Ice Road Truckers (2007) s07e04 Episode Script
Ice Rodeo
Male narrator: Tonight on Ice Road Truckers VP Express tries to crush the competition This is our strip.
Narrator: but the winter roads We got to get the fuck out of dodge before I freeze to death.
Narrator: show no mercy.
This is ridiculous.
I'm working for fucking clowns.
I'm tired of the fucking around, and I'm gonna do it myself.
Narrator: And at Polar Industries Whoa! This thing's about to go off the edge.
Narrator: it's go big Yeah! Narrator: or go home.
Whoa! Holy shit! [Rock music.]
Narrator: In the war to take over the winter roads Let's go! We gotta get rolling here! Narrator: Polar Industries has taken a narrow lead.
[Horn honks.]
Narrator: But 650 miles north We're gonna make some good time today by the look of this first stretch of road here.
And so we're gonna give her a shot.
Narrator: VP Express boss Hugh Rowland is looking to settle the score.
Everything's been going pretty smooth this morning.
We're just gonna kind of see how it goes.
This is our strip.
We'll show them that I can really handle this, eh? Hopefully we're gonna do well and things will be fine.
Narrator: And now that Hugh's got his employees working together, they need to race back to Winnipeg to keep pace with Polar.
Yeah, well, I mean, we all got these-- we got Wasagamack tied up, because they like us.
We've been doing what they want done, and we're doing it as they want it done.
[Truck clangs, hisses.]
Something's not right.
I'm blowing cold air all of a sudden.
We have no-- no heat.
I don't know what the fuck's going on here.
Narrator: At 40 below, with no heater, the temperature in Hugh's cab plummets with every mile.
Something's happened.
We're gonna have to dress up warm for the trip home.
Well, that sucks.
I think this morning it was 38 below, eh? It's always below, eh? Lots of old steam coming out of them stacks up there this morning, bud, look.
Means it's fucking cold out.
[Engine sputtering.]
Something's fucking going on.
Narrator: But the boss isn't the only one feeling the wrath of the winter road.
The truck seems to be losing power.
I don't fucking understand this.
Fucking truck.
Yeah, we got to stop.
Everybody's got to stop.
I'm not stopping.
I don't have no heater in here, so-- and my drinking water's all frozen in a block of ice.
We got to get the fuck out of dodge before I freeze to death.
Narrator: While Hugh races to Winnipeg Well, the old crow's nest is fucking with me again.
Art's stuck with a broken down rig for the second time this season.
Art there, he's broke down.
The weather temperature that we're in now, it's not looking very good.
Started losing power, losing power, losing power, and she froze right up solid.
And hopefully we're gonna get her started.
Let's go try her.
Fuck it.
Tell me when you got the key on.
- You ready? - Yeah.
[Engine stalling.]
Well, fuck, that's no good.
Did it light up? - Not a fucking lick.
- No? We definitely got a short in the truck.
Popped some fuses besides, the batteries are absolutely dead in the water.
There's not a bit of juice in any battery.
We're gonna leave it right where it's at, we're gonna load in my truck, and we're gonna head for home.
We're gonna get the hell off this ice road so we can get-- we can get some food in our bellies and get warmed up and get out of here.
I'm not into leaving my truck behind.
See, it's a fucked up situation, and the whole fucking thing sucks, but-- but the bottom line is, is no, we don't want to sacrifice, you know, I don't anybody getting hurt out here or anything-- anybody's lives in jeopardy over a frickin' broke down truck.
- You can go if you want.
- Well, you know what? I'm lookin' out for my best interests and yours also, you know? I don't want anything to happen to you out here by yourself, when I'm gone.
Okay, okay, okay, here's the deal.
Let's fucking off then.
Let's leave.
All right.
- We're out of here.
- All right, good.
Narrator: Art's second run comes to an end, and now he's being hauled off the winter roads with his future at VP Express still in doubt.
Well, buddy, this is the truth, and right from the fucking heart.
I didn't want to leave that fucking truck there.
I know you didn't.
I know you didn't, Art.
Not a fucking bit of it.
Narrator: 120 miles west lies the newly open road to Oxford House.
Packed with tight corners, fresh ice crossings, and narrow passageways.
The remote trail is a threat to even the most skilled drivers.
_ I'm taking this grader to Oxford House right now, and they need it to smooth this road out.
Narrator: Polar driver Lisa Kelly is the first to brave the rugged road, hauling her heaviest load yet, a 15-ton grader.
The wing blade on the side of the grader is 10, 15 feet, maybe, long, and I think it's swinging around.
Definitely gonna have to keep an eye on it.
Oh, my gosh.
This is a narrow bridge.
I am not so sure this is gonna fit.
Narrator: The grader and blade are wider than the bridge.
If Lisa tries to cross, she could damage the load, destroy the bridge, or end up stranded in the wilderness.
I'm gonna have to pull over here.
For sure.
And now I'm looking, and that blade's hanging out pretty far.
I'm gonna have to do something, so I can get-- fit through the bridge, 'cause this is a very wide load, and my dimensions keep changing every time that thing swings around.
So I'd like to be as narrow as possible.
I'm gonna try to tie this blade back, so I can fit across the bridge.
There's no way around it, otherwise I'm just gonna take that wing blade and just scrape it all the way down the girders of the bridge.
Plan "B," really hard work.
My goal is to try to pin it back to something without destroying it, and if you leave slack in the chain, which there's most definitely gonna be, 'cause I'm weak, it'll snap the chain, and I only have one chain.
[Grunts.]
Yay, now I just need a lasso.
I don't know how I'm gonna reach it.
It's not-- it's totally not gonna work.
It works in the movies, right? [Grunts.]
Yeah! I rock! First try.
[Laughing.]
I hit it perfect! I'm gonna have to, like, run it over this thing and through here and over to the other side in order to really get it tightened down.
Ow.
Fucking hit me in the face.
I'm gonna fall on my ass.
That's awesome.
See if I'm gonna fit across the bridge now.
Tallyho, toodle-oo.
Narrator: Lisa's fix shaved a few feet off the load, but until she goes across there's no way to know if it'll be enough, or if the chain will hold.
It's still just crappy.
Oh, it's moving so much.
Okay, here's the bridge.
I'm just gonna go slow right here, because I want to make sure that I fit.
First, we're gonna test this out here.
I got plenty on this side, and[Muttering.]
[Bridge groaning, creaking.]
Not bad.
So I made it across the bridge, but I would not have made it across the bridge if I would've not have tied it down like that.
For sure.
I think we pulled about five, six feet off our width.
Really glad I did, because if I tried to get up to that bridge and cross it, without ch-- without seeing that blade, I could've taken out, like, a whole side of the bridge.
Narrator: While Lisa heads into unknown country of Norway House, VP Express drivers Todd Dewey and Art Burke are off the winter road.
He wants me to get rolling, get back on the road, and get back, so it looks like, uh, probably gonna end up having to just leave you here until Vlad shows up.
Narrator: And boss Vlad Pleskot is on his way to help Art's truck running.
Hopefully you'll get your truck rolling today, and you'll - be right behind me, so [Laughs.]
- Yes, bud, we'll see you in Winnipeg, eh? Okay, Art.
See you.
Narrator: Todd drives back to headquarters while Art waits for the the Mad Russian.
[Cell phone rings.]
Yes, bud.
Okay.
Vlad couldn't make it to the parking lot.
He's down at the end of the ice road.
Couldn't come here.
There's a big parking lot out there you can land a fucking plane in, but Vlad, he's down there parked at the end of the fucking ice road about 3/4 of a mile away, so I got to take my gear now and walk down there because he can't turn the fucking truck around and come and get me.
So I don't have to tell you how impressed I am with this, so now I'm gonna have to hitchhike down the fucking road, eh? You call this ice road trucking? This a good company? Holy fuck.
Would anybody normal work for these people? Think about it.
He drove right by the Norway House, man, and didn't even stop to get me, knowing fucking well that's where I was.
Another prick move.
Look at the distance that fucking had to turn around, man.
Look at all the distance, look.
To turn this fucking truck around.
Instead we had to walk-- I had to walk fucking down here, eh? You tell me there's nothing wrong with this picture? Huh? This is ridiculous.
I'm working for clowns.
This is gonna be rough.
Narrator: - Coming up - Where the hell are we? Narrator: The ice road's full of surprises.
Holy shit! [Horn honks.]
Narrator: On the road back to VP Express I am physically and emotionally completely exhausted on this first trip here.
Narrator: Todd Dewey's only on his first trip with the new company, and he was left behind by the boss to deal with Art Burke's broken-down rig.
You know, we got a breakdown.
You know, I didn't want to leave the guy broke down.
He was with us and he, uh-- you know, I don't-- it kind of felt to me like he really didn't give a shit if we sat there for four days on the ice road by ourselves or not.
You know what? When you have an employee, or a couple guys you're running with, you know, breaking down on the ice road where it's 40 below, no heat, you know, low on food, you know, you don't just turn your back and say, "Well, good luck.
I'm taking my truck, and I'll see you guys whenever you get back.
" You know? That don't sit right with me.
I'm just not that type of person, you know.
Nobody's life is worth that broke-down truck sitting on the side of the ice road, so that's kind of a, you know, big, red flag, you know, waved in your face that, you know, you-- you might have a boss that, you know, really don't really give a rat's ass about you, you know.
All he wants to do is get his load delivered and make his money and whether or not you make it there or back is, you know, not his problem, and you know, so that tells me that when I'm up here, I'm gonna have to look out for myself, look out for my well-being, because obviously I'm not gonna have anybody there to help me or wait for me if something is to go down.
So that's kind of a little bit-- little bit shady, you know.
Makes a guy worry about his new job that, you know, maybe he's not cared for.
Supposed to look for each other out here on these roads.
Narrator: While VP Express is falling apart [Phone rings.]
back at Polar Industries Mark: Polar.
Narrator: owner Mark Kohaykewych keeps landing contracts.
Yeah, we can have four trucks there on Thursday.
Excellent.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
The way it's looking right now for Hugh, it's looking pretty desperate, pretty bad.
You know what? When we're rolling out of here full steam ahead and looking for more drivers and trucks, they're sitting there twiddling their thumbs.
Down the street at VP Express [Phone ringing.]
boss Hugh Rowland's just getting back to the office.
How'd you make out? Your-- your engine can't warm up, you can't get heat.
Narrator: And his truck is down for repairs.
Took out the seals on the engine fan, so we'll have to replace the engine fan.
Holy fuck.
Narrator: Hugh is losing time to get his new company ahead of Polar, and Art's truck is still stuck on the road.
Hey.
Hey, Huey.
- Fucking Art.
- What'd he do now? Last I heard that truck is-- it's pretty-- pretty pooched.
I don't know what the fuck he did to it, but I don't know what the hell we're gonna end up doing with it.
Fuck that guy.
That guy's nothing but a problem.
Just a friggin' nightmare, you know what I mean? Like, we got all this shit to haul.
We got loads to move, and I got that truck out there, and now we got Vlad with another truck up there, so I got two trucks out of the picture, and like, it's just it's-- it's crazy.
Fuck, half our company's up there because of Art.
Well, exactly.
Yeah, I think we're gonna have to let him go.
The sooner, the better.
He's not company material, as far as I'm concerned.
We're not running a training school here, we're running-- we're trying to run a business.
Narrator: While Hugh struggles to keep VP Express together, Polar keeps racking up loads.
Get it close to the shed.
Okay.
That was pretty easy.
Narrator: Darrell Ward is finishing a morning off-load All right, looks like maybe I found a backhoe.
Narrator: And he's gearing up to take on another one.
You know, I have my children, Terra graduating, Reno in college, and you know, I came out here.
I have to make some money.
I've got to get back home, and-- and put a life together that we can enjoy, and spend time together.
I'm unloaded.
Narrator: - To pick up the haul - Off to Pauingassi.
Get a mixer truck.
Narrator: Darrell's trailblazing another newly-opened road.
It's slick as fuck right here.
Oh, I got myself stuck, bigger than fuck! What the fuck? Son of a bitch.
How's that for a snow bank between me? There's a lot of times that you really have to be inventive to get yourself out of the predicament that you get yourself into.
Well, I'm gonna have to winch up around that tree.
See if it'll pull me sideways.
Narrator: Darrell's gonna use the winch to try and pull his truck out of the ditch.
Whoo! Little slick out here.
Holy fuck.
Deep-ass fucking snow too.
Fuck! [Grunts.]
I made it.
I made it! Hook to this fucking tree and winch myself back to the road.
All right, give that a try.
Oh, man, that's tough dragging that cable through the trees.
All right.
[Chain clanking.]
Oh, fuck.
[Tree creaking.]
All right.
Come on, mother.
Tight.
[Grunting.]
All right.
That worked.
Got me back on the road, anyway.
All right.
We'll see if we can get out of here now.
Long as I'm moving forward, I don't need to stop.
Narrator: With the dangers of a new road waiting ahead - 120 miles north - I am down the road on the way to Oxford House.
Narrator: Polar teammate Lisa Kelly also heads into unfamiliar territory with a 15-ton grader.
It's been a long trip.
It's been dragging on and on and on and on.
But that's okay, actually, because as long as I'm finding loads and taking 'em places, just dealing with things when they come.
I mean, this is my life, you know? This is what I do.
I'm here to work.
Narrator: To bring this load in for Polar, Lisa's hammering down.
It seems like the road is smoother, and I don't know if it's 'cause the snow filled in the chatter bumps.
I'm actually in high gear, which is amazing.
Ooh.
Whoa.
Holy shit! What the-- [Truck beeps.]
Oh, my gosh.
Is this an ice road? Narrator: - Coming up - This thing's about to go off the edge.
Narrator: Darrell's tipping point.
Whoa! Holy fuck! Narrator: In the Canadian wilderness, Lisa Kelly's trying to make good time on an unfamiliar road.
Whoa.
Holy shit! Narrator: But a sudden hill sent her What the-- [Truck beeps.]
Narrator: And it's landed her in the middle of a river.
Is this an ice road? Narrator: It's the last place a driver with a 15-ton haul wants to be.
Oh, yeah.
It's cracking.
Well, especially when I get close to the cracks.
Okay, that's kind of scary.
[Ice cracking.]
Really confusing, 'cause I couldn't see any-- [Ice cracks loudly.]
Oh, my God! It's supposed to make that noise, right? [Ice cracking.]
It's cracking like crazy.
Okay, it's really hard not to want to go really fast and get off it when it makes that much noise.
Narrator: Keeping the ice stable requires a slow and steady speed.
Oh, yeah, I'm getting off this lake right now.
Oh, yeah, I can't go fast.
[Ice cracking.]
Okay, so I'm clipping along at "10 kilometers," and it, like, drops off the bank and crosses this river, and then it's like, didn't even say, "ice crossing.
" Didn't anything.
There was no warning.
It was like, "go 90.
Go 10.
" Slamming on the breaks trying to get down to 10, slid all the way down the hill and practically all the way across the river.
It's like, "thanks for the warning.
" Narrator: While Lisa finds a surprise around every corner, [Horn honks.]
VP Express boss Vlad Pleskot has hauled struggling driver Art Burke to his broken-down rig, hoping to get it up and running.
Todd and I were trying it, and like Todd said, he says, "Even if we get it-- even if we get power through, it's not gonna work, because there was no lights or nothing in the God darn thing, right?" And that's where we left her, buddy.
Now the truck is dead, and we got to change the batteries, and who knows what else.
This is not an easy job.
It's-- it's a hard job, and you got to have the knowledge, and you got to have the experience to do that, and Art just doesn't have that.
Well, we're back at the site.
It's about 36 below, and mother, mother, is it cold, man.
So Vlad is here, and we're gonna see if we can't get this thing going.
Here, Vlad, buddy.
We're gonna try our best.
If we don't get it going, I'm not sure what the hell is going to happen then.
[Tool tapping on metal.]
It's that cold, when you pick up a wrench, you can feel it burning into your fingers.
I don't really think this is gonna happen tonight.
I hope it does, but I don't think it is, because even when we get her turning over, we're all froze up and everything, eh? It's not gonna go, eh? There's something haywire with the wiring.
It's just too many problems, I think.
Right now it's -45.
I'm tired, and I'm running low on hope.
He's been up too long, so we're gonna sleep in the truck for the night, eh? He's gonna get the bunk, and I'm gonna sleep in the passenger seat, I suppose.
Oh, well.
Happy days.
Tomorrow morning, we're gonna hopefully get this fucking thing going, and then we're gonna be on our way.
This is ice road truckin'.
Anybody that wants to get involved with this, I highly recommend you call your-- your psychiatrist, or your therapist, right off the bat.
[Laughs.]
Narrator: At the end of a newly opened road [Horn honks.]
Well, might as well go find out what's up.
Polar driver Darrell Ward arrives to pick up his first backhaul of the season.
Yeah, this looks like the right place.
- You must be-- - Kevin.
Kevin? Darrell, how you doin'? Good, good, and you? Not bad.
I guess that's what I'm haulin' back, huh? I don't know.
- We can't get her movin'.
- Can't get her movin'? Can't even-- we couldn't even budge it.
I don't know if the air brakes are locked on, or-- Oh, I'm sure they are.
I don't know a whole lot about it, so hopefully you do.
Narrator: The backhaul was supposed to be extra money for Darrell.
Seriously trying to start it? She ain't gonna fire.
Narrator: But the frozen 20-ton truck is more than he bargained for.
Not gonna get it running.
We can drag it.
All right, we'll hook up to her to the winch, and give it a pull.
Every backhaul's worth it, but this one is a fucking pain in the ass.
I could've been back to fucking Winnipeg and had another load out by the time these fucking idiots get their shit together.
[Backup alert beeping.]
If they wanted this thing hauled out of here, they should've had it ready to go.
Narrator: Determined to earn the paycheck, Darrell takes matters into his own hands.
All right, I'm gonna fucking winch that shit right out of there, is what I'm gonna do.
All right.
[Chain creaking.]
I never have to deal with this kind of shit in my normal job.
[Truck creaks.]
Narrator: The truck's free, but Darrell still needs a way to get that 20-ton of dead weight onto his trailer.
Where do we plan on loading this at? What do you got in mind? I got to have a loading ramp or something.
Yeah, we haven't got that far yet.
Okay.
Well, I don't know how we're gonna get it on here without a ramp.
Hopin' you'd come up with that idea.
Yeah.
[Sighs.]
These guys are fucking idiots.
Holy fuck.
Fucking three-ring circus around here.
I'm tired of the fucking around, and I'm gonna do it myself.
I'm gonna load this fucking truck on that trailer, and I'm gonna blade myself a fucking loading ramp, and I'm gonna winch that fucker on.
I'm gonna get 'er done, and I'm gonna get 'er done right now.
Narrator: Darrell's plan is to winch the massive cement truck onto his trailer with a ramp made of snow.
I'm gonna fucking winch it up on this trailer, and I'm gonna get the fuck out of here.
This far, I'm not stoppin' now.
Make sure you're steering straight.
Yeah, great, fine.
Come on.
Whoa! Fuck! This thing's about to go off the edge.
Holy fuck! Narrator: - Coming up - You must be fucking kidding me, man.
Narrator: Things go from Vlad to worse.
Did you pull the pin? Almost like a mad woman.
[Sighs.]
Narrator: - 200 miles north of Winnipeg - Come on.
Narrator: Polar driver Darrell Ward's about to lose his This thing's about to go off the edge.
[Engine revving.]
Hang on! Right on! I got it on there.
It's time to chain this shit down and get the hell out of this town.
Fucking headed for Winnipeg.
This is why Mark hired me.
There isn't anybody else can get this job done.
You notice they didn't send VP up here to do this job.
I'm the guy that'll run VP out of town.
I'm the guy that'll do the jobs that nobody else will.
Any load on any road.
Time to get out of here.
Rock and roll.
Narrator: While Darrell gets rolling with another load for Polar [Horn honks.]
Wasagamack, VP Express is shut down.
Good morning, ice roads we love you [Laughs.]
Narrator: Art's on thin ice with boss Vlad Pleskot as they struggle to get the truck up and running.
Well, we slept in Vlad's truck last night, Vlad and I.
He had the bunk and I had the front seat, so I was propped up all night long.
Felt like I was in a fucking-- I wish it had have been an electric chair.
Wouldn't have been any worse.
This gentleman here never talks.
We might get her going.
We're gonna get her or we ain't.
He's gonna tie a chain on me and take me backwards see if we can jump start me, eh? We're all set? No, that's the You It looks like, you bolt? Oh, I know what you call! I got lucky.
Okay, yeah.
There's nothing I can do.
I just gotta stand here, let him do his thing.
He doesn't talk, so I don't know what the fuck he's doing.
Fucking * have more to say.
Holy fuck, man! I never worked with a guy that never says a word.
Not a word, ever.
Holy fuck.
Almost like a mad woman.
Just don't want to talk, eh? Everything is fucking frozen.
He didn't realize how much money is involved.
My time, truck down, trailer up, loads not being able to be delivered, mechanic time.
He wasted a lot of our time and a lot of money to us.
[Door alarm pinging.]
I don't know.
Must be go time.
I don't know what's going on here.
I guess we're hooking it up.
No one said a word.
Narrator: The Mad Russian's got a plan.
Drag the truck out from under the trailer, and see if they can pull start it.
[Horn honks.]
[Sighs.]
Fuck.
When I push the yellow one in, she just drops like a motherfucker.
You must be fucking kidding me, man.
Did you pull the pin? Yes, of course I pulled the pin.
- Why we-- - What the fuck? It bounced back into place or something.
I definitely pulled the pin.
Now you can't fucking pull.
That was the first fucking thing I did-- did this morning.
Fuck.
Boy, we're not winning at all.
Now go? All right, we're fucking free now.
We're all set now.
Is it? Yes.
Now let's try again.
I don't get one straight information.
Everything is five-minute monologue, even if the question is yes or no.
Narrator: With the pin out and the trailer free, they're ready to try again.
Come on, baby.
Narrator: But no luck.
I feel a little pressure, then I feel 'em release, eh? And I'm wondering if that's maybe part of the problem.
We haven't got enough torque to make 'em release.
But that air problem, that seems similar to what we had the last time.
- Yeah, okay, well-- - I don't know, buddy.
That's all, I'm just telling you what I know, bud.
It's not very much.
Yeah, what we're going to do is we're going to go to Wasagamack.
I'm gonna put you on a plane and send you to Winnipeg.
Holy fuck.
They're throwing the towel in.
I have a mechanic flying in.
He's gonna give me a hand.
To me, Art is done.
I mean, I can't use a guy like that.
You know, he's doing mistake after mistake after mistake.
And this is what comes out of it.
Frustrating.
Fuck, man, I should've stayed home.
I didn't come down here to fly around, buddy.
I came here to drive a fucking truck.
I mean, he's trying to save face.
Anybody can see that he knows shit all about trucking.
Narrator: On the winter road to the village of Oxford House Guess they weren't lying when they said this road was gonna be rough.
Narrator: Lisa Kelly's just Day two of this grader.
I'm telling you, this grader is pretty needed right now.
I don't see why this road is so bumpy.
It just needs to be flattened out.
Like, take some of this snow and fill in the holes.
I'm sure it's not that easy.
I don't know anything about road maintenance.
I just know when it sucks.
[Truck clatters.]
Uh-oh.
[Air hissing.]
Uh-oh, don't do that.
Crap.
This thing is making noise.
It's losing so much air.
It's, like, hissing, and then it stops, and then it hisses.
I'm gonna pull over and check it.
I'm gonna jump out and see if it's leaking or not.
Damn it.
[Air hissing.]
It is.
What the hell? Narrator: An air leak will shut down the truck's braking system Oh, boy.
Narrator: And she'll be out here for days waiting for a mechanic to replace the leaking valve.
So what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna jump in the truck where it's warm and see if I can match my parts.
Narrator: Unless she can do it herself.
So I need to find one the same size.
It's probably this.
No, it's not that.
Well, let's see here.
So as long as it's the same size and fits Okay, it looks like it's-- it looks like the piece we need, which is freaking awesome.
Okay, here's my pieces.
I'm ready.
I took off the old piece, 'cause the line broke off of it, and now I'm putting it back together.
Gonna put this piece on first.
Bad connections.
There we go.
Okay, that's as tight as it's gonna get without stripping the shit out of it.
We'll find out if it's fixed in a minute.
All right, let's try it.
Okay, I'll see if I can get this thing to go.
I don't hear it hissin' right now.
So, so far, so good, but I imagine it's gonna take a little bit of bumps before it's gonna start wearing it through again.
I've been over-using my brain today.
I've had to be creative in more ways than one.
Narrator: A quick fix gets Lisa back on the road, and into the delivery site at the town of Oxford House.
I made it.
Awesome, awesome.
Thank you.
Let's turn and burn.
Narrator: - Back in Winnipeg - Right in the hole, Darrell, right in the hole.
Narrator: Darrell Ward keeps the loads rolling in for Polar Industries.
This extra backhaul, you know, it's-- helps Polar on the load count, you know? We are number one.
And we'll stay number one.
Narrator: But down the street at VP Express, loads aren't going anywhere, and Hugh's struggling to keep up with his rivals.
This is our first year, and we're trying to make a mark here, and that's what we want to do.
I mean, I'd had a few problems coming out of there, whatnot, but that's the way things go.
Narrator: After four days on the road, new driver Todd Dewey's just getting back from his first run.
You know, my first situation up there, it was definitely a different routine for me.
About halfway through the trip, you know, I was thinking, "Fucking shit", you know, "Is this-- is this the kind of stress I'm gonna have to deal with this whole frickin' time?" Narrator: And he's looking for answers from the boss.
We're gonna have a meeting, get all this straightened out.
With the breakdowns, being stranded, you know, just-- just a real bad lack of communication, and we'll see what the boss has to say.
Yeah, I just wanted to come and kind of talk to you guys, you know.
I-- I had a few concerns.
It was just the whole, you know, the whole communication thing.
Like, this is what it is.
We have to deal with this shit all the time.
And I guess I'm just not used to that lack of, you know, communication.
I know it's just-- and obviously I'm learning, it's different up here.
It's-- it's a lot more tougher.
I mean, I was so flustered, and I'm the type of guy gets so worked up, you know, over shit.
But, remember, I told you right at the freaking beginning, shit breaks, shit comes loose, electrical shit - fucks up always, right? - Yeah.
You've got to deal with it yourself.
At the end of the day, alls we want is somebody that can do their job and can drive that truck and keep that truck on the road, and keep it coming home.
And that's all we want over here.
We don't need a whole bunch of yippin' and yappin' about it.
We just want the guy to drive the truck and make us some money, and that's all we need over here.
Narrator: Next time on Ice Road Truckers [Horn honks.]
Million-dollar load and a dangerous road.
Narrator: Polar Industries ups the ante.
This hydro project is multi-billions of dollars.
Narrator: And VP Express You get them loads in there, you can make a fishpond full of money.
Narrator: The boss doubles down.
I'm just gonna keep going.
I ain't even gonna stop.
[Laughs.]
Narrator: It's a high-stakes showdown on the ice.
Team Polar was already parked here.
You know, I really don't give a shit.
I'm shakin' pretty good, actually.
Narrator: but the winter roads We got to get the fuck out of dodge before I freeze to death.
Narrator: show no mercy.
This is ridiculous.
I'm working for fucking clowns.
I'm tired of the fucking around, and I'm gonna do it myself.
Narrator: And at Polar Industries Whoa! This thing's about to go off the edge.
Narrator: it's go big Yeah! Narrator: or go home.
Whoa! Holy shit! [Rock music.]
Narrator: In the war to take over the winter roads Let's go! We gotta get rolling here! Narrator: Polar Industries has taken a narrow lead.
[Horn honks.]
Narrator: But 650 miles north We're gonna make some good time today by the look of this first stretch of road here.
And so we're gonna give her a shot.
Narrator: VP Express boss Hugh Rowland is looking to settle the score.
Everything's been going pretty smooth this morning.
We're just gonna kind of see how it goes.
This is our strip.
We'll show them that I can really handle this, eh? Hopefully we're gonna do well and things will be fine.
Narrator: And now that Hugh's got his employees working together, they need to race back to Winnipeg to keep pace with Polar.
Yeah, well, I mean, we all got these-- we got Wasagamack tied up, because they like us.
We've been doing what they want done, and we're doing it as they want it done.
[Truck clangs, hisses.]
Something's not right.
I'm blowing cold air all of a sudden.
We have no-- no heat.
I don't know what the fuck's going on here.
Narrator: At 40 below, with no heater, the temperature in Hugh's cab plummets with every mile.
Something's happened.
We're gonna have to dress up warm for the trip home.
Well, that sucks.
I think this morning it was 38 below, eh? It's always below, eh? Lots of old steam coming out of them stacks up there this morning, bud, look.
Means it's fucking cold out.
[Engine sputtering.]
Something's fucking going on.
Narrator: But the boss isn't the only one feeling the wrath of the winter road.
The truck seems to be losing power.
I don't fucking understand this.
Fucking truck.
Yeah, we got to stop.
Everybody's got to stop.
I'm not stopping.
I don't have no heater in here, so-- and my drinking water's all frozen in a block of ice.
We got to get the fuck out of dodge before I freeze to death.
Narrator: While Hugh races to Winnipeg Well, the old crow's nest is fucking with me again.
Art's stuck with a broken down rig for the second time this season.
Art there, he's broke down.
The weather temperature that we're in now, it's not looking very good.
Started losing power, losing power, losing power, and she froze right up solid.
And hopefully we're gonna get her started.
Let's go try her.
Fuck it.
Tell me when you got the key on.
- You ready? - Yeah.
[Engine stalling.]
Well, fuck, that's no good.
Did it light up? - Not a fucking lick.
- No? We definitely got a short in the truck.
Popped some fuses besides, the batteries are absolutely dead in the water.
There's not a bit of juice in any battery.
We're gonna leave it right where it's at, we're gonna load in my truck, and we're gonna head for home.
We're gonna get the hell off this ice road so we can get-- we can get some food in our bellies and get warmed up and get out of here.
I'm not into leaving my truck behind.
See, it's a fucked up situation, and the whole fucking thing sucks, but-- but the bottom line is, is no, we don't want to sacrifice, you know, I don't anybody getting hurt out here or anything-- anybody's lives in jeopardy over a frickin' broke down truck.
- You can go if you want.
- Well, you know what? I'm lookin' out for my best interests and yours also, you know? I don't want anything to happen to you out here by yourself, when I'm gone.
Okay, okay, okay, here's the deal.
Let's fucking off then.
Let's leave.
All right.
- We're out of here.
- All right, good.
Narrator: Art's second run comes to an end, and now he's being hauled off the winter roads with his future at VP Express still in doubt.
Well, buddy, this is the truth, and right from the fucking heart.
I didn't want to leave that fucking truck there.
I know you didn't.
I know you didn't, Art.
Not a fucking bit of it.
Narrator: 120 miles west lies the newly open road to Oxford House.
Packed with tight corners, fresh ice crossings, and narrow passageways.
The remote trail is a threat to even the most skilled drivers.
_ I'm taking this grader to Oxford House right now, and they need it to smooth this road out.
Narrator: Polar driver Lisa Kelly is the first to brave the rugged road, hauling her heaviest load yet, a 15-ton grader.
The wing blade on the side of the grader is 10, 15 feet, maybe, long, and I think it's swinging around.
Definitely gonna have to keep an eye on it.
Oh, my gosh.
This is a narrow bridge.
I am not so sure this is gonna fit.
Narrator: The grader and blade are wider than the bridge.
If Lisa tries to cross, she could damage the load, destroy the bridge, or end up stranded in the wilderness.
I'm gonna have to pull over here.
For sure.
And now I'm looking, and that blade's hanging out pretty far.
I'm gonna have to do something, so I can get-- fit through the bridge, 'cause this is a very wide load, and my dimensions keep changing every time that thing swings around.
So I'd like to be as narrow as possible.
I'm gonna try to tie this blade back, so I can fit across the bridge.
There's no way around it, otherwise I'm just gonna take that wing blade and just scrape it all the way down the girders of the bridge.
Plan "B," really hard work.
My goal is to try to pin it back to something without destroying it, and if you leave slack in the chain, which there's most definitely gonna be, 'cause I'm weak, it'll snap the chain, and I only have one chain.
[Grunts.]
Yay, now I just need a lasso.
I don't know how I'm gonna reach it.
It's not-- it's totally not gonna work.
It works in the movies, right? [Grunts.]
Yeah! I rock! First try.
[Laughing.]
I hit it perfect! I'm gonna have to, like, run it over this thing and through here and over to the other side in order to really get it tightened down.
Ow.
Fucking hit me in the face.
I'm gonna fall on my ass.
That's awesome.
See if I'm gonna fit across the bridge now.
Tallyho, toodle-oo.
Narrator: Lisa's fix shaved a few feet off the load, but until she goes across there's no way to know if it'll be enough, or if the chain will hold.
It's still just crappy.
Oh, it's moving so much.
Okay, here's the bridge.
I'm just gonna go slow right here, because I want to make sure that I fit.
First, we're gonna test this out here.
I got plenty on this side, and[Muttering.]
[Bridge groaning, creaking.]
Not bad.
So I made it across the bridge, but I would not have made it across the bridge if I would've not have tied it down like that.
For sure.
I think we pulled about five, six feet off our width.
Really glad I did, because if I tried to get up to that bridge and cross it, without ch-- without seeing that blade, I could've taken out, like, a whole side of the bridge.
Narrator: While Lisa heads into unknown country of Norway House, VP Express drivers Todd Dewey and Art Burke are off the winter road.
He wants me to get rolling, get back on the road, and get back, so it looks like, uh, probably gonna end up having to just leave you here until Vlad shows up.
Narrator: And boss Vlad Pleskot is on his way to help Art's truck running.
Hopefully you'll get your truck rolling today, and you'll - be right behind me, so [Laughs.]
- Yes, bud, we'll see you in Winnipeg, eh? Okay, Art.
See you.
Narrator: Todd drives back to headquarters while Art waits for the the Mad Russian.
[Cell phone rings.]
Yes, bud.
Okay.
Vlad couldn't make it to the parking lot.
He's down at the end of the ice road.
Couldn't come here.
There's a big parking lot out there you can land a fucking plane in, but Vlad, he's down there parked at the end of the fucking ice road about 3/4 of a mile away, so I got to take my gear now and walk down there because he can't turn the fucking truck around and come and get me.
So I don't have to tell you how impressed I am with this, so now I'm gonna have to hitchhike down the fucking road, eh? You call this ice road trucking? This a good company? Holy fuck.
Would anybody normal work for these people? Think about it.
He drove right by the Norway House, man, and didn't even stop to get me, knowing fucking well that's where I was.
Another prick move.
Look at the distance that fucking had to turn around, man.
Look at all the distance, look.
To turn this fucking truck around.
Instead we had to walk-- I had to walk fucking down here, eh? You tell me there's nothing wrong with this picture? Huh? This is ridiculous.
I'm working for clowns.
This is gonna be rough.
Narrator: - Coming up - Where the hell are we? Narrator: The ice road's full of surprises.
Holy shit! [Horn honks.]
Narrator: On the road back to VP Express I am physically and emotionally completely exhausted on this first trip here.
Narrator: Todd Dewey's only on his first trip with the new company, and he was left behind by the boss to deal with Art Burke's broken-down rig.
You know, we got a breakdown.
You know, I didn't want to leave the guy broke down.
He was with us and he, uh-- you know, I don't-- it kind of felt to me like he really didn't give a shit if we sat there for four days on the ice road by ourselves or not.
You know what? When you have an employee, or a couple guys you're running with, you know, breaking down on the ice road where it's 40 below, no heat, you know, low on food, you know, you don't just turn your back and say, "Well, good luck.
I'm taking my truck, and I'll see you guys whenever you get back.
" You know? That don't sit right with me.
I'm just not that type of person, you know.
Nobody's life is worth that broke-down truck sitting on the side of the ice road, so that's kind of a, you know, big, red flag, you know, waved in your face that, you know, you-- you might have a boss that, you know, really don't really give a rat's ass about you, you know.
All he wants to do is get his load delivered and make his money and whether or not you make it there or back is, you know, not his problem, and you know, so that tells me that when I'm up here, I'm gonna have to look out for myself, look out for my well-being, because obviously I'm not gonna have anybody there to help me or wait for me if something is to go down.
So that's kind of a little bit-- little bit shady, you know.
Makes a guy worry about his new job that, you know, maybe he's not cared for.
Supposed to look for each other out here on these roads.
Narrator: While VP Express is falling apart [Phone rings.]
back at Polar Industries Mark: Polar.
Narrator: owner Mark Kohaykewych keeps landing contracts.
Yeah, we can have four trucks there on Thursday.
Excellent.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
The way it's looking right now for Hugh, it's looking pretty desperate, pretty bad.
You know what? When we're rolling out of here full steam ahead and looking for more drivers and trucks, they're sitting there twiddling their thumbs.
Down the street at VP Express [Phone ringing.]
boss Hugh Rowland's just getting back to the office.
How'd you make out? Your-- your engine can't warm up, you can't get heat.
Narrator: And his truck is down for repairs.
Took out the seals on the engine fan, so we'll have to replace the engine fan.
Holy fuck.
Narrator: Hugh is losing time to get his new company ahead of Polar, and Art's truck is still stuck on the road.
Hey.
Hey, Huey.
- Fucking Art.
- What'd he do now? Last I heard that truck is-- it's pretty-- pretty pooched.
I don't know what the fuck he did to it, but I don't know what the hell we're gonna end up doing with it.
Fuck that guy.
That guy's nothing but a problem.
Just a friggin' nightmare, you know what I mean? Like, we got all this shit to haul.
We got loads to move, and I got that truck out there, and now we got Vlad with another truck up there, so I got two trucks out of the picture, and like, it's just it's-- it's crazy.
Fuck, half our company's up there because of Art.
Well, exactly.
Yeah, I think we're gonna have to let him go.
The sooner, the better.
He's not company material, as far as I'm concerned.
We're not running a training school here, we're running-- we're trying to run a business.
Narrator: While Hugh struggles to keep VP Express together, Polar keeps racking up loads.
Get it close to the shed.
Okay.
That was pretty easy.
Narrator: Darrell Ward is finishing a morning off-load All right, looks like maybe I found a backhoe.
Narrator: And he's gearing up to take on another one.
You know, I have my children, Terra graduating, Reno in college, and you know, I came out here.
I have to make some money.
I've got to get back home, and-- and put a life together that we can enjoy, and spend time together.
I'm unloaded.
Narrator: - To pick up the haul - Off to Pauingassi.
Get a mixer truck.
Narrator: Darrell's trailblazing another newly-opened road.
It's slick as fuck right here.
Oh, I got myself stuck, bigger than fuck! What the fuck? Son of a bitch.
How's that for a snow bank between me? There's a lot of times that you really have to be inventive to get yourself out of the predicament that you get yourself into.
Well, I'm gonna have to winch up around that tree.
See if it'll pull me sideways.
Narrator: Darrell's gonna use the winch to try and pull his truck out of the ditch.
Whoo! Little slick out here.
Holy fuck.
Deep-ass fucking snow too.
Fuck! [Grunts.]
I made it.
I made it! Hook to this fucking tree and winch myself back to the road.
All right, give that a try.
Oh, man, that's tough dragging that cable through the trees.
All right.
[Chain clanking.]
Oh, fuck.
[Tree creaking.]
All right.
Come on, mother.
Tight.
[Grunting.]
All right.
That worked.
Got me back on the road, anyway.
All right.
We'll see if we can get out of here now.
Long as I'm moving forward, I don't need to stop.
Narrator: With the dangers of a new road waiting ahead - 120 miles north - I am down the road on the way to Oxford House.
Narrator: Polar teammate Lisa Kelly also heads into unfamiliar territory with a 15-ton grader.
It's been a long trip.
It's been dragging on and on and on and on.
But that's okay, actually, because as long as I'm finding loads and taking 'em places, just dealing with things when they come.
I mean, this is my life, you know? This is what I do.
I'm here to work.
Narrator: To bring this load in for Polar, Lisa's hammering down.
It seems like the road is smoother, and I don't know if it's 'cause the snow filled in the chatter bumps.
I'm actually in high gear, which is amazing.
Ooh.
Whoa.
Holy shit! What the-- [Truck beeps.]
Oh, my gosh.
Is this an ice road? Narrator: - Coming up - This thing's about to go off the edge.
Narrator: Darrell's tipping point.
Whoa! Holy fuck! Narrator: In the Canadian wilderness, Lisa Kelly's trying to make good time on an unfamiliar road.
Whoa.
Holy shit! Narrator: But a sudden hill sent her What the-- [Truck beeps.]
Narrator: And it's landed her in the middle of a river.
Is this an ice road? Narrator: It's the last place a driver with a 15-ton haul wants to be.
Oh, yeah.
It's cracking.
Well, especially when I get close to the cracks.
Okay, that's kind of scary.
[Ice cracking.]
Really confusing, 'cause I couldn't see any-- [Ice cracks loudly.]
Oh, my God! It's supposed to make that noise, right? [Ice cracking.]
It's cracking like crazy.
Okay, it's really hard not to want to go really fast and get off it when it makes that much noise.
Narrator: Keeping the ice stable requires a slow and steady speed.
Oh, yeah, I'm getting off this lake right now.
Oh, yeah, I can't go fast.
[Ice cracking.]
Okay, so I'm clipping along at "10 kilometers," and it, like, drops off the bank and crosses this river, and then it's like, didn't even say, "ice crossing.
" Didn't anything.
There was no warning.
It was like, "go 90.
Go 10.
" Slamming on the breaks trying to get down to 10, slid all the way down the hill and practically all the way across the river.
It's like, "thanks for the warning.
" Narrator: While Lisa finds a surprise around every corner, [Horn honks.]
VP Express boss Vlad Pleskot has hauled struggling driver Art Burke to his broken-down rig, hoping to get it up and running.
Todd and I were trying it, and like Todd said, he says, "Even if we get it-- even if we get power through, it's not gonna work, because there was no lights or nothing in the God darn thing, right?" And that's where we left her, buddy.
Now the truck is dead, and we got to change the batteries, and who knows what else.
This is not an easy job.
It's-- it's a hard job, and you got to have the knowledge, and you got to have the experience to do that, and Art just doesn't have that.
Well, we're back at the site.
It's about 36 below, and mother, mother, is it cold, man.
So Vlad is here, and we're gonna see if we can't get this thing going.
Here, Vlad, buddy.
We're gonna try our best.
If we don't get it going, I'm not sure what the hell is going to happen then.
[Tool tapping on metal.]
It's that cold, when you pick up a wrench, you can feel it burning into your fingers.
I don't really think this is gonna happen tonight.
I hope it does, but I don't think it is, because even when we get her turning over, we're all froze up and everything, eh? It's not gonna go, eh? There's something haywire with the wiring.
It's just too many problems, I think.
Right now it's -45.
I'm tired, and I'm running low on hope.
He's been up too long, so we're gonna sleep in the truck for the night, eh? He's gonna get the bunk, and I'm gonna sleep in the passenger seat, I suppose.
Oh, well.
Happy days.
Tomorrow morning, we're gonna hopefully get this fucking thing going, and then we're gonna be on our way.
This is ice road truckin'.
Anybody that wants to get involved with this, I highly recommend you call your-- your psychiatrist, or your therapist, right off the bat.
[Laughs.]
Narrator: At the end of a newly opened road [Horn honks.]
Well, might as well go find out what's up.
Polar driver Darrell Ward arrives to pick up his first backhaul of the season.
Yeah, this looks like the right place.
- You must be-- - Kevin.
Kevin? Darrell, how you doin'? Good, good, and you? Not bad.
I guess that's what I'm haulin' back, huh? I don't know.
- We can't get her movin'.
- Can't get her movin'? Can't even-- we couldn't even budge it.
I don't know if the air brakes are locked on, or-- Oh, I'm sure they are.
I don't know a whole lot about it, so hopefully you do.
Narrator: The backhaul was supposed to be extra money for Darrell.
Seriously trying to start it? She ain't gonna fire.
Narrator: But the frozen 20-ton truck is more than he bargained for.
Not gonna get it running.
We can drag it.
All right, we'll hook up to her to the winch, and give it a pull.
Every backhaul's worth it, but this one is a fucking pain in the ass.
I could've been back to fucking Winnipeg and had another load out by the time these fucking idiots get their shit together.
[Backup alert beeping.]
If they wanted this thing hauled out of here, they should've had it ready to go.
Narrator: Determined to earn the paycheck, Darrell takes matters into his own hands.
All right, I'm gonna fucking winch that shit right out of there, is what I'm gonna do.
All right.
[Chain creaking.]
I never have to deal with this kind of shit in my normal job.
[Truck creaks.]
Narrator: The truck's free, but Darrell still needs a way to get that 20-ton of dead weight onto his trailer.
Where do we plan on loading this at? What do you got in mind? I got to have a loading ramp or something.
Yeah, we haven't got that far yet.
Okay.
Well, I don't know how we're gonna get it on here without a ramp.
Hopin' you'd come up with that idea.
Yeah.
[Sighs.]
These guys are fucking idiots.
Holy fuck.
Fucking three-ring circus around here.
I'm tired of the fucking around, and I'm gonna do it myself.
I'm gonna load this fucking truck on that trailer, and I'm gonna blade myself a fucking loading ramp, and I'm gonna winch that fucker on.
I'm gonna get 'er done, and I'm gonna get 'er done right now.
Narrator: Darrell's plan is to winch the massive cement truck onto his trailer with a ramp made of snow.
I'm gonna fucking winch it up on this trailer, and I'm gonna get the fuck out of here.
This far, I'm not stoppin' now.
Make sure you're steering straight.
Yeah, great, fine.
Come on.
Whoa! Fuck! This thing's about to go off the edge.
Holy fuck! Narrator: - Coming up - You must be fucking kidding me, man.
Narrator: Things go from Vlad to worse.
Did you pull the pin? Almost like a mad woman.
[Sighs.]
Narrator: - 200 miles north of Winnipeg - Come on.
Narrator: Polar driver Darrell Ward's about to lose his This thing's about to go off the edge.
[Engine revving.]
Hang on! Right on! I got it on there.
It's time to chain this shit down and get the hell out of this town.
Fucking headed for Winnipeg.
This is why Mark hired me.
There isn't anybody else can get this job done.
You notice they didn't send VP up here to do this job.
I'm the guy that'll run VP out of town.
I'm the guy that'll do the jobs that nobody else will.
Any load on any road.
Time to get out of here.
Rock and roll.
Narrator: While Darrell gets rolling with another load for Polar [Horn honks.]
Wasagamack, VP Express is shut down.
Good morning, ice roads we love you [Laughs.]
Narrator: Art's on thin ice with boss Vlad Pleskot as they struggle to get the truck up and running.
Well, we slept in Vlad's truck last night, Vlad and I.
He had the bunk and I had the front seat, so I was propped up all night long.
Felt like I was in a fucking-- I wish it had have been an electric chair.
Wouldn't have been any worse.
This gentleman here never talks.
We might get her going.
We're gonna get her or we ain't.
He's gonna tie a chain on me and take me backwards see if we can jump start me, eh? We're all set? No, that's the You It looks like, you bolt? Oh, I know what you call! I got lucky.
Okay, yeah.
There's nothing I can do.
I just gotta stand here, let him do his thing.
He doesn't talk, so I don't know what the fuck he's doing.
Fucking * have more to say.
Holy fuck, man! I never worked with a guy that never says a word.
Not a word, ever.
Holy fuck.
Almost like a mad woman.
Just don't want to talk, eh? Everything is fucking frozen.
He didn't realize how much money is involved.
My time, truck down, trailer up, loads not being able to be delivered, mechanic time.
He wasted a lot of our time and a lot of money to us.
[Door alarm pinging.]
I don't know.
Must be go time.
I don't know what's going on here.
I guess we're hooking it up.
No one said a word.
Narrator: The Mad Russian's got a plan.
Drag the truck out from under the trailer, and see if they can pull start it.
[Horn honks.]
[Sighs.]
Fuck.
When I push the yellow one in, she just drops like a motherfucker.
You must be fucking kidding me, man.
Did you pull the pin? Yes, of course I pulled the pin.
- Why we-- - What the fuck? It bounced back into place or something.
I definitely pulled the pin.
Now you can't fucking pull.
That was the first fucking thing I did-- did this morning.
Fuck.
Boy, we're not winning at all.
Now go? All right, we're fucking free now.
We're all set now.
Is it? Yes.
Now let's try again.
I don't get one straight information.
Everything is five-minute monologue, even if the question is yes or no.
Narrator: With the pin out and the trailer free, they're ready to try again.
Come on, baby.
Narrator: But no luck.
I feel a little pressure, then I feel 'em release, eh? And I'm wondering if that's maybe part of the problem.
We haven't got enough torque to make 'em release.
But that air problem, that seems similar to what we had the last time.
- Yeah, okay, well-- - I don't know, buddy.
That's all, I'm just telling you what I know, bud.
It's not very much.
Yeah, what we're going to do is we're going to go to Wasagamack.
I'm gonna put you on a plane and send you to Winnipeg.
Holy fuck.
They're throwing the towel in.
I have a mechanic flying in.
He's gonna give me a hand.
To me, Art is done.
I mean, I can't use a guy like that.
You know, he's doing mistake after mistake after mistake.
And this is what comes out of it.
Frustrating.
Fuck, man, I should've stayed home.
I didn't come down here to fly around, buddy.
I came here to drive a fucking truck.
I mean, he's trying to save face.
Anybody can see that he knows shit all about trucking.
Narrator: On the winter road to the village of Oxford House Guess they weren't lying when they said this road was gonna be rough.
Narrator: Lisa Kelly's just Day two of this grader.
I'm telling you, this grader is pretty needed right now.
I don't see why this road is so bumpy.
It just needs to be flattened out.
Like, take some of this snow and fill in the holes.
I'm sure it's not that easy.
I don't know anything about road maintenance.
I just know when it sucks.
[Truck clatters.]
Uh-oh.
[Air hissing.]
Uh-oh, don't do that.
Crap.
This thing is making noise.
It's losing so much air.
It's, like, hissing, and then it stops, and then it hisses.
I'm gonna pull over and check it.
I'm gonna jump out and see if it's leaking or not.
Damn it.
[Air hissing.]
It is.
What the hell? Narrator: An air leak will shut down the truck's braking system Oh, boy.
Narrator: And she'll be out here for days waiting for a mechanic to replace the leaking valve.
So what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna jump in the truck where it's warm and see if I can match my parts.
Narrator: Unless she can do it herself.
So I need to find one the same size.
It's probably this.
No, it's not that.
Well, let's see here.
So as long as it's the same size and fits Okay, it looks like it's-- it looks like the piece we need, which is freaking awesome.
Okay, here's my pieces.
I'm ready.
I took off the old piece, 'cause the line broke off of it, and now I'm putting it back together.
Gonna put this piece on first.
Bad connections.
There we go.
Okay, that's as tight as it's gonna get without stripping the shit out of it.
We'll find out if it's fixed in a minute.
All right, let's try it.
Okay, I'll see if I can get this thing to go.
I don't hear it hissin' right now.
So, so far, so good, but I imagine it's gonna take a little bit of bumps before it's gonna start wearing it through again.
I've been over-using my brain today.
I've had to be creative in more ways than one.
Narrator: A quick fix gets Lisa back on the road, and into the delivery site at the town of Oxford House.
I made it.
Awesome, awesome.
Thank you.
Let's turn and burn.
Narrator: - Back in Winnipeg - Right in the hole, Darrell, right in the hole.
Narrator: Darrell Ward keeps the loads rolling in for Polar Industries.
This extra backhaul, you know, it's-- helps Polar on the load count, you know? We are number one.
And we'll stay number one.
Narrator: But down the street at VP Express, loads aren't going anywhere, and Hugh's struggling to keep up with his rivals.
This is our first year, and we're trying to make a mark here, and that's what we want to do.
I mean, I'd had a few problems coming out of there, whatnot, but that's the way things go.
Narrator: After four days on the road, new driver Todd Dewey's just getting back from his first run.
You know, my first situation up there, it was definitely a different routine for me.
About halfway through the trip, you know, I was thinking, "Fucking shit", you know, "Is this-- is this the kind of stress I'm gonna have to deal with this whole frickin' time?" Narrator: And he's looking for answers from the boss.
We're gonna have a meeting, get all this straightened out.
With the breakdowns, being stranded, you know, just-- just a real bad lack of communication, and we'll see what the boss has to say.
Yeah, I just wanted to come and kind of talk to you guys, you know.
I-- I had a few concerns.
It was just the whole, you know, the whole communication thing.
Like, this is what it is.
We have to deal with this shit all the time.
And I guess I'm just not used to that lack of, you know, communication.
I know it's just-- and obviously I'm learning, it's different up here.
It's-- it's a lot more tougher.
I mean, I was so flustered, and I'm the type of guy gets so worked up, you know, over shit.
But, remember, I told you right at the freaking beginning, shit breaks, shit comes loose, electrical shit - fucks up always, right? - Yeah.
You've got to deal with it yourself.
At the end of the day, alls we want is somebody that can do their job and can drive that truck and keep that truck on the road, and keep it coming home.
And that's all we want over here.
We don't need a whole bunch of yippin' and yappin' about it.
We just want the guy to drive the truck and make us some money, and that's all we need over here.
Narrator: Next time on Ice Road Truckers [Horn honks.]
Million-dollar load and a dangerous road.
Narrator: Polar Industries ups the ante.
This hydro project is multi-billions of dollars.
Narrator: And VP Express You get them loads in there, you can make a fishpond full of money.
Narrator: The boss doubles down.
I'm just gonna keep going.
I ain't even gonna stop.
[Laughs.]
Narrator: It's a high-stakes showdown on the ice.
Team Polar was already parked here.
You know, I really don't give a shit.
I'm shakin' pretty good, actually.