Ice Road Truckers (2007) s06e01 Episode Script

In the frozen north Where few can survive Lives a special breed That thrives on thin ice.
You go through the ice out here, you're fucking dead.
This season Watch yourself.
Three roads caught at polar extremes.
Whoa! These are the years that kill truck drivers.
Crossing rivers, lakes, and oceans.
The drivers that started it all face new blood.
Fuck you, Jack! I will skin your fucking ass, motherfucker.
I feel like a total badass.
Oh, fuck.
And only the best Will survive the season.
That'll get your blood pumping.
This is a fucking dangerous, dangerous fucking job.
In the most remote reaches of northern Canada, there's only one lifeline for those in need.
The 500-mile Dempster highway.
Carved through wild stretches of the Yukon and Northwest territories Crossing over two of Canada's fastest flowing rivers And stretching out over the vast Arctic ocean, an ice road to the top of the world.
In Whitehorse, Yukon, Manitoulin Transport has one mission, ensure Canada's northern community survive another arctic winter.
And this year, they're betting on a titan of the ice.
More bears than people.
Just the way I like it.
A lifelong native of the north, Alex Debogorski's mission hits home.
Well, here we are.
As a driver, my job is to fulfill this part of the world's needs, whether we bring 'em their medicines or whether we bring 'em their freight or we bring 'em their parts.
Alex has survived nearly every ice road in North America.
Whoa! Easy.
I'm gonna need good luck.
But now he's taking on his most urgent assignment yet.
Hi.
I'm Albert.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex.
Nice to meet you, sir.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you for coming.
The load you've got here is the first load of food that Inuvik's gonna see in the last week and a half.
They're running out of food.
You gotta make sure to take care of this load.
They're really short in there.
Hauling a load of food, essential to the survival - of Inuvik's 3,500 residents - This is it.
Off we go.
Means facing the Dempster highway.
You got about 500 miles of bush.
Snow, ice, hills, mountains.
And then we get to the Mackenzie river and the Arctic ocean.
With isolated wilderness stretching hundreds of miles in every direction, it's the last place on Earth a driver wants to be stranded.
I think there's an awful lot of graves up here that don't have tombstones.
Plenty of stories of people in the north who froze to death, who starved to death, died from sickness, just disappeared.
Why is it-- What the hell? Okay, we got a problem.
Truck shut down.
Well, that's interesting.
Why would it do that? In the middle of nowhere Alex is shut down.
Across the continent The winter season is also starting up in Manitoba, as crews race to build the winter roads.
Built over swampland, rivers, and frozen lakes The winter roads provide only a few weeks of access to over Manitoba backcountry.
But this year, arctic weather patterns have trapped cold air in the north, leaving Manitoba with record-high temperatures and thinner ice than ever before.
Before.
This year, the season's not going well for us at all.
Going well for us at all.
Nothing's freezing.
There's water on the roads.
I'm starting to get worried.
For the last nine months, loads have been piling up at Winnipeg's Polar Industries.
And for owner Mark Kohaykewych, closed roads mean the season is in jeopardy.
We've got a lot of loads to get out.
The communities and the contractors that we're working with are getting desperate.
So we're in a pretty tight spot right now.
With this season's roads behind schedule Good morning, Mark from Polar Industries here.
Mark calls in the cavalry.
Short season, lots of loads.
So you need some trucks.
Last year, Hugh "The Polar Bear" Rowland raked in the dough Bounce that motherfucker! As one of the few truckers who could turn a profit hauling on the winter roads.
Yee-fucking-haw.
And this season, Hugh has decided to double down.
Mark gave me a call, and he said, "hey, we got a whole bunch of loads over here.
" And, uh, he said, "I could really use your help again," and I just told him, I said, "well, I want a bigger piece of the pie this year.
" I said, "I want a percentage this time.
" So what we did was we negotiated a percent on gross, so he's got a little bit more, uh, more incentive to get these loads up a little bit quicker.
For Hugh, buying into the short season is a high-risk gamble that only pays off if he can deliver enough loads.
Well, I guess I better phone fucking show.
With the clock ticking, Hugh needs all the help he can get And calls in ice road hothead Rick Yemm.
Getting ready for another ice road season, got my "friendly Manitoba" plates to go on.
For nearly two decades, Hugh's had Rick under his wing.
You ever slam my fucking Truck like that again, I'll fucking kill ya.
And it hasn't always been easy.
I didn't sign up for this fucking stupid shit.
Yeah, you did.
But at the end of last season, Rick finally banked enough to buy his own truck.
Cheers, man.
That was pretty cool.
Now, with a rig of his own, Rick's taken the first step toward following in the polar bear's tracks.
Well, he's a successful businessman.
He makes good business decisions.
If I do the same things he does, well, I'm hoping to be the same successful businessman.
That's that, heh.
Is he here? His truck's here.
Hey! Long time, no see.
You guys ready to go? Yep.
First thing we gotta do is we gotta get up north, and we gotta go to Berens river to rescue a few trailers that have been stuck up there all year.
When last year's roads melted away, they went quick, leaving two trailers of construction supplies stranded in the bush.
The contractor's losing money.
He wants 'em out ASAP.
Roads are just opening up.
They're rough as hell.
They're a little crazy.
And, with the way the forecast is, they could shut that thing down in a couple hours.
So I need you guys to go, like, right now.
The road to Berens river is open, but in warm temperatures, the ice roads could close at any time First run, the roads are completely fucked up.
Leaving Hugh and Rick no choice but to go for it.
Well, with our little rescue mission here, we're just bobtailing in.
Uh, that means we got no trailer on.
Well, the one thing about bobtailing when we're going in with no weight-- it's rough.
You get bounced around pretty good.
Start losing teeth and shit.
If I wanted to be safe, I wouldn't be doing ice road trucking to start with.
Yeah, bobtailing's like driving on marbles when you're on the ice.
You just gotta kind of finesse it around the corners.
Don't spin out! Holy fuck! We're taking this to a whole new level this year.
Yeah, she's gonna be a rough day today.
Oh, frost heave.
She's a soft son of a bitch up here.
This is fucked up.
Oh ho ho ho.
I lost it.
- Coming up - Hang on.
Watch out, watch out! - And later - Whoa! The rubber meets the ice.
This is really, really bad.
Good morning, Fairbanks.
The weather forecast not looking real good.
In fact, they're predicting temperatures tonight down in the 50-below range.
So you guys need to be aware out there, don't drive unless you have to.
In Alaska, extreme weather patterns are plunging the state into a record-setting deep freeze.
We'll just check that.
And when temperatures drop The North Slope gears up for the oil exploration season.
But this year, fueled by the demand for energy across the country, Alaskan oil exploration is set to reach an all-time high.
And the only way for heavy machinery to reach these remote reserves Is the legendary Dalton highway.
Yee-hee-haw! - This 500-mile gauntlet of terror - Oh, fuck.
Pushes every driver to the limit.
This is a nightmare.
With steep, twisting grades, deadly mountain passes - blinding whiteouts - Can't see at all.
There's a dead man for every mile And a wreck around every blind curve.
You drive this road long enough, something's gonna happen.
On the Dalton, it's not if, but when.
Bad weather.
Harsh conditions.
It's not gonna stop us.
For Carlile manager Lane Keator and his drivers, the oil boom means more loads than ever before.
And this year is starting at full throttle.
It's gonna be a busy season on the slope.
On the Slope.
Right out the gate this year, we gotta move 70 loads of rig parts in ten days.
To keep the fuel flowing, a multimillion-dollar oil rig is headed to the Arctic ocean, and Carlile has just ten days to move all 3 1/2 million pounds of industrial metal.
The clock is ticking.
We gotta move.
With their reputation on the line, Lane's playing his ace.
Wanna know if you have what it takes to drive the haul road? Check your license.
Does it say "Jack Jessee"? Carlile veteran Jack Jessee is back.
And he's focused on one mission.
I've been number one.
I am number one.
And I'm gonna stay number one.
I'm gonna get this thing moving and lead the pack.
Today Jack's first load is the oil rig's pipe shed.
All right, this ought to be fun.
At 60 feet long and over 75,000 pounds, Jack's return to the haul road won't be easy.
It's gonna be a pretty good challenge.
But, hey, that's why Lane's got me doing it.
Morning.
Hey, Lane.
What's going on? I thought I was supposed to get an easy load.
This is an easy load.
- Oh, well-- - You're Jack Jessee.
When you're up against it like we are this year, as busy as we're gonna be, you gotta lean on your veterans.
We need to get you up the road and get a move on 'cause we got a lot to move here in the next ten days.
We got a convoy this morning too.
What? Yeah.
Even with the haul road ace in the game, the rig move is pushing Carlile to the limit.
It's a big project.
Takes a lot of teamwork and a lot of drivers, so we gotta get some guys.
And it means lots of new faces on the Dalton.
Hey, how's it going? Good, what's up? My name's Austin.
I'm the heavy hauler out of Kenai.
I just came to get my dispatch sheet.
Austin Wheeler's been with Carlile nearly two years driving in Southern Alaska.
Now Lane's called him up to the big leagues.
I'm 23 years old, but I look like I'm 16.
I got a young face.
But age doesn't really matter in my opinion.
Austin's very passionate about what he does.
I got confidence.
He's got what it takes.
Oh, I'm--I'm Austin, here to convoy pipe sheds up with you.
You're Austin? Yes, sir.
I'm here to drive and follow you up the road.
Austin-- We pulled him out of kindergarten last week.
Taught him how to drive a truck.
Okay, Austin.
Get your truck, let's go.
All right.
Well, being young and looking young, it's hard to get respect.
But once they see me get behind the wheel and take off, I get the respect that I want.
With the boss behind him, Austin's joining the rig move, hauling a 40,000-pound pipe shed frame.
Ready to blow this popsicle stand.
I've always looked up to Jack.
But now that I'm up here, it's every man for himself.
This ought to be good.
Hopefully he can keep up.
Across town, another new face has come to Fairbanks, Alaska.
We're fixing to head over here to the local choke and puke and grab something to eat.
And grab something to eat.
Buttermilk biscuits, sausage, gravy, about ten eggs, big ol' pot of grits with some cheese on it, and some fried squirrel.
On it, and some fried squirrel.
South Carolina native Ronald "Porkchop" Mangum is fueling up before his first taste of the haul road.
Two big countries.
Two big countries? Yep.
Everybody knows me by Porkchop.
My family calls me Porkchop.
My friends call me Porkchop.
As you can tell, I ain't missed a meal.
Certainly, you have some experience that is appealing to me, but I guess I don't understand why Alaska.
When I was kid growing up, my dad left me when I was in the fifth grade.
We went from living in nice, luxurious houses on Hilton Head Island to Podunk Blythewood, South Carolina, in a single-wide trailer.
This is my big shot.
I want to have a house for my wife and kids.
I want to be able to provide for them and not have to worry whether we're gonna be able to to have lights or food or whatever when I get back home.
What I'm hearing and your experience and so forth, it sounds like you're kind of what we're looking for.
I got this.
Whatever we gotta do, let's do it.
I might be new, and I might be a rookie, but when I leave here, everybody's gonna know who the hell Porkchop is.
See you guys later.
See ya.
You can't stop the chop.
As a new hire Porkchop won't be let loose with a piece of the oil rig.
Instead, he'll be tested with a load of pipe under the watchful eye of driver-trainer Phil Kromm.
Phil Kromm.
When a driver comes to us, regardless of how much experience they have anywhere else in the world, they're a rookie all over again here in Alaska.
I'm working my ass off right now.
You're going the wrong way.
It's going down.
Is it? Yeah.
Son of a bitch.
I was going the wrong way.
That's the mistake you make sometimes.
Can't figure out which direction it's going when there's an arrow right on the side of the trailer.
Porkchop's definitely off to a rough start this morning.
While Porkchop struggles, 1,900 miles to the South, in Montana Word of big money on the Dalton has reached a local legend.
We're, uh, headed up to get a load of logs.
This is my last load.
I'm gonna head out of here.
I'm headed for Alaska.
I'm gonna show 'em I've got what it takes to move anything they've got to move.
Rocky Mountain log hauler Darrell ward has tackled every challenge the lower 48 has to offer.
I am the best there is.
I am the best there is.
I mean, I've got 31 years in.
I mean, I've got 31 years in.
I've hauled the logs out of the Rocky Mountains.
I've built the pipelines across this country.
I've worked in the oil fields of North Dakota.
All right, back at it.
Every company I've worked for, I've been the top dog.
I always am the top load.
I'm always the top position.
There's nobody better.
For Darrell, the move to Alaska means a shot at big money.
It's an opportunity of a lifetime.
And a new beginning.
You know, go take on this new adventure.
And I've got the freedom to do it.
I spent 21 years married and gone through a divorce in the last year and a half, and I have a son, Reno.
I'm very proud of him.
He's a senior in high school.
Loves the same thing I do-- fishing, dirt bikes.
We spend a lot of time together.
I'll be gone for a couple months.
Wish me luck.
All right, love you.
Love you too.
It's time to make the money so that I can do things that we enjoy doing.
I'm off to Fairbanks.
I'm ready for it.
I hope they're ready for me.
At the Carlile office in Fairbanks Cold out here, that's for sure.
About 35 below this morning.
Montana legend Darrell Ward is the latest driver hoping to join the ranks of the ice road truckers.
Been driving for 31 years.
Rocky mountain log hauler.
Good, we've typically, uh, found that guys from Montana are pretty good to-- pretty good fit.
Yep, log haulers are the best drivers there is.
And they said that you were gonna put me on somebody to train them? Uh, no.
But I mean, your trainer's supposed to ride with me or something.
Yeah, the first trip is a ride-along.
Maybe do a little driving on the way back.
Oh, man, don't do that to me.
I understand your enthusiasm, but I gotta leave that up to my trainers to see how you do, and then we'll go from there.
All right.
Okay? All right, well, I'll be ready to move up next week.
Thanks.
Probably take a little longer than that.
All right.
Sometimes you get a guy that's just arrogant, cocky.
Uh, comes in, tells you how he's gonna do it, when he's gonna do it, and why he's gonna do it.
And after last year with Dave, I'll be paying really close attention.
Last season, Lane took a chance on another Dalton fortune seeker.
I can't even turn into a fucking parking lot without you over there.
And it didn't go well.
Think your attitude might have something to do with it? I have not had one fucking bit of fucking attitude.
Are you gonna even let me say anything here, Mr.
Attitude? Today I get an oversized load the first load.
Trainer Tony Moleski is bracing for another cocky newcomer.
Check my fifth wheel, make sure-- make sure it's latched.
Do you do that every time? Every time.
I got a trainer that doesn't have the experience that I've got.
So I'm gonna be training one of their trainers for 'em for a while.
You know, maybe I'll take his job.
While Darrell hits the road Hugh and Rick's mission to rescue two stranded trailers I'm in the ditch.
Is now a mission to rescue Hugh.
Holy shit.
That's not a good one.
I didn't make the corner.
I don't want to mention this or anything, but, uh, that is Hugh "The Polar Bear" Rowland's truck that is in the fucking ditch.
I'm just usually the first one that does it.
This is just another obstacle when you're, uh, bobtailing in the fucking ice roads.
The plan is simple.
Chain up then jerk Polar Bear and his rig right out of the rough.
Let's get 'er done.
Hang on! Come on! So far, Rick's plan is making things worse, as the just sinks deeper.
I got you, big bear.
I got you.
Holy fuck.
That's a nightmare.
With the chain busted, they're down to their last tow strap.
This is fucked.
One more.
We're out.
We always get 'er done.
That's the one thing we do do.
He probably pulled me probably ten times.
But he got me out.
The fucking show to the rescue.
Rescue.
I don't get to gloat very often, but I saved Hughy.
Only halfway to the stranded trailers All in a day's job, I guess, huh? Hugh's big-money gamble is looking like a long shot.
Alex Debogorski is frozen on the notorious Dempster.
Oil pressure, brake, air, fuel.
Hundreds of miles from civilization If Alex can't get going His first trip could be his last.
I don't have any regen lights coming on.
Okay, we'll see what happens.
Everything's working.
Guess I didn't have my hat on.
That's what the problem was.
Got a little bit spooky.
Alex is back underway, but his biggest challenge is still ahead.
The next exciting spot is gonna be the river crossing.
Back-to-back ice crossings on the peel and Mackenzie rivers.
I'm gonna roll down the ice here and have a look at it.
Well, I'm on the Peel river.
Just taking a look at the ice here.
Can't really tell the difference between the ice and the road.
I don't know how deep it is, and I don't want to find out.
Let's go and do it.
Alex heads onto the river, hoping the ice is thick enough to keep him out of the current below.
Generally, you go on the ice, you take your seatbelt off.
It's not a good idea to be out on the ice with a seatbelt on.
Unless you're trying to make yourself easier to be found at the bottom of the river.
- Coming up - Already starting to have problems.
Whoa.
Easy, easy, easy! - In the Northwest Territories - I don't see any water.
Good thing.
Alex Debogorski braves the shifting ice.
Whoa, boy.
I can hear some cracking.
Cracks on the surface can cause a trapdoor effect in the ice That will swallow a truck whole and bury the driver in a watery grave.
Oh, no.
This is really, really bad.
A crack running along the road beside me.
As the ice splits alongside his wheels Come on, baby.
You can do it.
Whoa.
Alex finally reaches the safety of solid ground.
No problem-o.
Worked out fine, we got across.
Next stop, Inuvik.
Well, it's 2:15.
Hopefully we can be to Coldfoot, you know, by a little after dinnertime.
Haul road rookie Austin Wheeler is headed north with a 40,000-pound piece of the oil rig.
Well, I'm really excited.
This is my first haul up the road, and I'd really like to get up to Prudhoe Bay, drop this load off, and then head back tomorrow, if I can, to grab another one and head back up.
And just up the road is 12-year veteran Jack Jessee.
Well, with this load that I've got, it's got a lot of challenges to go with it.
You know, it's long, for one.
It's tall.
It leans to the left right now.
I'm gonna have to take it a little more easy.
Make sure it, uh, you know, more or less just doesn't turn over.
Hauling a valuable trip of the season, Jack's playing it safe.
Well, if the day continues on like this, you know, it could easily turn a two-day trip into a three-day trip.
But the veteran's cautious pace is too slow for the impatient rookie.
I'm convoying with who is supposedly the ace of the haul road, but it doesn't seem like that today.
Kinda sucks.
It makes me not want to convoy anymore.
Okay, you can slow up a hair more.
Dalton rookie Ronald "Porkchop" Mangum is out to prove himself to trainer Phil Kromm.
Slow up a little bit for this corner coming up.
Yes, sir.
No need to kiss my ass.
Just drive.
Yes, sir.
And now he's about to face off with one of the haul road's toughest obstacles.
We're headed for the roller coaster.
This is your first big test.
There's definitely been trucks taken out on this hill.
The roller coaster is one of the most severe drops on the Dalton, and the steep grade changes require precision gear shifting.
Just a little nervous about it.
Oh, lordy, have mercy.
Go ahead and drop one gear and just roll on through.
Holy fucking shit.
Just take it easy a little bit here.
Don't lug her down too far getting out of here.
I got it.
You're grinding the gear a little bit there.
Just don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
There you go grinding the transmission again.
Get to doing it too much, and that just-- eventually, you're gonna lose the transmission.
Damn! Make sure you're on your side at a place like this.
That's far enough, pull over.
Man, that was intense.
Whoa, watch it, watch it! Move back to the center.
All right, you're done driving.
Pull over.
I've seen all I need to see.
I'm gonna drive the rest of the way.
I don't know what Phil's deal is, but if Phil's got a problem with me or what Phil thinks I'm doing wrong, you know what? Hey, I'm ready.
I'm not a steering wheel holder.
I'm a truck driver.
What I see in Porkchop is an average driver.
We're not looking for average drivers.
My responsibilities as a trainer are to weed out the undesirables.
of Fairbanks, Alaska I'm not making you nervous over here, am I? No.
Staring at your gauges.
No, my gauges are all good.
Cocky Montana legend Darrell Ward is auditioning for a new life in Alaska.
Yeah, so you really don't have much more ties as soon as your son graduates down there then.
Yeah.
So is that why you decided to come to Alaska? It's a perfect life for me.
I can come up here and spend, you know, six months out of the year up here and six months out of the year down there.
Something like that, you know.
Yeah.
So far, Darrell's had a smooth ride.
But on the haul road, anything that can go wrong Looks like we're having light issues.
Will.
Ugh.
Got a breaker, don't I? You got backup lights? I don't have load lights either.
Wow.
Yeah, you got nothing.
You got nothing.
This ain't good.
Hold up.
I'm gonna jump out here and take a look at the fuse box and see if I can see what's going on.
Stopped in the road with no lights I have no cargo lights or anything.
The 35,000-pound truck is a deadly, invisible road block for oncoming traffic.
There it is.
Yeah, I got a blown fuse.
Are you gonna try a different fuse in there? I don't have a panel on this, so it doesn't give me what's what.
I'm gonna trade it with these right here.
Try it.
There you go.
You got it.
Right on, we got light.
All right, cool.
I'm the best motherfucker out here.
That's cool for you to have that opinion, you know.
But I will guarantee you, if you say that too much, it's going to bite you.
the Montana log hauler pulls into Prudhoe Bay and racks up his first load of the season.
I'm ready to hit the road again in the morning, run the truck by myself, you know.
I'm good to go.
I'm ready.
He's a very confident driver, but, uh, we've only got half the trip done.
You know, things could change tomorrow.
We'll see how it goes.
While Darrell wraps up, across the yard, another rookie arrives in the passenger's seat.
I don't know about this Porkchop guy.
I'm not sure he's gonna make it up here.
And 450 miles to the east Alex survived his first run on the deadly Dempster, bringing food to Inuvik.
The truck has a few kinks in it, but, uh, got the load here, so I can't complain.
At the close of the first day of the haul road season, a rookie and veteran share the lead.
Okay.
Jack and Austin are slowly making their way up the Dalton with oversized rig loads.
You can see the snow blowing over the road, so that's a good indication that, you know, the wind's blowing pretty hard.
But, uh, nothing we can't handle.
All trip Jack's been playing it safe, but now mother nature's changing the game.
We're in a crunch.
We gotta get this done.
But we're already starting to have problems.
I got this wind I'm dealing with.
Wide open on one side Jack's load is catching the 60-mile-per-hour winds like a sail.
This load that I've got is leaning pretty hard to the left.
The wind's supposed to be blowing from the east, which means to the left.
And if that wind picks up, I mean, it could just lay this thing on its side.
Easy, easy.
Easy! Whoa.
Holy crap.
Jack's trailer just got hit by a gust of wind, and it reared up really bad.
I thought he was gonna tip over.
That was a hell of a gust there.
Whew.
Jack, you on here? Yeah, did you see that? Dude, that was crazy.
I swear I saw the right side of your trailer off the ground.
Yeah, I felt that one.
I felt that one big time.
Big time.
Hey, Jack, you know I was just letting you know.
It's a possibility.
I'm not sure Austin is really old enough to understand everything about the road up here.
You know, if that would've came off into the oncoming traffic with another vehicle there, somebody would probably be dead.
We're just gonna spend the night in Coldfoot, do it tomorrow.
Be safer that way.
With one close call and the weather getting worse by the minute Jack makes the call to shut down for the night.
God.
But the veteran's decision isn't sitting well with his impatient convoy partner.
I really wanted to get to Prudhoe Bay tonight.
Ain't no way we're getting over that pass.
I really don't want to stay here.
Well, you ain't got much choice.
I didn't think it was gonna be like this.
It's gonna take us forever.
I'd rather convoy with somebody that doesn't take their fucking sweet-ass time like this.
Somebody that wants to get work done and go up the road.
Austin may be gung-ho for it.
He may think that it's exciting to do this.
When you're young, you kind of feel invincible.
I'm not making any money sitting here.
It's very aggravating.
I've got seniority.
It's my call.
If he has a problem with it, he can just sleep on it.
They should name it Ice Road Truckers, the story of how Austin has to put up with Jack's bullshit.
This season on Ice Road Truckers Oh, fuck.
Wahoo! The dash for the cash has drivers our for blood.
- That's invading - Tried to get pushed around But as the ice road heats up I don't want to do this anymore.
Man and machine will break down.
showed up.
Bunch of fucking bullshit.
Holy fuck.