Ice Road Truckers (2007) s05e12 Episode Script

Tonight on Ice Road Truckers Hang on to your socks.
Lisa battles a record-breaking load.
Wow, look at 'em, look at 'em! An old rivalry gets new life.
I went to pat him on the shoulder.
He jumped back like if I was gonna punch him in the eye.
And on the haul road One rookie is burning it up 'Cause it's freakin' hot in here.
While the other is flaming out.
Damn it! at the Carlile truck yard in Fairbanks, Alaska, Lisa Kelly is getting called back up to the big leagues.
How do ya do? You ready to go truckin'? - Yeah.
- Good.
We're gonna make your wish come true.
What's my wish come true? There's a wide load for ya.
16 feet.
That will be a record for me.
That will be a record for you.
Now, we're gonna be having you convoy with, um, Tony.
He's gonna show you where the road is.
I, uh, have a hard time figuring that out sometimes.
After putting her last oversized load in the ditch Tony, I need to be pulled out of the ditch.
Lisa's been fighting to earn back her reputation.
This is the next big step, though, so remember, we talked about this.
This is the biggest one ever.
And this wide load is the break she's been waiting for.
- All right, have a good trip.
- Thank you.
Once I screwed up some loads I still do good and make good decisions.
I learn from my mistakes-- enough to where they still believe in me to pull 'em.
You see this? That makes Lisa very happy.
You ready? Yeah.
How about you? You wanna check me and make sure I did it all right? Not really.
Okay.
I'm not gonna check your work.
I know you got this.
Is this the widest load you've hauled? Yeah, this is a 16 wide.
It's the-- so you've never hauled anything that wide before, huh? No.
Wow.
Tony and Lisa will both be hauling massive steel frames used as the substructure for new buildings in Prudhoe Bay.
Yah! So I'm following you.
It looks like it's centered really well in the trailer.
It's definitely gonna be interesting.
We'll see how it goes.
I think the funnest thing about this load is gonna be I get to drive in the middle of the road the whole time, so.
With a load this wide, it takes a team of four pilot cars to clear a path through the oncoming traffic.
Take care of us, please.
Please.
We will.
I know you will.
You always do.
Let's get outta here.
You ready to do this? Let's go.
Still looks good up here, Tony.
I'm gonna give it just a shot here.
Convoy with Tony up.
He can keep an eye on me, make sure I can--I don't know.
Keep an eye on me.
I'll just stop there.
Right now, I'm just kinda getting a feel for this load, how it's rockin' and rollin'.
This is probably one of the widest loads I've ever hauled.
It's pretty intense, man.
It's massive.
I'm just referencing, like, how far it hangs from the trailer, you know? Three times wider than normal.
Normal trailer's eight foot.
We're 24 feet.
It's like whoa! Watch out--comin' through, man.
With loads that stretch across the entire road, it's up to the pilot cars to warn oncoming drivers and prevent disaster.
When you're this wide, you're driving down the middle.
And I'm counting on my pilot cars to lead the way.
We got a convoy with a 24 and a 16 wide coming down there.
Okay.
Cool.
This is gonna be really difficult.
I'm gonna need to see in that mirror.
Okay, Lisa, I'm gonna just slow way down.
Thank you, 'ppreciate it.
Every close snow bank, every skinny spot on the road.
It's all obstacles for wide loads.
So this is a good opportunity for her to learn And maybe earn some respect from the heavy haul crew.
the warmest day of the season means the winter roads are slicker than ever.
And the ice is getting thin.
50 miles north of Winnipeg A turn and burn load of tanks here.
So we're gonna be making some quick cash here.
Hugh rowland and Rick Yemm are looking to cash in again, hauling another high-dollar load of fuel tanks to the remote community of Garden Hill.
We've been cuttin' it pretty good, man.
I love this stuff.
Back to back wide loads.
I'm putting a lot of cash in my pocket in these two runs.
So what's the plan for today then or what? We're just gonna go up to this last gas station in [lndistinct.]
Here, and meet Vlad up there.
He's supposed to have a load going, and then we'll travel together.
Okay, sounds good.
Oh, looky there.
There's a bunch of Zasco drivers.
Wonder if one of them's Alex.
This early in the morning? I don't think so.
Yeah, old slack, he don't get up this early.
No, buddy, I think that is Alex's truck right there.
Oh, look at this.
Some kind of a bear.
Polar bear.
Speak of the devil, there he stands, just as ugly as ever.
What you don't say when you ain't got a gun.
Ready for another trip? With you? I'm gonna take off and I'll leave you guys behind.
Where are you going? St.
Theresa.
St.
Theresa? Well, we gotta go to Garden Hill.
Garden hill? Okay.
That's same place.
Well, we're just right across the lake from you there.
Yeah.
This season, Hugh and Alex have been up to their old tricks.
Hey, slack! We'll be passing you before we get started.
Is that Alex right there? Yeah, they're even, let 'em go.
Let 'em [Bleep.]
Go.
We were just gonna meet him, but are you tagging along too then? May I? Can you keep up? Despite their history with the slick roads and thinning ice ahead, running in a convoy is their safest bet.
About two days ago, it was pretty bad.
It was a truck jackknifed.
He just lost control.
Well, I'm ready to go.
We're all topped up.
You're fueled up? You ready? I'm a boy scout.
I'm always ready.
So is everybody on the road now? Yeah, we're behind you.
I'll put it in high gear then.
I haven't seen very much of him this year.
Which is probably a good thing.
10-4.
The polar bear don't know how to slow down.
Or I could just throw a tow strap on him and pull him all the way in.
I don't drive 55.
Coming up Alex hits the gas.
Old Hugh and Rick are gonna have to be rabbits now to catch up.
And later Damn it! of Winnipeg, Canada The four truck convoy of Hugh, Rick, Alex, and Vlad is barreling down the icy winter roads.
When the sun hits her for too long in the daytime, she'll go away on ya.
There's nothing underneath it.
Just marsh and swamp.
We got a time limit on our road here, so we gotta run pretty hard to get the loads in.
Starting to get more slick, and you see more and more potholes come up.
Every day it's getting worse and worse.
You still gotta keep the hump on.
You still gotta go 'cause they still need a whole bunch of stuff in there and, like I said, we're running out of time.
Oh, look at this truck.
It's all smashed to hell.
Going too fast.
It's all chained up.
Yeah, 10-4.
He obviously came around the corner a little too fast or something, and It was a "whoops," for sure.
The guy's season's gonna come to an abrupt end now.
The road may be rough, but at the front of the pack, the polar bear is keeping the pedal to the metal.
Come on, guys.
Slow down.
We got a senior citizen with us.
Old slack, he'll find high gear there sooner or later.
Before long, the rest of the team leaves Alex in the dust.
We'll kinda tootle along as quick as we can tootle.
Why do you call him slack Alex? He moves as slow as molasses on a winter's day.
He must be so far back he can't hear us.
I know.
I haven't seen him in the mirrors, so I don't know.
Just keep plodding along.
If I wanna be as silly as them then I'm gonna end up looking as silly as them if I'm not careful.
Well, we'll stop and check our loads and then we'll have slack catch right up and then we'll try to keep him up there together.
What's happening, man? Wilson the impaler! What do you think about [Bleep.]
traveling with old Alex today? He's so far behind he thinks he's ahead.
He's so far behind he thinks he's ahead.
It's gonna slow us down a bit, but we'll humor him.
Haven't seen him all year, I guess.
You can get fuel economy driving with Alex though.
When you don't go down to fourth gear, it's-- got enough fuel for two or three days, riding with him.
Finally, Alex catches up.
But instead of rejoining the convoy Ha.
Are you kidding me? I can only be Mr.
nice guy so long.
No more Mr.
nice guy.
Old Hugh and Rick are gonna have to be rabbits now to catch up.
Rabbits on the slippery road.
I hope they never cut their toenails so they got traction.
What the hell? Makes me feel great.
I just, uh Make 'em work a little bit, you know? I don't wanna go too fast.
I got a load ofFairly fragile stuff on here, as far as I know.
So I wanna go fast enough just to make sure To keep 'em honest, eh.
- Get 'em a little lathered up.
- It's not right.
By the time Hugh and Rick get back on the road, Alex has a five-mile lead.
He didn't ask if anybody needed anything or nothing.
He just went straight on by.
More trucks on the road, together, much safer, much better.
That's why I don't think that leaving your buddy behind is the smartest thing to do because something can happen.
He wouldn't be able to fix it, then what? You hit a pothole the wrong way, you rip a steer tire off.
Not gonna be easy getting it outta here.
Probably gonna ruin your season.
You're not gonna get it fixed in time.
He said he was gonna travel with us, but apparently he didn't want to.
He's always a little bit frustrated.
He's wound a little bit too tight, but Give him something to do for the last couple hours anyway--chase me.
the temperature in Fairbanks is 15 below, but Maya is burning up.
I'm like strung out right now--I'm sick.
I don't feel good.
Not looking forward to going out today at all.
I need to do what I have to do.
That's just how it is in trucking.
You don't wanna go, you gotta go.
Maya may be under the weather, but every run is a chance to prove herself on the road.
I always have to work, and the only time I'll call out is if I'm like about to die or I'm in the hospital.
Whether you make it up here or not is--is up to you Personally.
It's all your determination and how you decide to act.
It's a lesson Maya learned firsthand, watching fellow haul road rookie Dave struggle to fit in.
You disrespected me in my truck.
I'm not gonna deal with a disrespectful person.
Okay, that's fine.
That's my choice.
All right, okay.
That's not a problem.
Typical [Bleep.]
.
I'm doing the opposite of what Dave did, because I'm listening, I'm learning.
I'm not acting like I know it all.
I mean, I show everybody up here respect that they deserve.
And that's all it takes.
You just gotta listen, learn, show respect, and do your job.
While Maya hits the road Back at the Carlile offices Dave is on thin ice.
Yeah, it's real boring sitting around here.
I need to get to work.
I'm not making any money sitting around.
Came here to work, not sit around.
On his last run Dave broke a cardinal rule of the road.
Maybe we should start communicating here.
Ditching his convoy partners.
I'm not gonna babysit those two behind me.
I'm just gonna get on up the road.
Now, he's been grounded by Carlile management.
I've been in communication on and off with Lane all day, and Lane's gonna have you wait until he gets back on Thursday to roll.
But Dave is desperate to get back behind the wheel.
I gotta wait a minute.
There's other people in there.
You got me lined up for a load or anything, or got anything for me to do? I do have one thing.
D.
O.
T.
needs us to go grab some freight and take it up to Jim River.
Okay.
So it's not your typical Prudhoe run, but, hey, it's something I could keep you busy with for a little while.
Yeah, it'll give me something to do while I'm sitting here.
I need to just make some money while I'm here.
There you go.
All right.
It's a pretty nice truck.
Almost brand-new pickup truck.
Work is work.
He's hauling a load of tires to a DOT station just seven miles up the road.
I can do this little job here and make a little money while I'm off.
But on the haul road, there's no such thing as a little job.
You know, it's a nice, bright sunny day.
Probably about 10 degrees below zero, but the roads are absolutely slick as glass right now.
It's everything you can do to keep the truck on the road.
Yeah, these big trucks don't like giving me no room up here.
You know, they get right up on top of you when you're going by.
You know, you pretty much just gotta get to your side of the road and hope they don't snatch your mirror off when they go by.
Here's one right now.
Damn it! Just north of Fairbanks, Alaska Damn it! Damn.
[Bleep.]
close! It's almost like they just don't even want me here.
Oh, they just drive in the middle of the road.
They won't [Bleep.]
give you an inch.
That's like the third [Bleep.]
guy in a row.
You know, they just-- they're relentless up here.
[Bleep.]
you too, you asshole.
I am a truck driver.
I'm one of them, but I'm in this truck.
And I don't know if they just Are bullying me, or I don't know.
I just-- I don't have an answer.
I mean, but just--it's just [bleep.]
nonstop.
Every one of these guys that goes by is in the middle of the road.
It's a new perspective driving this Dalton highway.
You know, seeing what these guys in these little cars go through every day dealing with these trucks.
Oh, they just-- now I see why they drive so slow when they're around them.
They slow down to an almost stop because they know these trucks are not gonna get out of their way.
They just don't wanna meet them going, you know, at a speed they can't get out of the way.
Another one.
I mean, he's just [Bleep.]
taking his half out of the center.
Nothing I can do about it.
I mean, it just seems like I just can't get one continuous day without something happening up here.
I mean, it's either the weather or the driver or the truck or the truck and the weather and the drivers.
It's just--it's always something up here.
But, you know, that's what happens when you come up here to work in these extreme conditions.
, you know, we don't have very far to go--probably 10, 15 miles.
Hopefully, we can get there in time, get this stuff unloaded.
I know they need it.
Miserable trip, but it seems like every trip up here is miserable.
I'm just doing everything it takes to You know, just to work while I'm here and do a good job.
I'm here to work.
And that's exactly what I'm doing.
The two-month-old winter road is melting, and the Canadian convoy is crumbling.
Alex took off and I ain't seen him since, so I guess he figured he'd rather be out front somewhere.
I don't know why he did what he did there, took off in front.
Didn't have to do that.
You notice I'm never too far behind you.
Ten miles up the road For now, I'll just give 'em a little--we'll wind 'em up a little bit, let's say that.
I gotta go real fast 'cause I don't wanna get this-- it's pretty slippery stuff.
I don't wanna go in the snowbank.
They don't think anybody on this road can drive.
They figure they're the only ones that can drive.
That's what they're telling me.
The last time they went flying by me, they got back to town two days after I did because of all the broken parts they left behind.
Toboggan runs at the Olympics.
Just following grooves around the corner.
Hope nobody else is in the grooves coming the other way.
'Cause then things'll get really groovy.
At the shores of Island lake, Alex decides to play it safe and wait for the rest of his team.
Finally the others catch up.
And Hugh stops to take a look under the hood before hitting the thinning ice.
What, you don't want me to pray for you guys? Over you guys? I could lay on hands on that air dryer.
I'm not playing here, man.
I'm fixing something.
Just a little right there.
[Bleep.]
you.
Okay, I'll see you guys later.
Ready? Okay, there we go.
Looks like they really don't want me hanging around.
I don't think I'm overly welcome for some reason.
I went to pat him on the shoulder and he jumped back like if I was gonna punch him in the eye.
Made me feel like I assaulted him.
Alex leads the way onto the lake.
But his convoy is cracking faster than the ice beneath his tires.
Ooh.
Think we better-- we better start behaving right here.
I can actually see the cracks in the ice already.
Chip, chip, chip.
Yeah, chip, chip, chip.
It's an actual lake, you know.
You can see you are in the middle of the lake right now.
Because not many guys can see it, right? They only can see it from land.
See all that water come out of the hole when I went by there? Aw, man.
Open water on my side.
Looks like she's open here.
Ooh, baby.
Hang on to your socks.
Come on, baby! Come on, now, hurry up.
Hugh, are you guys okay? Yep.
All right.
How you doing up there, Alex? Safely across the melting ice, the convoy is reunited Yeah, if we're gonna together, we may as well stay together.
At least for now.
I might get a little bit more lead on 'em this time.
If I can keep my eyes open and my nose on the grindstone.
If I don't run out of nose.
Next You're scaring me now.
Tony and Lisa are running out of road.
Wow, look at 'em, look at 'em.
of Fairbanks, Alaska What's going on? Where y'all at? You guys north? Yeah, we're heading north.
Okay, good pulling.
Go ahead of Lisa.
Okay.
Lisa and Tony are crawling up the Dalton, hauling monster loads.
How you doing back there, Lisa? - They're doing.
- Good deal.
Okay.
Every passing truck requires careful coordination between Lisa and Tony and their four pilot cars.
Okay.
Definitely on my toes a lot more though.
Just to remember how wide you are and where you can meet people, where you can't meet people.
Dealing with all the pilot cars.
We've got four pilot cars, and Lisa.
You know, pretty big crew.
So far, Lisa's been up to the challenge.
But now Hope I'm not gonna be needing these southbounders.
OoohhDamn right you are.
You're scaring me now.
What's that? Wait, another convoy's coming? Copy.
A convoy of oversized loads coming southbound will put Lisa and Tony to the test.
We're 24 feet wide, so no.
- I cannot see around the load.
- We're gonna make it.
I wonder how wide those are.
It makes it a little tough to judge, you know, whether there's room or not, when you can't really see completely around the load.
I think so.
I'll pull up right on you.
Thanks, guys, appreciate it.
Tony and Lisa squeeze past the convoy.
But around the next corner Really? Man.
Man, oh, man, oh, man.
Wow.
Oh, I hear ya.
Awesome.
Kinda crazy, huh? Wow, look at 'em, look at 'em.
That is so cool, dude.
Splitting 'em down the middle.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my gosh.
- Look at that.
- Ooh.
It was narrow down there for a minute.
All clear.
All right.
- Thank you.
- Haha! All this stuff's gonna wake me up.
- I've got a fever.
- Maya's rolling north But her health is heading due South.
Why is it so hot in here? It's like zero degrees out right now, but I'm sweating, so.
At least there's many possibilities to cool off out here, that's for sure.
Oh, my [Bleep.]
god.
I am about to Go up the Koyukuk right now.
The steep slope of Koyukuk is no place to be off your game.
Koyukuk is crazy.
It's like all of a sudden you drive on flat, you know, road for like, you know, a good hour and then you look up and there's freakin'--it's like, you don't even have to look up.
You just look ahead and there's like a wall.
Like, you go around a turn and there's a wall of a hill, and it goes up, and it kinda tips, and then it goes around.
And it's extremely steep.
It's scary.
Yeah, this is notFun.
Oh Finally.
Well, I made it on top of the Koyukuk.
I did not spin out.
Even though I'm sick I still have a smile on my face, 'cause I'm truckin'.
Trucking is my medicine for everything.
Next All righty, I'm ready.
Lisa steps up And Maya bites off more than she can chew.
Hey, Phil, do you want me to sack you? I wouldn't even try that if I were you.
On Alaska's Dalton Highway Maya spots a familiar truck up ahead.
Hey, Phil Good mornin'.
How are you? I caught up with my trainer, Phil.
With the Dalton's biggest challenges behind her, Maya has got her sights set on one more goal.
Hey, Phil, do you want me to sack you? I wouldn't even try that, if if I were you.
I want to make it to Prudhoe sometime today.
I'm hungry.
Sacking--or passing--her former trainer is a risky move.
Hold your horses, young lady.
But Maya's ready to roll.
Phil trained me really good, you know.
And I'm gonna show him how good he really did train me.
I'm just gonna sack him.
Just to mess with her a little, I'll leave her in the back there for a little longer.
Oh, my God.
He just doesn't want me to sack him.
I mean, why would he? That would be like-- you know why? 'Cause, like, he'd never hear the end of it from anybody up here.
That day will come.
And I'll make sure everybody will know about it.
after a short rest on the side of the road, Tony and Lisa are ready to get their wide loads rollin' again.
Don't spit on me.
You awake? Yeah! Well, yell at me when you're ready to roll.
We're gonna get started today.
Heading for Prudhoe.
The first 350 miles of the trip have been a grind, but Lisa's hangin' tough.
This is all a good training mission for her.
And anything that I can do to help her learn how to get this stuff down, I'm game for.
I mean, I really want her to learn and do a good job and get confident with hauling this oversize stuff.
Looks like they're about done back there, Ty.
You there? What? You wanna take the lead? Sure.
Go for it.
I'll follow you for a while.
Copy.
- Yeah, I'm ready.
- Okay.
I felt good this morning.
I wake up and start trucking.
Last time Lisa took the lead Whoa! Ah, stop, stop! She drove her load and her heavy haul career into the ditch.
You and I have talked.
That's a huge deal.
Heavy haul's not for everybody.
Now, the last 150 miles into town will be her shot at redemption.
Big loads and wide loads are important to me.
And I don't want to screw them up.
I see her gaining confidence.
All righty, I'm ready.
And the only way to gain confidence doing this stuff is to--is to take charge and go for it, and, uh Handle business, man.
Did you meet him yet, James? Yeah, he's waiting up here for you.
Come on up around the corner.
I don't think there's ever an end to self-improvement Until you die.
Because if you stop, and you stop caring and you stop challenging yourself, then what is there left? You know, then you stop growing as a person.
Lisa may be confident, but the steep climb and narrow road up Atigun Pass will put her skills to the test.
About to Climb Atigun Pass here with a 24 wide.
There are some spots up here where the load'll probably be hanging over the guardrail a bit, and we'll get this big load over the big hill.
I want the whole roadAnd no-- no surprises.
Not much room there.
I'm--I'm--doing good in there.
I made it.
That's what counts.
You're just too on top of your game.
As the sun sets, Lisa leads the oversized convoy down the home stretch.
Gettin' up near Prudhoe here.
I can see the lights of Prudhoe in the distance.
See if we can make it to the yard unscathed this time.
That'd be so cool.
Hey, yay, I made it to Prudhoe without screwing up a load.
Dude! Mission accomplished.
- I'm so proud of you.
- Me too.
You did good.
- That was awesome.
- Took the lead.
Handled the pilot cars.
You were handling four pilot cars.
I didn't have to do anything but kick back and drive--it was awesome.
Lisa's big day puts her at 15 loads on the season, while Dave stuck on the sidelines, but hanging on to a one-load lead.
In the wilds of Manitoba, after two days of slick roads and hot tempers What the hell He said he was gonna try to lose me.
Apparently, he didn't want to.
I can only be Mr.
Nice guy so long.
Hugh, Rick, Vlad, and Alex roll into Garden Hill.
Hey, that's a long, grueling run that can take a lot out of the body.
He was on the blower there, trying to figure out where we're going and what we're doing for the unload of these tanks here.
The other three will unload here while Alex delivers one town over in St.
Theresa Point.
But before he heads out to finish his run, Alex has one more thing in store for his old friend and rival.
I got your Christmas present.
- Oh, yeah? - Little bit late.
- Recognize that guy? - Holy [Bleep.]
.
- It's the old man there.
- Yep.
Oh, that's the old cabin out there too.
Yeah, I got that off of Robert Carroll.
It was only about that big, and I had it blown up.
Well, that's pretty cool.
- Yeah.
Merry Christmas.
- Thank you.
You're very welcome.
My understanding is that Hugh's dad's ashes are spread around the cabin, the, you know, the one There's a picture of him standing in front of it.
Oh, it's definitely something I'll hang on to, that gift Alex give me, for sure.
I was really surprised when he give it to me.
- Thanks a lot.
- You're very welcome.
I'm glad you liked it.
I wasn't sure.
Thought you didn't like the old bastard.
You were gonna get mad at me and poke me in the eye.
Oh, we had our rows, that's for [Bleep.]
damn sure.
I can imagine.
I'm just glad he liked it.
That's good.
I kind of thought he would.
Like, I kind of figured that they probably didn't get along the best, but it's a long time ago now.
I didn't get along the best with my dad, either.
Would have been good if I got along a little better, but Alex did a good thing.
He, uh, give me a gift, and that was a good thing for Alex.
And it's nobody's business but mine.
- Everything okay? - Yep.
Next Back on the road again.
A massive wreck rocks the Dalton.
Oh, my God.
And Lisa and Maya are in the thick of it.
We're stopped.
He's stopping us.
Dave's running out of chances.
Copy that there, Dave? Shut up.
And Alex may be running out of time.
You gotta remember, we're driving on roads that do not exist in the summertime.