always up for a Throwdown with the polar bear, But this morning he's proceeding With caution.
On his last run Holy mackerel! Alex took out two delineators When his trailer caught an edge.
He faces a driver's review and An eye exam when he arrives in Fairbanks.
I guess when I came down the North side, I was goin' a little Quick.
Basically, the trailer, uh, went To the side.
I mean, I felt it in the seat of My pants.
He needs to pass Them both or he'll lose his License.
It does happen sometimes.
I guess I coulda been going a Little slower comin' over the Top.
After 29 years on The ice road, this could be Alex's final run.
Are rolling into fairbanks, Planning to turn and burn.
Well, we oughta just get into Town, grab a load, and just get Back up here to get what we can Before the end of the pay Period.
Yeah! Ray veilleux is Just glad to be on the road.
Something's burnin'.
On his last run, An engine problem turned out to Be less serious than he feared.
We're gonna fix it and get ya Back on the road late tonight Or in the morning.
Nartor: Now All right, baby, come on With it.
Let's see what you got.
They're warming up For the race north There ya go.
As they sprint into The yard.
Right behind you.
Ray veilleux and I are Runnin' together, so hopefully We'll get another load, turn Around and get back to coldfoot This evening.
First in line, Greg boadwine.
Uh, well, kinda what it is up There, blowin' like crazy.
Pass is supposed to be about Tonight's what they're saying.
Greg, how we doing? The weather up North has greg wondering if he Or his truck is up for it.
I got a question for ya.
Yeah.
MyAnnual is due on the First, andWhat do you think The pass and everything's doing Up there? The pass is not good right Now.
Uh, it's blowin' like crazy From 62 mile all the way into Prudhoe.
I think you'll be in trouble.
Uh, why don't we see if we can Get you in the shop tonight? Greg's truck is Scheduled for mechanical Inspection.
For greg, it's a mixed Blessingmissing out on a load But avoiding the storm.
We met up with ray there to Run through all this together, So he had kinda a buddy system Goin' on, but he might be a Little disappointed once he Finds out the bad news.
But I don't knowwith the pass Blowin' shut, I think I'm gonna Try and talk him into staying Down here and Slowing downone truck Off the road is enough.
What? Don't be talking him into Sittin' in town if I can find Someone else for him to run With.
Okay.
Loads stacked up like crazy.
Oh, really? Yeah.
Get your truck over to The shop, and we'll go from There.
All right, we'll do that.
Thanks.
After all is said And done, ray will have to face The storm alone.
I think you're scared! Hey, scared is safe at times.
Oh ho ho ho! Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Have fun up there, buddy.
You get stuck up there, we'll See you tomorrow.
All right.
Have a safe trip.
I'm definitely disappointed.
It sucks that I'm sittin' here While ray's getting ready to Head north again.
DelaysSuck.
Jack, hugh, and alex have hit The open tundra and the full Force of the storm.
Nobody can see [bleep.]
at All, so we're just kinda Guessing at what the hell we're Doin' here.
Gusts of 45 miles An hour push the windchill to Minus 93 And the visibility to near zero.
Heading south, jack jessee is Out in front when suddenly Oh, that's not good.
Oh, that's definitely not good.
That is my air cleaner gauge.
It's, uh, it's collected too Much snow inside it.
If I don't get this thing Changed, it'll actually shut the Motor down.
And this is definitely a place I Don't want my motor to shut Down.
Now the engine Warning light comes on.
The clot in his air filter has Moved to the heart of his truck.
It's telling me right now That I don't have time.
I may not be able to save this Motor.
A hundred miles South of prudhoe bay in a raging Arctic storm Jack jessee's got Serious engine trouble.
We got the storm comin' in, I Got all this snow flying in the Air, it's plugged up my air Cleaner.
As snow is drawn Into the air intake, it clogs The air filter.
As the blockage builds up, the Engine is deprived of the air it Needs for combustionuntil it Shuts down.
The moment a truck stops, the Drifting starts.
Snow piles on until it can bury A driver alive.
I'm about to climb my first Hill.
I've got to need more air for The motor.
Jack's air filter Gauge hits the critical mark.
Anything over 35 can Jeopardize the motor and Possibly kill the engine.
He alerts hugh.
I think I'm gonna have to Change this before I get into Clear air and clean weather.
So put that truck in Neutral and just rev that [Bleep.]
right out of it.
If the motor doesn't get Enough air, I won't be able to Pull the hills.
Jack is forced to Pull over, but hugh decides He's not stopping for anyone.
Anything can happen in this My mission is to get back to Fairbanks.
Yeah, I'll probably make history Today, 'cause I left king james.
Jack has only Minutes to change the air Filter.
The moment he shuts off the Engine, he's on borrowed time.
The extreme cold quickly saps The power of his batteries Until they're as good as dead.
The way this thing goes in, I have to slide the whole thing Out, and this gets really tough To do.
Uhh! There we go.
Okay.
All this snow is packed in here.
This snow has the Dry, hard consistency of sand.
So I'll get it cleaned out as Best I can, grab the new air Filter as fast as I can because The motor's getting cold and if I leave it shut off too long, it Won't start again.
This is my only spare, so I have To get out of this wind and snow Before I run out of air Cleaners.
Jack replaces the Air filter but his problems Aren't over.
Okay, here we go.
Come on.
Dang it.
Until he gets the Engine started, he can't get out Of the way.
And suddenly Whoa! Whoa, baby.
Oh, that's jack there.
After narrowly Missing jack, alex radios back To offer help.
You okay? Yeah, I think I'll be all right.
Stopping when it's blowing is A bad thing to do because it Gives the potential for somebody To run into you.
It looks like there's nobody There, you know? You don't hear much Communicating.
The next thing, somebody's gonna Run into you.
Jack has the Battery power for one more crank Of the starter.
Come on, you can do it.
Come on.
There we go.
Yeah.
The big diesel Roars to life.
Whew! I dodged a bullet on that one.
Jack is back on the Road but not out of trouble.
In fairbanks, lisa kelly is Running against the wind of a Different kindbeing a woman in A man's world.
Because I'm the girl, Everybody's watching twice as Hard, and so if I get one simple Load, everybody's gonna say Something negative about that.
It's like, "boy, I wish I had Tits and an ass so I could get Easy loads.
" And that is horrible for me as a Female.
But I kind of screwed up with my First load because I took the Easier load.
All right, pull it in.
Me and ryan are swapping loads Right now.
On her first run, Lisa had to trade down a load.
Just say when.
While she bought Back some of her pride helping a Fellow trucker, it wasn't Enough.
I think that might help me Get a little step closer to be Able to fit in and show that I Can pull my weight up here.
Lisa wants a shot At the big loads and the Long-Term respect that comes With it.
She takes it up with the boss.
Hey, lane.
Hey, what's going on? Got a minute? Yeah, come on in.
What's going on? Uh, I was just kind of Wanting to improve this year.
Like, I had set some goals, and I kind of wanted to, like, let You know what they are and See if you could help me out a Little bit with them.
What are you thinking? Just wanting to take a couple Bigger loads this year.
You know, I can't take light Loads once.
I'll never hear the end of it.
So the biggers are better.
You know, you still got a Ways to go to learn, and I Appreciate you coming to me and Talking about this, 'cause there Are things that we could do to Help.
And I could definitely use Some shop time just to grow as a Driver.
Right, right.
And then one last thing is, Um, I was wondering what you Thought about me snowboarding Down atigun.
That's scary.
But for now, no Matter what the boss says, Lisa still needs the luck of the Draw at dispatch.
Good morning, tim.
Good morning, lisa.
How we doing? Good, how are you? Not too bad.
Are you ready for another one? Yep, ready to go again.
All right, uh, another load Of pipe? Okay.
All right? Thank you.
Thank you.
You have a good trip.
Thanks, see ya.
Lisa scores a load Of pipe.
It's not glamorous, but it's Load she's hauled this season, And she's taking it into the Storm.
My goal this year is to make Good choices.
Right now I'm focusing all my Energy and all my time into Being as good as possible.
Is rookie ray veilleux, also Hauling a heavy load of pipe.
This is my third load going To prudhoe, and it is the Heaviest load so far of the Season.
Ray is running by Himself, unaware of the Dangerous weather ahead.
As he climbs the first hills, He feels the immense drag of his Cargo.
I can feel that it's heavy.
It's a little harder to pull.
It drags me down a lot on the Hills, so I've really got to pay Attention on my downshifting Because as I grab another gear, It just about stops the whole Flipping truck.
As he makes the Crawl up the icy slope, he goes For the critical downshift.
Come on.
Come on.
Don't stop here.
Now we're screwed.
Missed a gear.
Now we're screwed.
Ray has come to a Dead stop in a bad place.
At any moment, a Big rig can come around the Corner and slam into him.
The first vehicle Approaches.
Luckily, it's a carlile pilot Car.
Did you like that one, deb? I missed a gear.
A lot of rookie [bleep.]
going on Here this morning, deb, huh? I'll just scoot up.
I'm coming back down towards You.
It's a little level down there.
Okay.
Deb clears the Road.
We got a four-Wheeler and a Big one backing up, off of Three.
Backing down a hill Is never a good idea.
Tire chains would give him the Traction he needs, but putting Them on at the crest of a hill Is a risky move.
He decides to go barefoot, Factory tread on slick ice.
Look at that.
Bring it on.
I'm good, bring it on.
No chaining.
Just got in some gravel there.
Got a little better traction.
Ah, that really sucked.
It's all business now.
No more messing around.
No more screwing up.
Road and heading south, hugh Rowland finally emerges from the Storm.
When you go over the next Hill, around the next corner, [Bleep.]
changes, so Piece of [bleep.]
cake! Man, I love this job.
Going for broke has Paid off.
Everybody said, "you're [Bleep.]
crazy to leave," and I Said, "well, going slow is Better than not going at all," So I [bleep.]
headed out of There and drove right out of the Storm, and everybody's sitting And waiting today, and I'm Driving.
Now I'm ahead of everybody now, So I got lucky.
Took the gamble and I won.
Next stop, Coldfoot.
Coldfoot is known as the Farthest north truck stop.
In 1981, dick mackey drove a School bus up there and started Serving hamburgers out of it.
The truck drivers liked that.
They decided it's a pretty good Place to have a truck stop, so They started dropping off empty Crates that could be used to Build a better camp.
Board by board, Truckers dropped off the Building materials, carpenters From the pipeline project drove The nails.
It's the only truck stop in the World built by the men who used It.
And when you walk in the Front doors over here, right Behind the counter is a support Timber that holds up the main Part of the roof here, and That's signed by all of the People who had pitched in to Build the place.
At the coldfoot Truck stop, the polar bear packs It in for the night.
Well, it took a while to make Her through that storm, but made Her to coldfoot, anyway.
Go have something to eat and Think I'll sack out here for the Night.
Just as hugh pulls Out of the storm, lisa rolls Right into it.
I've never been in a Situation where I've had to pull Over.
I've kept going, no matter how Bad it was.
I don't mind fighting snow Drifts and blows and stuff.
Uh-Oh.
What the [bleep.]
is going on? Something's going on.
My truck is not working right.
The truck's not doing anything, And the "check engine" light Came on.
A warning light can Be the first sign of a Breakdown.
I don't want to put myself In a situation where things Could get ugly fast.
I'll see what's wrong with the Truck.
If it's something that's, like, I shouldn't go on any farther, I might just go back.
In earlier runs, She's had to radio for help, But this time she's determined To troubleshoot the problem Herself.
One, two, three.
One, two, three, four.
Code 34.
Primary engine speed, loss of Signal.
Just need to make sure all my Gauges are good here.
With a Malfunctioning speed sensor, Drivers are not allowed to start A run, but once they're on the Road, they have the option to Keep going.
I haven't seen that code Before.
Okay.
You make money for trips, not For sitting around.
Lisa makes the call To go ahead.
With the storm coming, I'm Hoping we make it okay.
Wow, it's really snowy down Here.
We're going right into the mouth Of the monster, and we know it.
Jack jessee Rolls into coldfoot.
Well, we made it.
After a day in the Storm, jack's ready to call it a Night.
I have an important message.
But his trip is About to take a big u-Turn.
"You need to switch with Doug, with trip number Tanker number, in coldfoot.
Looks like I'm switching to a Tanker, and I'm gonna go right Back up to prudhoe.
'Cause the wind wasn't blowing Enough, I didn't have enough Fun, so I gotta do it again.
Hey, doug, I'm gonna get out and Drop mine and, uh, then I'll Come over and find you over There and get ready.
I'll be ready to go.
They really need this fuel up Here but, boy, I just got out of That blow.
After slugging it Out with a monster storm all Day, jack is going right back Out for round two.
This storm's gonna get worse Before it gets better.
Next, the first man You want to see and the last Place you want to break down.
Okay, hold on.
I'll do my best.
And a legendary career on the Line.
Your blood pressure is the One thing that automatically Disqualifies you.
Coldfoot is jack jessee.
The storm is just getting Worse.
I don't know when it's gonna die Down.
And on an open road that we Haven't met anybody yet, that's Never a good sign.
Just when he rolled Out of the blizzard Uhh! We made it.
A change in orders Sent him right back into it.
The tanker's a day behind Already so, I mean, I've got to Get it up there as fast as I Can.
Then, out of the Void Hey, this is terry.
Is there anyone out there on the Road tonight? This is terry, calling out for Some help.
Hey, terry, what's happening Today? Yeah, hey, jack, it's good To hear your voice.
I'm down at the base of Atigun and the car won't start And, uh, and my gearsmy Gears are off.
Okay, hold on.
I'll do my best.
We're so far out, and we've Got 480 miles of no cell phone Coverage.
No 911, no anything.
This environment up here, this Is no place for anybody to be Stranded.
Well, I'm gonna stop and see if I can't lend a hand.
Terry.
Go ahead and turn the heaters Off.
Roll you into up or down or Whatever you want, but go ahead And shut the motor off.
Well, my battery light came On.
I have no idea, um, what it is.
I hope jack can figure it out.
In this cold, Frostbite strikes in less than Five minutes.
Luckily, jack sees the problem At once.
Yeah, we're losing juice.
You see that? We found out what's wrong with The alternator.
It's got a bad wire.
Few truckers pack Soldering equipment.
Fewer still can solder in Sub-Zero temperatures.
It's putting him behind Schedule, but there are times When deadlines take a back seat.
In my opinion, this is more Important than any hold-Up I Have to worry about because this Is somebody else's life that I'm Dealing with here.
Life before load in my book, and If they don't like it, that's Their problem.
We are successful.
This one has been fixed.
Sometimes this is also my job.
I didn't ever realize I signed On to be a mechanic too, but Sometimes in the life of an ice Road trucker, you never know What you're gonna expect.
Jack is lisa kelly, on the Approach to the 4,700-Foot pass.
I am coming up to atigun Pass pretty soon, and the last Hour or so, I was just kind of Deciding whether I'm gonna chain Up or not.
That's always the question.
It's snowing pretty good, so There's more chance of spinning.
Lisa's already Dealing with an engine problem, And she's not taking any more Chances.
I'd rather err on the side of Caution, so I'm pretty much Putting it in my mind I'm going To chain up.
I'm just gonna slow down here.
These are my "just in case" Chains, my "when in doubt" Chains.
I almost got it, but my gloves Are so bulky, I'm getting caught In the chain there.
I think I need more slack.
The more you do this a year, the Faster I'll get.
Yeah.
That'll be better.
We're doing what we gotta do to Be safe, making the best Decisions we should.
Just five miles North of lisa, rookie ray Veilleux faces the same Decision.
As you're coming up to the Hill, you know you're coming up And you're thinking in your Mind, do I chain up or don't I Chain up? Chaining up is gonna take 15, 20 Minutes.
Getting tight on the hours here, 'Cause this load is dragging us Down, so we gotta do everything We cano try to make that up.
We're gonna hit it without the Chains.
Once again, he's Going barefoot.
And up the hill we go.
This morning went a little slow.
I thought it was gonna go good, And then I wasn't paying Attention.
I lost the gear, so I spun out Up on the top.
Come on, come on, come on, come On.
This is bad.
Come on.
Whoa! Shoot! I'm done.
Rookie crap, rookie crap, rookie Crap.
The steep hill of The pass is one of the last Places in the world you want to Stop.
Hey, I just spun out over Here.
On the cb, ray Hears a familiar voice.
Uh, I copy that.
Um, are you blocking the, uh, Thing or can I get through it? No, your best bet is to Kind of drag your feet.
All righty, will do.
I'll let everybody know.
Well, you don't have to tell Everybody, but okay.
That's not what I meant.
Sorry.
Oh, I can't flippin' believe This day.
I'm chaining up, 'cause I Screwed up.
So now I get to look like an Idiot.
For the second time Today, the rookie has gambled And lost on going barefoot.
Wow, we got, like, life.
Look at that.
We're getting a line going on Here.
One, two, three, four.
Four people waiting.
I was, like, questioning whether I should chain up or not.
But now I'm glad I did, because He spun out.
As the trucks pile Up behind him, ray struggles To get the chains on quickly.
This sucks.
I think I'm gonna have to go Find another job after this.
Oh, jeez.
I just want to quit now, man.
I think I've had enough.
All right, I'm out of the way.
Even when he's back On the road, he can't escape the Rookie move.
Ray, did you burn out On the pass? Can you believe that, dude? Were you barefoot? Yeah, I was.
That's embarrassing.
I just want to get to prudhoe And get it behind me.
I hope the worst is over.
But bad luck just Keeps on coming.
Uhh! My engine light's going off now.
Oh, why me? What a crappy day.
One of the [bleep.]
days I've Ever flippin' had.
Ray came to the Haul road hoping to turn his Fortunes around, but instead He's struggling to hang on.
I think I've had enough.
I'm gonna quit.
When I get back to fairbanks, I'll just put in my resignation Papers.
After a 500-Mile Run, hugh rowland heads into Fairbanks.
I'll go across the scale and Then I'm heading into the yard To drop the trailers, hand in my Paperwork.
He's just tackled a Monster storm, but this is what He dreads.
I hate going to the scales 'Cause they always seem to find Something wrong.
Last year, carlile Drivers got 16 violations.
Nine of them were hugh's.
Unfortunately, you're gonna Get a citation today.
I'm just trying to figure out What all these violations are Here.
Here, I'm gonna slip him a 20 And see if he lets me go.
If he gets a Ticket, he could lose every Dollar he made on his run north Or lose his license.
So basically, right here, um, Where you went into, uh, "on Duty, not driving," you gotta Notate where you're at, City and state, every time you Change duty status.
Okay, I see what you mean.
I'm supposed to have, uh Yeah, see, you On duty, at the yard.
Okay, yeah, in fairbanks.
So there's that.
Drivers are Required to keep accurate log Books, but paperwork isn't Exactly the polar bear's strong Suit.
"Miles driven today" isn't Filled in either.
This time, the Number of violations could cost Hugh his job.
"Mile 28, check.
" Is that what that says? "Check"? Yeah, I checked both.
All entries are supposed to Be legible.
I can read them, barely.
Um, so just kind of try to clean It up a little bit.
I'm not trying to teach you some English here, but Make sure you put "ak" in there.
We're in alaska.
Okay.
"Ak.
" Yep.
They bust my balls 'cause I'm Canadian.
After this, it'll probably Happen again, right? How long are you gonna be up Here? A couple months.
He gets off with a Warning, but not before sending A warning of his own.
Hah! I know one american's ass I'd Like to kick.
No, I don't love them d.
O.
T.
Guys.
I hate 'em.
Fellow canadian Alex is next to roll into town To face the music on a bigger Infraction: Taking out the Delineators.
Okay.
I heard we had a little incident This trip with the delineator Going off the north side there.
Yeah, I was going off the North side probably a little too Fast and what happened, I Applied the brake too hard and So the trailer locked up.
You stopped right away and Checked to make sure everything Was good, though, before you Continued on? I didn't really look in the Mirror.
I could feel the trailer wasn't Doing what it was supposed to be Doing.
Well, uh, I mean, did you Realize right away that you took Out a delineator or? It was at night.
It kind of caught me a little Bit by surprise coming over the Top of it and Alex's confusion Could mean his eyesight or his Reflexes are impaired.
Now he'll need to pass a full Medical exam before he drives Again.
Well, it's not an age deal at All.
It's a d.
O.
T.
Requirement.
So, I mean, a driver has to have The d.
O.
T.
Card, a medical card, A physical.
Okay, very good.
All righty? Great.
Alex heads to the Doctor's, his season, if not His career, hanging on it.
Yeah, it's not a good thing.
I'm, uh, I'm gonna miss at least One round trip, maybe more and, Uh, that'll give hugh a chance To catch up.
And of course, that's less money For the old, uhto put in the Bank account.
Less loads, less money.
Outside in the Yard, greg boadwine gets a Second chance to get out of Town.
Today, his truck is good to go, But the tires on his trailer Aren't.
That one's flat.
Flat.
Flat.
Time to go to the trailer shop, Guys.
Come on.
Definitely another delay, and I'm starting to think that's Just what I'm supposed to deal With this year is delays, so If I don't go truckin' today, I'm going drinking tonight, I'll Tell you that much.
Alex may also need To drown his sorrows after his Medical exam.
Come on in.
What can I do for ya? Alexander? He knows the test Results could end his trucking Career.
Two years ago, alex's ice road Season ended when he suffered A blood clot, and the stress Of 29 years on the ice roads is Still taking its toll.
Do you wear contacts or Glasses? No.
F-E-L-O F-E-D.
Go ahead, I'll take that for You.
You have a seat right in this Blue chair.
We're gonna get your blood Pressure.
The provider should be in Shortly.
Hi.
Alexander? Yes, ma'am.
I'm a nurse practitioner, Here to do your exam.
Say "ah" for me so I can see Your tonsils.
Ah.
Have you had some ear Problems in the past? No.
Very good.
Okay, just breathe normally for Me.
No? Let's see.
Go ahead and sit up for me.
Okay, alex, in reviewing Everything we just did, your Blood pressure is really the Only thing that is keeping you Back.
That's the one thing that Automatically disqualifies you.
Alex's career could Be over, unless And I'm gonna recheck your Blood pressure and see if we can Just get it under the 140.
Okay, calm thoughts.
Okay.
Well, that's much better.
You're about 120 over 80.
So it looks like everything on You is just perfect.
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
Take care.
See you later.
As the week ends, Jack's ahead with four loads.
Alex hangs onto his lead over Hugh And more importantly, to his License.
You know, as a driver, I've Got to try to protect that License, you know, by trying to Stay healthy.
I gotta keep doing this stuff Until I can't do it anymore.
My wife and I have 11 children.
I'm gonna have to make money to Support 'em.
I'll do ice road trucking as Long as I can do it.
Next week on Ice road truckers Oh, hold on.
Greg heads for the Ditch Two ice road giants Go head-to-head I'm not here to make friends.
I'm here to make money.
And the biggest Storm of the season slams down on Atigun Pass.