Ice Road Truckers (2007) s05e14 Episode Script

Tonight on Ice Road Truckers We're making money hand over fist here.
Lisa and Maya come to the rescue.
Getting loads up there is important but somebody's life is more important.
I mean it is as slick as slick can get.
Tony hits the skids.
Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! Dave is on the hot seat.
I'm not here to make a bunch of [Bleep.]
damn friends.
It's just best that I stay away.
And the melting roads become every driver's worst nightmare.
On Alaska's north slope The winter freeze gives way to spring thaw, and the dash for the cash - Here we go.
- Is heating up.
If you want something, don't sit there and wait for it.
Go get it.
At the Carlile truck yard in Prudhoe Bay It's not a very exciting load, but you know what? A load is a load.
And as long as I keep moving forward in the load count, I don't much care what they give me, honestly.
Over the last few weeks, Dave Redmond has raced to the top of the load board.
But his hard charging style has him on thin ice with management.
Yeah, at this point things aren't looking real good, um, there's been quite a bit of negative over the last few weeks with Dave and that's why Lane's had me out here to reevaluate him and see what's going on first hand and so far there's a couple of things that are less than positive, so Back under the thumb of trainer Phil Kromm, Dave's make or break run got off to a rocky start.
I just touched that one side, broke that piece of plastic.
- That gonna be a big problem? - Yeah.
It's just kind of a rookie mistake.
And it was all downhill from there.
Copy back there, Dave? Copy back there, Dave? Shut up! That'll add to the load count.
I'm just happy to be on top, so that's all that matters.
Here we go south.
I guess I'm back on the [Bleep.]
list again.
I gotta follow Phil again today.
It's like an everyday thing here.
You know, follow Phil, follow somebody.
It really takes the trip and just turns it into a pain in the ass, it really does.
You know, that's the problem.
When you're following or chasing somebody, you know, you're always at the mercy of the other guy.
It just--it's getting old.
I've gotta wonder if Dave's paying a little disregard to safety and taking a mindset of trying to up the load count, you know, his load count, to try and get as many loads as he can and safety and the rules are suffering because of it.
If that's the case then something's gotta be done.
You know, getting ahead of the load count, you know, I've actually left Maya and Tony behind a couple of times.
I've, you know, done a lot of things that, you know, maybe I shouldn't have.
Some of them might think I've been cheating but it makes me a little proud, I guess.
It, uh, got ahead of everybody.
But then again I don't have much competition.
500 miles South in Fairbanks Just got back after a couple days with the fam and, uh, heading over to dispatch, see what they've got going on.
See what's cooking.
Time to get some more loads done before all this ice melts.
Haul road veteran Tony Molesky is back on the job.
What in the heck? But the Carlile bosses have a surprise for him.
Oh, yeah! Nah-uh! Oh, man.
Wow.
Brand-new truck, Tony.
Company big dog Harry McDonald has personally overseen the repairs to Tony's truck.
- You drove it up? - I drove it up.
Holy cow, nice.
I don't do that for everybody.
I know, yeah, looks really good.
I mean, it doesn't even look like it got wrecked.
At the start of the season Tony's brand-new Kenworth W900L was totaled in a nasty wreck.
But wow.
I'm gonna look under the hood here real quick.
This is amazing, man.
Well, Tony Molesky's been working for Carlile, uh, over 20 years.
He started when he was maybe 16 or so, working in the warehouse.
And he's been driving for the last 15 or so.
All new front end, all new suspension.
All new hood.
- This is a fiber glass hood, too.
- I think it is fiberglass.
Yeah, it's different.
- So it drove nice? - Drove perfect.
New radiator, air-to-air, everything.
Yeah.
Wow.
Well, I can't wait to drive it.
I'm ready to go truckin' now.
- You can go.
- I see how you are.
Pullin' a fast one on me.
We tried.
Did you get a new truck? Sneaking up--sneaking in on me.
- Uh-huh, I knew it.
- It almost worked.
Thank you, Harry, I'm tellin' ya.
- Thank you very much.
- You got it, yeah.
- Good luck.
- All right.
Thanks, Harry.
Time to go for a ride, I guess.
Oh, this is just awesome.
What a nice feel.
Chrome kick panel, nice.
They threw a couple extras in here for me it looks like.
This is cool.
Just like home, all right.
I wanna drive, man.
Let's go.
Finally back behind the wheel of his rebuilt rig, Tony's ready to roll.
Hasta la vista.
You wanna take care of your 20 year guys because those are the guys that are out there taking care of you and so it's important to have those guys out there and have them comfortable and keep them happy.
I'm super pleased with the way that the truck turned out.
I'm really happy to be back in it.
2,600 miles east, the southernmost ice roads in the world are melting fast.
And the race between rivals Hugh Rowland and Alex Debagorski is neck and neck.
Had to wait till 10:00 this morning so we could, uh, chase the guy down to fill up our tanks and, uh, lo and behold, sitting around like that we got two loads to go back.
So we're just [Bleep.]
laughing here, I mean, [Bleep.]
, we're just, uh--we're just [Bleep.]
here--we're getting loads, uh-- we only planned on, uh, loads coming up and going home empty every time and we got back hauls so we're making [Bleep.]
money hand over fist here and, uh, I'm pretty [Bleep.]
happy about it.
Loaded up with ten tons of fish bound for Winnipeg, Hugh and Rick are hoping to run up the count on their competition.
I said old Alex always thinks he's so far--but he's so far behind he always thinks he's ahead of me.
Well, he was talking trash that he was gonna beat us.
Yeah, right.
Yeah, his trash talk never worked out the last 30 years so he should give up on it.
And, uh, he ain't no young guy anymore.
Yeah, poor old slack.
But 300 miles South, Alex isn't going down without a fight.
I know that Hugh and Rick pride themselves on being real hot rods but, you know, I mean, I--what am I gonna say? If Hugh and Rick would go roaring by I just keep on going and they go roaring by and I just keep on going and they go roaring by--each time there's more pieces missing off their gear.
This 25 ton load of magnesium chloride is used for road repair, critical for keeping lifelines open to the isolated community of Little Grand Rapids.
Magnesium chloride.
For dust control on gravel roads and dirt roads.
You basically put it on the road and you water the road and you grade it.
The road tightens up and-- yeah, we're providing a very valuable service.
I mean, this is, uh, something that people really need.
I guess you could consider the trucks a lifeline to these communities.
Otherwise these communities are almost like Alcatraz, there's no way of getting in and out except by, you know, airplane and possibly by boat from some of them.
But each one ton bag of compound is strapped down separately, creating a dangerously unstable load.
I'm not a big fan of these little bastards, I can't tighten them up hard enough.
You don't have very many wenches on that trailer load.
If the bags are jarred loose, the shifting weight could tip Alex's trailer.
Well, this load could be a challenge.
I'm not happy with those two inch straps on it.
As the day heats up, the winter road gets rougher and his load begins to shift.
It's starting to get damp.
We're sort of in a swamp here.
The water's coming out of the bush here.
Whoa.
Hang on there, big guy.
Next One rookie steps up.
When you see somebody that needs help, you forget about everything else.
And the other may be going down.
Doesn't seem like Dave has long-term plans of being on this road.
200 miles from civilization The palettes are broken, so The rough road has cracked one of the palettes beneath Alex's 25 ton load of magnesium chloride.
So far the disaster hasn't changed any since it started.
My worry is that bag falling forward.
The problem is these bags are trying to fall off of the truck.
The palette collapsed on that one.
I don't know--even all the straps I got on here might not fix this problem.
Definitely isn't gonna fall this way, that's for sure.
Stuff falling apart, things breaking, you know--all the challenges of the ice road.
A lot of bumpy roads Just giving it a rough ride, my load's having trouble sleeping.
Wants to be awake, wants to be moving around.
Well, I guess we go bumper down the road a little more, see what happens.
With the load still shaky, Alex has no choice but to continue on.
Gotta get it there.
It's part of the job.
Loads fall off all over the place if they're not properly secured.
Tie it up, drive, check it And, uh, see what happens.
Back on the Dalton, Dave is struggling to fit in.
Hey, Dave, maybe you oughta check your fuel tanks while we stop here at Cold Foot.
[Bleep.]
shut up! Aah, shut [Bleep.]
up! Aah! I got things to do, I ain't gonna sit here.
I'm not here to make a bunch of [Bleep.]
damn friends.
But just up the road, fellow rookie Maya Sieber is starting to find her place on the Dalton.
So are we going all the way up together, or do you have plans to turn and burn halfway, or--what's the deal, you know? Oh, we're going up all the way.
Right on, right on.
Just a few months ago, Maya was a city driver looking for a new challenge.
This is [Bleep.]
crazy.
You're gonna have to learn how to drive through this stuff.
That's unlike anything I've ever seen before.
I was so overwhelmed when I first started.
Now the rookie from New York is getting the hang of it.
Once I started learning the road it really became a lot of fun.
It's like your adrenaline rushes and you're ready for whatever comes your way.
You learnin' this road yet, Maya? Uh, little by little.
I like this part a lot.
And for Lisa Kelly, after three seasons of relying on other drivers for help Oh, yeah, yeah.
This is the stupidest thing on planet Earth and I feel stupid for not knowing how to do it.
I wanted to be the helper and not the helpee.
Running with a rookie is a chance to share what she's learned.
So I was wondering what you think about chaining up because it's, like, 20 below or 15 below and 30 below and-- yeah, I was thinkin' about that myself and I'm, like, you know, if it's gonna be that cold I'm totally fine with just going up there barefoot.
Yeah, 'cause we're both really light and it's 8:00 so the plow's been out since six if they were working it at all and scuffing it up.
I haven't seen any trucks yet to ask, but I think we can get away with no chains with how cold it is.
I think it's worth a shot.
Yeah, sounds good to me.
I definitely trust what Lisa tells me, she's been driving this road for a long time.
She knows what she's talking about.
But just a few hours into their run Well, I'll just pull over up here, um, behind Lisa and it looks like one of our Carlile drivers has truck problems.
And just see what's going on and see if he needs help with anything.
I don't know I have to check, I mean--it just happened.
It's family up here and we just stop when a truck is down and just see if there's anything I can do to help.
That's all you can do.
Driver Rod Cahill is stuck with an overheated engine.
You gonna give that a try? Wonderful, thank you very much.
- You're welcome.
- Have fun, ladies.
When you see somebody on the side of the road that needs help, you totally forget about everything else.
Yes, getting loads up there is important, but somebody's life is more important.
Next I'm not here to make a bunch of [Bleep.]
damn friends.
Dave snaps.
Maybe we can catch up.
What the [Bleep.]
? And the ice road strikes.
Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us at the hour of our death.
At the truck stop In Coldfoot, Alaska Tony, Lisa, and Maya stopped for a bite to eat.
- Are you doing good this year? - Not too bad.
Are you glad to have your truck back? - Oh, heck yeah.
- Good.
It's not long before the conversation turns to the two rookies on the road.
You're having an easier time though because you're nice, you know? I think a lot of people-- I think you're doing a really good job, Maya.
Yeah, it's your attitude and your personality that shows through, it goes a long way.
It's tough, you got a driver driving for 20-plus years, and then all of a sudden they have to, like, drive completely different.
It's like learning how to drive all over again.
And it's like being a rookie when you know you're not a rookie.
Yeah.
And I know how that feels.
I just wish he was a little more respectful.
I don't expect anything but I don't like being treated like crap in my own truck.
Just outside Well, we're here.
Coldfoot.
Let's go get something to eat.
Yeah, I wanna get a bite to eat and I think I saw Lisa's truck sitting out here so, uh, we'll go in and, uh, say hi to Lisa and get something to eat.
Age before beauty.
Ha! Some--there's some people just aren't, you know--if you don't show the road and the people respect up here, it'll come back to get you.
Oh, I ain't got time for [Bleep.]
social hour.
I'm tired, it's a long day.
Phil can catch up.
It's not that I hate Tony, it's just best that I stay away.
So if I'm not there, then there's nothing for him to hang on to.
I'm not going out of my way to keep him happy just 'cause he's, you know, special ed or something, I don't care.
Dave may have dodged Tony, but he's also left Phil in the dust.
Hello, Dave.
What the fuck? I know I'm supposed to be following Phil, but if I pulled out and kind of took the lead, maybe it would kinda move things along a little bit.
We're not gonna be best of friends, it's obvious.
And that's just fine by me.
You start with the wrong attitude And more and more wrong comes of it.
It doesn't seem like Dave has long-term plans of being on this road for this company.
Well, you can definitely hear it popping and snapping when you roll down the window.
Alex is just outside of Little Grand Rapids.
But the rough roads have wreaked havoc on his unstable load.
Different place, different roads.
Trips are harder, longer.
At last Alex arrives With the bags of magnesium hanging on by a thread.
After many trials and tribulations, here we are, all in one piece.
Right there, there's the "x.
" - That's good, there we go.
- Hey, thank you.
You guys don't have nothing to back haul--something I can haul back? Alex is in luck.
He scores a load of recycling and hits the road back to town.
So push the bed against the wall and throw the television out and I'm coming home.
They didn't damage anything.
The boys did a good job, even told me a couple of jokes.
"Did you finally find out why the geese fly South?" He said.
I said, "no.
" He said "because it's easier than walking.
" And then the other joke wasn't fit for consumption.
While Alex turns and burns, 150 miles down the road Hugh is on thin ice.
Of St.
Theresa with our back hauls here.
We're just crossing one of the lakes now.
It's pullin' up, the sky is gray here, and we got quite a little windstorm going out here, so I hope we don't get in a [bleep.]
storm before we get out of the bush, could get bad.
But we're making good time today.
Easy money.
Over there.
It would be nice to have a clean run.
She was a hard run goin' up, so I hope we have a clean run going back, put some cash in our pockets.
Maybe have a beer when we get back to dodge here.
And Hugh's not the only one that's been cashing in on the winter roads this season.
Well, it's always good they're getting more than Rick and Hugh, obviously.
But getting more loads gives me more money so I have more income so, you know, the government of Canada won't go bankrupt because then I can pay my fair share of the national debt.
And maybe there will be a little bit extra left over for me to take home to pay my own bills.
But just a few miles into his trip Yeah, the road's gonna be closed for a while.
Alex's bonus run comes to a screeching halt.
Holy mackerel.
Coming up Wreckage on the winter roads.
Southbound four-wheeler hit a northbound truck.
Deep in the Canadian wilderness The semi's fuel tank was ruptured or something.
There's a lot of carnage back there apparently.
Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
The road's gonna be closed for a while.
A wreck on the road ahead has Alex's back haul on ice.
I heard on the radio that there was a four wheeler just slammed into one of the big trucks coming southbound-- four wheeler hit a northbound truck.
Just ten miles up the road A brutal collision between a big rig and an SUV has littered the road with twisted truck parts.
But it could have been worse.
Just coming down the road here and puttin' along--I'm actually doing 30-35 clicks an hour and, uh, coming around the corner and I seen you guys coming.
It's been raining this morning, it's been snowing and we got a little bit of slippery in the corner here and I managed to keep the front end from smoking you front end-front end.
So you ended up sideswiping me and good thing nobody got hurt, that's the main thing.
Just before impact the big rig swerved into the ditch preventing a head-on collision and likely saving the lives of everyone in the other vehicle.
I didn't wanna hit you head on.
I seen you guys coming and I seen you sliding--you hit the brakes there and I knew right away that I didn't wanna hit the front end.
Again, thank you so much for, uh-- sorry my hands are a little wet.
Not only getting the hell out of the way and saving our guy's life but helping us get this thing out of here.
No problem, man.
Chain her down and that's it.
Where's Alex today? Good, good, we got two more of those to wreck yet.
Damaged.
Geez! Wow.
Did you--did you--you must have tied that fuel line off? Yup, yup.
So how was that for a thrill? They come around that corner really quick, eh? - You'll see right where it is.
- So you just-- all four of them just--and he locked them up and I went for the trees.
Instead of hitting them head on I put the nose into the trees.
Don't send me the bill, I can see a new paint job.
See you guys later.
They got mud flaps busted off, there's a stack.
The guys that got hit are carrying the car.
That's funny.
Well, I heard about the wreck that was ahead of us, uh, somebody was going too fast, came around the right hand corner, ended up in the wrong Lane--tractor trailer on the other side.
The driver of the big truck was smart enough that instead of hitting them--it was a head on.
So the driver just stuck his nose in the trees and that way the, uh, four wheeler slammed into the fuel tank, ripped off the stack.
Worked out well for everybody except the smashed Yukon and the smashed truck, but it's all-- they'll all make it to town Eventually.
We're just goin' over the top.
There's another one coming a little ways behind me, guys.
Lisa and Maya continue rolling north together.
I'm in the mood for whatever comes my way today.
Some days I'm not--some days I'm just, like, "eh, I don't wanna deal with this blow or this storm or this [Bleep.]
," but I'm pretty awake today so I'm ready for whatever.
Uh-oh.
And one thing an ice road trucker needs to be aware of is fellow travelers on the road.
Maya, there's some Mountain goats.
Oh, my God, they're goats.
Look at them.
They're, like, little babies.
Oh, man, I wanna take a picture.
Shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo.
Look at him go! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! The most dangerous places are their playgrounds.
I don't wanna be trying to avoid a goat going down the pass.
I would run over those sheep before I ran off the road, sorry.
I don't want to, but I would have to.
They're cute though.
Tony rolls his 50 ton load of diesel fuel into the yard at Prudhoe Bay, but the job isn't over yet.
- How's it going? - Pretty good.
I'm gonna send you with tanker KW10031.
Nice.
- You're gonna go to Nuiqsut-- - Yeah.
Gonna take a load of fuel to the gas station.
Right on.
All right, I'll go get hooked up to this trailer and get outta here.
- Yup, drive safe.
- Thanks, man.
- Take it easy.
- See you later.
Tony's new rig is about to hit the ice.
What I'm, uh, hooked onto is a load of gasoline today.
And this'll supply the village with gasoline for their vehicles, snow machines, four wheelers, whatever--whatever runs on gasoline.
Everything looks good So we're ready to go.
With the ice road melting fast, the remote community of Nuiqsut has only a few weeks left to gather supplies that will have to last all year.
We try to haul these guys as much fuel as possible while the ice road is in.
It's the only way in and out of this place is over the ice.
The ice roads out here in Nuiqsut are generally built over the tundra, the lakes and the rivers.
So you really never know when you're on top of at any given time.
The ice has been really, really slippery, it's--you can tell it's getting towards the end of the ice season.
The sun's been beating down and it looks like a zamboni.
It gets pretty greasy at times.
I mean it's as slick as it can get.
Dropping down onto the Colville river we can only do about ten miles an hour so we don't buckle the ice as we hit it.
That's one thing that you have to be concerned with is the speed--the speed and weight of your truck dropping down on the ice and suddenly causing a wave that'll crack the ice in front of you all the way across.
Sometimes that's difficult 'cause it's just a sheet of ice.
Doin' a little bit of slippin'.
Up! Up! Up! Up! Prudhoe Bay, Alaska Oh, [Bleep.]
! Doin' a little bit of slippin'.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Droppin' down onto the Colville river, and I slid all the way down the hill, actually.
Not good.
Guys want you to do ten miles an hour droppin' down onto the river and it's just not possible right now with the sun beatin' down on it.
You're driving across a frozen river with 10,000 gallons of gasoline and it kinda gets you wondering once in a while.
You know, wondering if you're gonna make it across.
You can actually hear the ice flexing.
Honest to God.
Pop, pop, crack, crack.
We made it! Nothing went boom.
After 90 miles of melting ice, Tony delivers his load to Nuiqsut.
It's been a long day getting across the ice.
Got a load of gasoline The last loads of the year.
And, uh, we're just rolling into town.
It's definitely fulfilling to see the people, and to get the respect from the people that we deliver to.
Makes me feel like I'm doing my job and I'm making other people happy.
It kinda gives us a sense of accomplishment.
You know, that's part of why I do what I do.
Back in Canada Pretty good time here.
We'll be up there before daylight or before dark anyway, that's for sure.
As long as we don't get in a wreck like some other people back there.
Another trip done and we're starting to see this road really come apart now.
Outta there and, uh, just about to the payment and just about to a hot meal.
[Bleep.]
nearer, [Bleep.]
nearer.
Hugh and Rick race to town.
Just a few hours behind, Alex is keeping it slow and steady.
Hugh and Rick look like they go fast.
I've gone fast all my life, I don't look like-- I make a point of not looking like I go fast.
I don't like speeding tickets.
I don't like breaking the law.
I don't like trouble with the police or the DOT.
I don't like trouble with the safety guys on the road.
The trick is pick things to do safely not bust my truck, not bust a load, not bust a trailer.
Not piss anybody off.
I've always gone--all my life I've gone fast.
It just doesn't look like I go fast.
As the winter road season hits the home stretch, the race between the two Canadian rivals is a dead heat.
I think Alex is just getting tired--I think he's just, uh, like I said he's gettin' pretty long in the tooth there and, uh, it's time for him to, uh, you know, pack 'er up.
I got one bit of advice for Rick and Hugh.
Don't let your alligator mouth get your tadpole butt in trouble.
Back in Alaska Dave Redmon rolls towards Fairbanks alone.
I'm not sure where Phil's at.
We haven't heard him on the radio here in a little while.
But I don't give a.
probably the worst part of the whole damn road, you know, you can't go but about 30 miles an hour.
It's really hard to see, people sneak up on you all the time.
All the critters will be on the damn road--if there's any critters out, they'll be here.
It's all twisty, windy, uphill, downhill.
I can barely keep my eyes open.
It's just all the bull that goes with this job.
It just wears on you after a while.
'Cause I gotta stay out here for months at a damn time.
That's probably the toughest part of the job is being away from my wife.
And it'll just make you wonder, you know, why you keep doing this.
Is it worth it? Thank God, the city lights of Fairbanks.
Couldn't come at a better time, I'm just so [Bleep.]
tired.
Finally Dave hits the yard.
Pull in here and drop this thing and go to bed.
Finally here.
[Bleep.]
damn.
[Bleep.]
back hurts, my [Bleep.]
body hurts, my head hurts.
Unh! [Bleep.]
! It's just been a rough night.
Get this damn trailer dropped, turn our paperwork in and be done with this bull.
An hour later Phil rolls in And he's not happy with what he's seen.
Just some stuff that I expect to see at this point in his training, so--and I didn't see it.
So I'll talk to Lane about it in the morning and give him that information and he can put that together with what else he's got and I'm sure he'll be talking to Dave.
Dave's 25th load of the season will keep him at the front of the pack, but Dave's days on the Dalton may be running out.
- You've seen Redmon this morning? - I haven't seen him.
No? Okay.
I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon.
Is he planning on going today? Uh, I had him on the list.
Okay, well, don't give him anything until I talk to him, okay? All right.
I need to visit with him first and then you may need to come up with a backup plan, so Next on Ice Road Truckers Tony finds trouble on the Dalton.
Somebody should be teaching him how to drive.
Lisa steps up.
If I'm allowed to follow, I just do.
But if I need to lead, I'm really good at it.
And while one - rookie fights for the job - You've made some mistakes.
That is bullshit.
The other may already be finished.
Uh, slipping.