Ice Road Truckers (2007) s06e06 Episode Script

Tonight on Ice Road Truckers Come on, baby A battle of blood, sweat and gears.
This is heavy-hauling right here.
As the biggest loads What the fuck! and baddest drivers collide on the ice.
- But only one - In the end, I'm gonna be on top.
Can be the best.
Can I go now? Look out.
Easy, easy.
- And with tensions at the breaking point - Nothing today.
A veteran walks away.
I've had it.
I'm outta here, man.
- In the Manitoba back country - I've gotta figure out a way to get that fucking saddle tank fixed up.
Hugh Rowland and Rick Yemm are only 50 miles from their delivery point in Red Sucker Lake.
That enough? Ah, you gotta go around the other side there, Hugh.
But a loose fuel tank has them racing to make roadside repairs.
Come on, get in there.
You get her in there, Rick? Got her in.
Yesterday, they gambled on a high-paying load of 20-ton cement trucks.
Heaviest load of the year.
Hope we don't go through the fucking ice.
But so far, their only deposit is in the snowbank.
All right.
Whoa! - And in the light of day-- - Good? No, we gotta pull it.
A toe strap and elbow grease are all they've got to rig the busted tank.
Now this should hold her, man.
Thanks for the help.
It's all duct tape and haywire up here, man.
Do these runs, and get 'em done, and then hopefully it'll hold together until we get back to Winnipeg.
Two cement trucks.
Go ahead.
We need to check your weight.
This is fucked up.
We don't know what's gonna happen here.
We could get fucked up.
I hope not.
It turns out that we might not be going anywhere.
- 2,000 miles to the northwest - Fixing to walk in here to dispatch, and I want to come up here for a challenge.
I'm ready to go forward.
Ronald "Porkchop" Mangum is looking for another chance to run the Dalton.
I'm a truck driver.
I don't give a damn whether it's cow manure or whether it's nuclear waste.
Whatever I need to take to Prudhoe, I'll take it up there.
Just have to see what happens.
So far this season Son of a bitch.
His Alaskan experience has hit an all-time low.
I come up here to run the Dalton, and I'm hauling dog food around town.
What's up, Marky Mark? What's going on, Chop? And getting back on the Dalton is priority number one.
What you got for me? We need you to get up to Prudhoe for us.
So I'm going back on the Dalton? Yup, back on the haul road.
It's about time.
Just like I told everybody when I started this journey, you can't stop the Chop.
Appreciate it, buddy.
All right.
Should be a good trip.
You're gonna convoy with Darrell.
Seriously? That's the way it is.
And convoy partner Darrell Ward is just about to get the news.
I think you've got a load of, uh, VSMs going out of here today.
Uh, gonna run a little convoy with, uh, Porkchop.
Porkchop? I thought I was rolling solo.
Well, I'm just gonna have you run with, uh, Porkchop a little bit, have you lead the way.
What do-- What do yo-- How-- How do you-- How do you want me to handle Porkchop, you know? What do you want me to do with the poor guy? You know, maybe it'll-- He'll learn something different from you than he would from Tony.
I-I-you know, I respect what you have for experience, okay, Darrell? You know, if we can get out there and, uh, you know, help - the other guys now, that's-- That's a big plus, so-- - Sure.
Okay? I'll give you a hand.
I'll see what I can do with him.
Thanks, Darrell.
I appreciate it, man.
All right.
All right, you bet, Lane.
Have a good trip.
Yup, see you when I get back.
Okay.
Hey, Porkchop.
I guess we're running a convoy.
I'll take the lead, you bring up the tail end.
You know, I came up here the same time Porkchop did.
I don't think Porkchop's got what it takes.
I don't think he's gonna last up here.
You know, we're gonna be lucky if he doesn't put one over the edge.
Darrell talks big.
He comes up here, blaze of glory, he acts like he knows everything.
In the South, we don't have to let our words speak.
We let our actions speak.
In the end, I'm gonna be on top.
He'll be scratching his head, wondering what the hell just happened.
All right, wheels up.
You know, Porkchop's gonna slow me down, but that's what Carlile wants, that's what I'll give 'em.
- Back at the Carlile office - Gonna go to dispatch.
See what they got to go north with.
Austin Wheeler is looking for his second solo load of the season.
Hopefully it's something more challenging for me, like a-- Like a wide load, or a heavy load, or something cool like that.
Hey, Mark, what's up? Nothing.
What's going on, Austin? Just seeing if you have a load to go to Prudhoe with.
I have this cabin.
Like, live-in cabin? Like a live-in cabin.
Like a guy's house, and it's gotta be done tonight.
The guy is living in the cabin, so-- Lane just said, "hey, give this to Austin.
" Sweet.
All right, thanks, Mark.
All right, see ya.
The 22-foot long, assignment for any heavy hauler.
We got a pretty big move that Lane needs to get across town.
That's the kind of stuff I like to do.
Finally they're realizing what I'm made of.
And a major test for the 23-year-old.
Lane's given me this job because he has confidence in me.
I can't screw this up, so, uh, I'll definitely be on my "A" game.
While Austin gears up for the big move Just pulling into Carlile.
Lane better have something good for me today.
I kind of wanna get out of here fast.
Jack Jessee's also looking for a top-dollar load.
So what do we got today, Mark? Um, we got this, uh, water truck.
What is this? Austin with a cabin? Why is he doing it? That's boss's orders.
Lane told me to give Austin the cabin.
Just trying to move freight.
You know how it goes.
Don't be pissed at me, man.
I'm just-- I'm just the messenger.
All right.
Jack's a little bit pissed off.
He's seen that Austin got an oversize load, and he probably feels a little bit threatened.
We're way too busy to be-- be, uh, always catering to one driver or another.
Today's load is a one-two punch to the veteran.
I think he's trying to do too much too fast.
Not only were his concerns about Austin ignored Maybe you better go out and take your load, and I'll worry about getting Austin up the road.
He was also passed over for the heavy haul cabin.
Right now, I'm not happy with the way things are going.
You take care of your veterans.
You make sure they've got the work that they want to do because those are the ones that are gonna get you out of the pinch when you get into it.
Let's get this show on the road.
I don't get paid to sit here, regardless of what I'm hauling.
- Coming up - Oh! Drivers fight for control.
Stop, stop! - On the remote Dempster highway - Yeah, we're going.
Alex Debogorski is racing south.
I'm coming up on Klondike Corner, mile zero of the Dempster highway.
I'm hoping to meet a truck here.
Basically gonna switch with him, give him an empty trailer, and take a loaded trailer of groceries.
He's on a mission to pick up another load of supplies for the remote communities of northern Canada.
The road's been closed for two or three days now, and we're on our way to make use of that little bit of open road.
- But for nearly a week - Oh, the gate's closed.
Alex's mission has been put on hold by a violent storm that shut down the road.
You've gotta be kidding me.
Now the road is open and Alex needs to take advantage of every second.
It's been a tough season this year that the roads are closed as much as they're open.
They might even be closed more than they're open, so that makes for a tough season.
Alex arrives at the meeting point but the load isn't there.
I'm at Klondike Corners, and the load I'm supposed to pick up isn't here yet.
It's not good.
Manitoulin with switch for Klondike Corner, you copy? Manitoulin with switch for Klondike Corner, you copy? Every second Alex waits for the load is time he should be running up the Dempster.
Weather forecast for the Northern Yukon region, winds east-southeast, gusts up to 90 kilometers per hour.
Heavy snowfall in the evening, expected to accumulate up to 3 feet.
I'm still waiting, and it just really stresses me out.
Well, looks like my friend is here.
Good day, sir.
Hello.
Three hours later, the load of groceries arrives The rush is on.
But with a storm on the way, there's no time to lose.
I'm makin' a quick run up the Dempster.
It's gonna be the fastest one ever.
The weather is nice here.
I have no idea what the weather's gonna be like a few hundred kilometers down the road.
In the north, weather can change in the snap of the fingers.
- 300 miles to the west - I'm here to make the money, I'm here to get the loads, but I just gotta take her easy, especially when you've got a rookie behind you that doesn't know the road.
Darrell Ward is convoying with Porkchop.
Don't really like it.
Darrell's a hot rod, and he's already got one citation.
And only 30 miles out of town, they're not making good time.
When we get up here, I'm gonna pull over for just a second.
On his return to the haul road, Porkchop's playing it safe.
This is my shot to redeem myself.
I'm not gonna make bad decisions.
I'm out here to be safe and do my job.
- And Darrell - Fucking amazing.
Is forced to wait.
Well, I'll sit here and wait for him like I told him I would, waste more time.
You want it in a "G" note all the time.
Can I go now? While the newcomers sit on the side of the road Oh, oh, we got a Porkchop here.
I don't know what they're doing, but I'm gonna get ahead of 'em.
As far as the other guys, I think they're all kind of gunning for my position, my experience.
I think Darrell's the only one that's got a chance to achieve it.
It just hasn't clicked for Porkchop yet.
It will click for him eventually, I think, but he's not a haul road driver.
Finally.
Let's truck it up.
Porkchop's ready to roll out.
All right, Porkchop, ready to roll? All right.
I don't know what goes on back there.
I'm always stopping and waiting on him.
I'm after the load count, and this ain't working for me.
Fucking pisses me off.
I mean, there's a deadline on the time that you have to make this round.
You know? At this rate, it ain't gonna happen.
This is my shot to come back.
Just gotta take it easy and do what we gotta do.
You can't soar like an eagle when you run around with turkeys.
- 2,000 miles to the southeast This fucking bites shit, man.
Hugh and Rick just found out their 20-ton cement trucks are too heavy for the road.
It was the wrong road to begin with.
I think someone just didn't calculate the weight and the-- and the journey.
It's gonna be tricky, getting these cement trucks into Red Sucker Lake.
Not sure what some of the weight restrictions are quite yet.
Mark dropped the ball.
He didn't really think about it.
That's Mark's job.
Now a miscalculation has put an end to the lucrative haul.
'Cause chief and council, you know, they want you guys here, they just don't want any problems, that's all.
Do whatever we gotta do, that's what I say.
Yup.
Let's go.
And with the cement trucks over the legal limit They're forced to abandon the loads and head back to Winnipeg.
Good.
That'll work.
Unfortunately, chief and council, I have to walk ya.
Adding insult to injury Hugh and Rick are escorted out of town.
We're getting a fucking police escort out of town here because, uh, we hauled them loads up, and they were too heavy in the first place.
This'll make sure that we're actually leaving them loads there.
So we gotta start watching our "P"s and "Q"s here, or we're gonna-- We're gonna end up in jail.
they reach the edge of town.
There's two more loads sitting where they're not supposed to be.
- This trip has been a complete loss - Adios, fuckers.
And the ticked off truckers hammer down.
It just kinda seems fitting with the year, it's been a fucking fight.
Manitoba ice road trucking.
Ouch.
Oh, yeah.
Fuck! Ah! Aw, you kidding me! Mr.
Rowland? You got a copy? Ah, you got a copy? - Coming up - Come on, baby.
The Dempster cuts down a legend.
- On a remote stretch of Manitoba's winter roads - Mr.
Rowland? You got a copy? Rick Yemm is stuck in a snowbank.
Ah, you got a copy? Hugh's out of reach, and help could be days away.
Oh, God.
Oh.
Rick's only hope is a passing motorist who is kind enough to lend a hand.
Get me outta here.
We didn't have enough room right here, so I fucking took the snowbank.
I couldn't stop.
Whenever you're ready there.
With a boost from the pickup Rick's back on the road.
Now I did it all.
Let's go.
Just with everything being chaotic with the loads that we've dealt with so far, let's just say, she's been eventful for fucking ice road trucking season this year.
- 1,600 miles to the northwest - Well, it's snowing.
The road's all white.
Can't see the shoulders, hardly.
Alex is 200 miles up the Dempster with a load of - groceries for Inuvik - Building ice on the wipers.
And he's racing north before the gathering storm shuts down the road.
Snow dust all over the place, blinding snow dust.
Shoulders are hard to see because it's very gray, so it's kind of a whiteout.
Ooh.
Stay on the road.
I feel that shoulder pulling me there a little bit.
- But as conditions get worse - Yes, sir, I want to put chains on.
The veteran throws on iron to battle the building snow.
Okay.
But the deep drifts are giving him a run for his money.
Sure didn't slip into gear very nice there.
And one of the Dempster's toughest climbs is just up ahead.
Ah.
Weighed down with 17 tons of groceries, Alex is struggling to get traction, even with a set of chains.
That's it, can't do it.
What's going on right now, I spun out.
For whatever reason, I can't climb up this hill, so I expect I'm a little too heavy in the back end, which means we need another set of chains on here, which is not nice.
Adding another set is the veteran's only move.
See if we can make this pain in the ass work.
Okay.
Okay.
Chained to the max, the grizzled veteran gives it everything he's got.
Oh, lord, give me a hand.
Give me a little push.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Okay, baby.
You got no choice now.
I'll have this road so chewed up, nobody'll be able to use it.
Come on, baby.
Hoo.
Chewed all the way up.
Well, thank you, lord.
Alex is underway.
Finally, I made my way up.
What a rush, man.
But the storm is growing, and Inuvik is still 200 miles away.
Jeez.
Well, we're not done yet.
- 450 miles to the west - We're 22-feet wide, man.
Austin Wheeler preps for his biggest assignment of the season.
Lane sent me out here to do this 'cause, uh, this is the widest load of the season, for sure.
But the newbie's first challenge is just getting it loaded.
We're gonna lift the cabin with this front-end loader.
This front-end loader lifts 20,000 pounds.
So we just want to go 3 inches at a time and just slowly work our way up like a ladder.
A mistake here could end Austin's heavy haul mission before it starts.
We got to make sure it's balanced.
'Cause of the weight of the front awning here, it could tip right off there if it's too heavy.
Everybody clear? There we go.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up.
Okay.
That extra weight on that prow just shifted forward a little bit.
The cabin is teetering on the forklifts.
You're good by 1/8 of an inch.
No doubt.
And the rookie's margin for error Is razor thin.
Okay, let's take it up a little bit.
Just watch this here.
Hang on.
Straight up.
Cut-- cut it.
That's good.
Watch that.
Got two on the front, two on the back.
It's good for 20,000.
Well, we finally got this cabin loaded up safely, and it's tied down.
I definitely want to deliver it in the way we picked it up.
But for the 23-year-old, the hard part is just beginning.
He'll have to navigate the city's narrow streets, avoiding vehicles and low-hanging signs.
This is gonna be a cool night move.
While the new heavy hauler gets underway It's not really anger, it's just-- It's frustration, man.
Haul road ace Jack Jessee's still stewing over Austin's choice assignment.
I show up and get a water truck, and Austin has a cabin? You know, and he just doesn't have a clue.
More experience and the exact load.
But the veteran can't afford to be distracted Look how slick that is.
Traction's gonna be an issue.
As he hits a slick stretch of road near Franklin Bluff.
Whoa, whoa.
This road is slick.
It's throwing that water truck around, and it's actually jerkin' me forward and back.
I'm sliding all over the road here, I gotta be extra careful, take my time through here.
This is the kind of spot you don't want to be in a truck.
This road is-- Man, it's getting close.
Easy, easy, easy! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! - Coming up - Howdy.
Rookies reach the breaking point.
I was just trying to play by the rules.
Not when you're after the load count.
- 40 miles South of Prudhoe Bay - This is the kind of spot you don't want to be in a truck.
Jack Jessee's battling a slick section of road with oncoming traffic.
Man, it's getting close.
Easy, easy! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop! God.
That got intense.
That was fucking real.
Wow.
Trailer just locked up and almost slid off the road.
Wow.
I could've brought the truck to a complete stop, and that trailer could've just kept going, and then it would've drug me down and flopped everything over, so that ain't good.
By the time Jack reaches Prudhoe Bay I don't know if I could've-- If I could've handled much more.
The close call still has him shaken.
If you don't take things serious around here, that's when you're gonna die.
This stuff damn near killed me tonight.
- 270 miles to the South - That damn chicken strip, or whatever they're calling him now.
Darrell and Porkchop are Porkchop.
My God, how could you go through life with everybody calling you P-- "Hey, Porkchop!" Fucking asshole.
And Porkchop's slow and careful pace has them less than halfway up the road.
"Yeah, I'm Porkchop.
Nothin' stops the Chop, except for Atigun Pass, Beaver Slide, any slick road, that's the only thing that stops the Chop.
" - Far behind - Seriously, he leave me? What the hell? Porkchop's struggling to keep pace with the Montana log hauler.
Darrell wants to blaze a trail and go on up ahead and be a hot rod, that's his business.
I'm not gonna go off in a ditch just to try to keep up with somebody.
He's supposed to be, you know, taking the lead on this.
You see who I can count on.
Man screws me up on my load count, trying to run with the-- the convoy.
A convoy only moves as fast as the slowest driver I guess I'm gonna go ahead and wait for him up here at Coldfoot.
And getting too far ahead means Darrell's forced to let Porkchop catch up.
He's long ways behind me.
Two hours later Porkchop pulls in.
I'm going to see what the story is.
And Darrell is looking for answers.
Huh, what took you so long? Hey, I thought we was going as a convoy.
I was just trying to play by the rules.
Yeah, all I was doing was looking at the hours that we have to make it from point "A" to point "B.
" You can always sit down wherever you're at.
Not when you're after the load count.
I'm out here to make money.
I have to make my loads on time.
I ain't out here to win a race, I'm out here for my kids man.
This is about being here and making a few dollars.
The only way I make any money is to get my loads delivered, get another one, get back.
Dragging our feet ain't working, so you know, that's the way it is.
Only halfway up the road, the day's driving hours are used up, so Prudhoe Bay will have to wait.
I've got a schedule to keep.
Now I'm stuck here in Coldfoot for the night.
I've had it.
He's cocky, and he's arrogant.
He's got to take it back a couple notches and understand he needs to slow down.
I run my speed.
I would say I'm playing it by the book.
- 250 miles to the South - This is heavy hauling right here.
Austin Wheeler's being put to the test after Carlile bosses picked the 23-year-old to take on an oversize cabin.
You know, we're 22-feet wide.
Even things on the side of the road you gotta watch out for.
On a road like this, there's a lot of private drivers A lot of people trying to go home.
You got on-ramps where you can't see traffic.
We take up the whole road, and I mean the whole road.
The oversize load turns the city streets into a hazard-filled obstacle course Where Austin has nothing to rely on but his skill and the eyes of his pilot car drivers.
Can we weave through these lights? I would straddle the peak on that.
We gotta be careful when we're going under these streetlights.
They hang low, so we want to try to catch 'em in the middle.
Okay.
As far left as you can possibly get without catching that sign, I guess.
I'm gonna go under it real slow.
You're pretty close to that sign.
Steady-- stop, stop, oh! - Coming up - I am looking for a load.
The end of the line.
There'll be something here for you tomorrow.
Don't bother, and you can tell that to Lane.
- Just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska - As far left as you can possibly get without catching that sign, I guess.
The biggest challenge of Austin's season You're pretty close to that sign.
Hits a bump in the road.
Steady-- stop, stop, oh! Yeah, you hit the street sign there.
Oh, man, didn't even see it.
Yeah, you lost a little plastic gutter.
Oh, boy.
Definitely a tricky haul.
With the cabin already damaged, there's no more room for error.
We're about to go under an overpass, and it's real close to the ground.
And a mistake here could destroy the cabin, shut down the road, and end Austin's heavy-haul dreams.
This is gonna be rough.
I'm just gonna drive under it real slow.
Holy fuck, that's really close.
Yeah, that one was definitely close.
Clear of the overpass, Austin's made it to the delivery site.
Well, we're right here to our destination.
Uh, I'm gonna go in here and look at it.
And Carlile boss Lane Keator and the cabin's owner are on hand to see if Austin passed the test.
Good? Think that's about it.
Uh, let me-- Let's go up here and look at this.
This is--this is the only part I was worried about.
Look up there.
Oh, yeah.
Just separated it.
Yup, that's all it-- That's all it did right there, so that's good.
Just separated just a little bit, and the sign didn't even break, so I was totally stoked about that.
The damage is nothing more than a disconnected drain pipe.
Here's the keys to your house, safely in the hole where you wanted it.
I appreciate you bringing it all the way to the North Pole.
No problem.
I'm glad you're happy with it.
And Austin's earned another notch in his heavy-haul belt.
It's just a little test, and, uh, Austin did a good job.
It's gonna bode well for him in the future here at Carlile.
- 280 miles to the north - It only takes about a couple minutes.
After a night in Coldfoot Darrell and Porkchop are back on the road, chaining up before climbing Atigun Pass.
I'm outta here, man.
Rock and roll.
But while the Montana log hauler is ready to go I threw that set the wrong way.
Son of a bitch.
Porkchop's still going at his own pace.
Freezing here.
I'm from the South.
This is the second set I've ever had to sling.
Well, I guess I'm gonna let Porkchop catch up with me over on the chain-removal area.
Oh, I don't think Porkchop's thrown chains that much.
The only way you're gonna learn is jump in and do it yourself.
There we go.
I had to sling some iron on the truck.
Let's hope for the best, but we'll expect the worst.
As Porkchop's just getting started Aggravating.
Darrell's already made it over the pass.
There's 30 minutes out of the day gone.
I need to get on up the road.
Oh, here comes Porkchop.
Just delays me.
We made it to the bottom, baby.
That's all that matters.
Ready to roll? I'm going slow and steady.
Just like the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race, baby.
I'm kinda supposed to take him under my wing a little bit and help him out, but I get annoyed with fucking stupidity.
This really sucks.
I gotta run by myself if I'm gonna make any money.
Darrell and Porkchop are still 200 miles from Prudhoe Bay.
But over on the Dempster We made it in one piece, and it looks like we've made it on time.
Alex is pulling into Inuvik after driving through the night.
I got a load in Dawson City, rushed it up here to Inuvik.
You know, I ran-- I ran it pretty hard this trip, and I guess I'm gonna go and wash my laundry.
Back on track Alex racks up another load, and with Darrell stuck in a convoy, the haul road ace pulls into the lead.
- In Fairbanks - I've done my share this year for the company.
You know, they've asked a lot, and I haven't complained, and I've given them everything they wanted.
Now it's my turn.
Jack Jessee's back for another run up the Dalton.
- Morning, Mark.
- What's going on, Jack? I am looking for a load.
Everything that I got dispatched is already getting ready to go, and I don't have any.
You got nothing? Nothing today.
Austin's working, isn't he? Yeah, I've already dispatched out what I've-- What I had earlier.
So what, I just sit in town all day? Don't make any money? I can't do anything about not having freight.
There'll be something here for you tomorrow.
You know, if you guys can't even take care of me around here like this, don't bother, and you can tell that to Lane.
Jack! Jack! You know, I do my part this year, and I can't get a favor.
It's just-- I don't even know why I showed up.
Where you gonna go? Somewhere I can work.
It's a waste of fuel to come in here.
Next time on Ice Road Truckers I don't know what's up with Jack right now.
With the haul road ace MIA.
Watch out, Jack Jessee.
I've got your number.
Everyone's gunning for the top spot.
Dig, bitch! Get off my ass! My nice guy level is running out.
- On the Dempster - 15,000 pounds overweight.
Alex pushes the limit There's always a possibility of breaking the ice and going through.
- And on the winter roads - They stopped us, they threatened to arrest us.
Somebody pissed somebody off.
Fucking bunch of shit.
Bullshit.
Complete meltdown.
Yeah, make sure nobody goes in there.
We're in lockdown.