Ice Road Truckers (2007) s07e09 Episode Script

- Tonight on Ice Road Truckers - Go! Lisa's tug-of-war for the load count lead.
It's just me and Hugh, and we can't slow up, and we can't slow down.
Temperatures rise as the ice melts This is probably the thinnest ice I've ever crossed before.
Whoa! Soon the roads will be gone Well, Art, we just ran out of road.
It never fucking ends.
And Hugh face to face with Lisa.
Hey, Lisa, you on there? At VP Express headquarters Vlad's pretty happy, and so am I.
And we're really impressed with ourselves here.
Boss Hugh Rowland's made his move in the race against Polar We'll be rolling in $100 bills by the end of the year here.
I'm just gonna drive this fire truck past VP.
But Lisa Kelly and Team Polar aren't holding back I don't know if there's any fires going on over there, but I just better, like, make sure here.
And before she hits the road with a fire truck bound for St.
Theresa Point she's giving the competition a wake-up call.
Oh, fire trucks are fun.
Why didn't I become a fireman? While Lisa heads back to Polar to prep her haul The reason we're here today is I've got a project up at Utik Lake, and we understand that you're the guy to talk to to get this gear up there.
owner Mark Kohaykewych is closing a lucrative but risky deal.
We're familiar with that area.
That road, it presents some challenges, for sure, but I can guarantee we'll get it done right.
How fast can you do it? They paid a premium.
They went with Polar Industries because we provide the skilled drivers, the ones that want a challenge.
That's what we're all about challenges.
Polar's charged with hauling ten loads of construction supplies to a remote lodge at Utik Lake.
But to get there, drivers will have to cross ice roads that aren't monitored by government officials.
It's a dangerous gamble, but the payday could control the outcome of their feud with VP Express.
I'll guarantee you, if you didn't strap the shit out of this load, you'd have problems with it.
Mark's handpicked Darrell Ward as the first driver to take on the trail to Utik Lake.
I'm all loaded up.
I'm strapped down.
I'm about ready to head out of here and hopefully make it to the lodge.
This ice road I'm about to head out on to Utik Lake is probably the worst one I've ever been on.
Back in the yard, - joins the mission - Checking out the engine pheromones.
And he'll be overseeing Polar's newest driver, Art Burke.
Pretty happy mood this morning.
I checked my horoscope.
It says that I'm going for a trip today, and enjoy the ride.
Hey, buddy! What's going on? What's up? How are you? Good, my gosh.
My homeliest son.
Long time, no see, buddy.
Hi, Arthur.
Art comes from where I come from, from Yellowknife.
Art's wired a little tight.
He's a little tighter wound than most.
Got all my paperwork and all my bullshit together here, boy.
I'm all ready to go.
Making my debut.
It's gonna be way better over here, man, 'cause you know - I left over there, eh? - How was Hugh for a boss? Oh, an asshole.
- A what? A what? - An asshole for a boss.
- Asshole? - Oh, yeah.
Yeah, big-time, buddy.
- See, I used to be like Hugh.
- Oh, yeah? - But then I had to get a hemorrhoid operation - Yeah? It gave me a whole new-- Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
He should go get one of those.
He'd probably be better.
Figure that'd do him? So a lobotomy might be a better idea.
He's sitting on his problem all day long.
Well, I'll see you after a bit.
- See you in a bit there.
- Take care, buddy.
Okay, great, thanks.
So that's my new traveling partner, I guess.
That should be good for a laugh.
For his maiden voyage with Polar, Art's carrying construction supplies 650 miles to Utik Lake All set.
While Alex will haul a camper to Oxford House Okay.
Where he'll pick up another load for the rest of the journey.
Thank you, dear God, for all your blessings and help.
Please keep us safe this trip.
Give Art and me a hand, because we'll definitely need it, like usual.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Check this out.
Fuck you, VP! Fuck y'all! It's a good day, buddy.
New job, new everything.
This is gonna be a good trip.
As Art and Alex head for unregulated road Oh, fuck.
Ow, my fucking back.
VP Express boss Hugh Rowland and driver Todd Dewey have taken on a dangerous assignment of their own.
Nothing like waking up and then bouncing off the ceiling and the door all morning.
They're hauling construction supplies to the village of St.
Theresa Point, over a crudely built road filled with harsh, uneven terrain.
It's slicker than snot in a chicken's lip through here.
Hang on.
That's a good old Lucy.
Lucy! These roads are just basically a shit They're not even really roads.
It's like a grass swamp, and basically what it does is, if the snow goes over the top of it and then the water freezes, then they call it a frickin' road, and it ain't a road, by no means.
- On the melting roads - Big fucking holes all over the fucking place.
Fuck! Climbing every hill is a major challenge.
Yeah.
Come on! Fuck, I lost it.
Stopped just short of the top, Hugh backs down to make another run at the climb.
Whoa.
Son of a bitch.
Come on, baby.
Ahh.
Well, I need you to pull me straight, Todd.
Okay, be there in just a sec, buddy.
Yeah, you know, I just got a call over the radio by the big boss there.
He sounds like he slid sideways.
He's a little stuck.
He's gonna need me to pull him, so it just goes to show you that no matter how much experience you have on these ice roads, they fight back in any way, shape, or form.
Oh, there he is.
Oh, he slid down the fucking hill.
All right, I see you there, Hugh.
Well, he got jammed up good, didn't he? Strapped up, Todd tries to pull the boss back on the road.
Hopefully, he can back up and get out from where he's at now.
You know what I mean? You know, I've been on this ice road now for over a month, and, you know, I don't want to toot my own horn, but I haven't been stuck one time yet.
As VP Express gets back on track, Lisa Kelly's just getting started.
I try not to bounce the stuff around, but there's no helping that.
She's on the same road as her VP rivals, hauling a 15-ton fire truck to St.
Theresa Point.
Oh, man.
Oh, thank gosh this road is hard.
I thought I was gonna have to be bored.
All right, here goes nothing, right? It's about to get rough in here.
She needs enough momentum to make the hill, but at high speeds, the slightest mistake could land her in the ditch.
Oh, man, I'm nervous.
You want traction when you're hill-climbing.
As soon as your tire comes off the ground, you lose all that traction, so you want to get going just fast enough to have the momentum carry you up but not so fast that you're jumping the truck.
Otherwise, you won't make it.
Oh, come on.
Pull it.
Pull it.
Pull it.
Pull it! Oh! I made it! That was a tough one.
Holy cow, I'm shaking.
Whoo-hoo! Oh, my heart is still racing.
Oh! Uh-oh.
What do we got going on here? There's a truck stuck in the road, and I don't know what's going on.
I don't know if there's any way that I can help.
I can't back up.
I don't think I have that many chains.
The stuck big rig has the road shut down, and Lisa at a stand-still.
This guy put the trailer in the ditch, and then he put his truck in the ditch.
The trailer's so far in the ditch that no one from behind him can pull it around, and his truck's enough in the ditch where I can't come down and back up the hill to pull him out at all, so I don't know what we're going to do.
I have, like, ten trucks behind me.
They just keep, like, piling up and piling up behind me.
Trucks full of valuable cargo can't get through, and the jackknifed rig blocking the road is out of reach.
Grab your gear.
Let's go.
Is that yours too? We got enough to reach that far? But Lisa's got a plan.
We decided that we're gonna put everybody's straps and chains together and see if we can reach it from the top of the hill all the way to the bottom of the hill and try to pull this guy out.
She's stringing together a line of tow straps hoping to reach the stranded truck over 100 yards away.
Basically, this is the most interesting scenario I've ever seen in my life.
It'll be up to Lisa to pull the truck out if the straps hold.
My poor little truck is gonna be the anchoring point.
It's gonna be like a big game of, like, tug-of-war.
If any of this snaps, man, all that shit is gonna come right in my window.
Give 'er a good jerk now! Give 'er a go, eh? Give 'er! Give 'er! Go! - Coming up - Use a screwdriver, ice pick.
Darrell's risky business.
Whoa! On the road to St.
Theresa Point Basically, this is the most interesting scenario I've ever seen in my life.
Lisa Kelly's trying to free a jackknifed truck with a line of tow straps longer than a football field.
Okay.
Give 'er! Give 'er! Go! Keep going.
Keep going! Oh.
I'll put my foot into it! Oh! Oh, he's moving! Yeah! He's out.
He's out.
He's out! Oh, he's out! I got him out! - Way to go! - Whoo! High five, girl! Awesome.
That was so cool.
I did not think that was gonna work that far away.
Thanks to Lisa, the road and the long line of waiting truckers are back in business.
Being the first on the scene of a guy stuck with about pull him out that is so real.
It's so happening.
Whoo-hoo! - As Lisa hammers down - This one I'm a little bit worried about.
Darrell Ward's the first to take on Polar's high-stakes contract, hauling cargo over the unmonitored road to Utik Lake.
I've really been warned a lot about these ice crossings out here.
They just now opened it.
You know, I'm the guinea pig.
It's a risky mission, but the potential paycheck will help him take the summer with his family.
They're not too crazy about the things I do sometimes with my work but I gotta do what I gotta do.
I need to make enough money here to get my life started over with Ladawna and take care of my children and her children.
Shit! The engine temperature's running hot.
This road pulls hard.
Soft roads, heavy weight really works this engine.
I'm gonna have to stop and do some repairs on it.
And I'm way hot.
I'm up over 220.
Even in subzero temperatures, the strain on the engine has it running hot enough to seize up.
If this truck overheats and it does break down, I'm out here on a road where there is no other traffic.
If you end up out here by yourself with no heat, not a good situation.
Fuck, I'm up to 240 degrees.
This shit is hot.
They never fixed my engine fan.
He'll be stranded if he can't find a way to keep the engine from overheating.
All I got to do is get air to my clutch fan, and it should engage, unless my clutch is bad.
Looks like my clutch fan is shot, because that didn't engage it, and that should have.
Well, I'm gonna do the one thing I never want to do, and that's shut my truck off, but I need to.
I have to.
To search deeper for the problem, Darrell's forced to turn off his truck.
But if it sits too long, it might get too cold to restart.
If I had an air leak, I'd know the seals were blown out of it, but there's not an air leak, so maybe put a little oil in it.
Oil should lubricate the air line and get the fan moving if the engine will fire up.
Well, I'll see what happens there.
Here we go.
Start her back up and build some air and see if it's gonna kick it loose or not.
All right, fire it up and see what happens.
Fuck.
While Darrell's stuck in the bush I'm unloading this nice, new camper in Oxford House.
Alex Debogorski's racked up another load for Team Polar Thank you, Lord, for getting that off of here in one piece.
But his day is just getting started.
Alex and Art are at the start of the road to Utik Lake, about to take on the unregulated road.
Gonna make this truck look like Zsa Zsa Gabor, if you remember who she was.
Art's hauling a load of construction supplies, while Alex pulls double duty, he's got a loader bucket for - the lodge - I'm gonna make a drag to pull behind the truck.
And will also be dragging tires that'll help smooth out the rough road.
- Well, if it comes off, I guess - If it comes off, it comes off.
You'll have to grab my chain.
Okay, buddy, we're all set.
Good luck! Yeah, good luck to you too.
I got those three loader tires behind me as a drag to flatten the road, because they haven't been doing a very good job of maintaining this road.
They just put it in.
It's just roughed in.
This is not your average winter road that we drive on.
Okay, here we are.
And the adventure begins, buddy.
Away we go, boy.
Good luck.
This road's not gonna be half as fucking bad as they say.
You watch.
We're gonna mosey in over this fucking thing, buddy, just like nothing.
A really good idea to bring these tires.
This road definitely needs to be drug.
I like driving on shit like this.
That's why I come here.
This is what I like about this.
I like driving on this kind of shit.
You think I'd sing songs and everything if I was nervous? If I was nervous, I'd be over here praying.
Well, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Well, Art, we just ran out of road So whatever-- We're fucked.
- I don't - We're all backing out.
fucking believe it.
We got to back all the way out to the road? Yes, sir.
I don't know-- I don't know there's room to turn here.
Holy fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
I got these tires here, so I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do with them, unless you can hook onto them and drag them backwards as you're backing up.
Beam me up, Scotty, for fucks sake.
Nearly a mile down the trail, backing out with almost impossible.
It never fucking ends.
It never ends.
- Hauling critical loads for Polar - It never fucking ends.
It never ends.
Art Burke and Alex Debogorski are stuck on a dead-end road with no way to turn around.
I don't want to back all the way into this fucking thing.
Nobody wants to back into this.
Fuck, we're in here a kilometer, man.
Anybody back there got a copy, buddies? You got a copy? Yes, I do.
Buddy, you got to come in and plow us a turning-around place here, buddy, because we are stuck, buddy.
It's actually not a bad place to get stuck in because there's a flat area here.
It just has to be plowed out.
Take a look.
Well, I'm sure happy that loader was there.
He was just sitting there, waiting for something to do.
Plowing his yard.
So he's cleaning a great big spot over there so we can turn around.
Why weren't you in the lead? Then I could have blamed it on you.
Fuck, I'm surprised I wasn't.
I'm getting a little worried.
This is embarrassing.
As Polar gets back on the road in St.
Theresa Point, the competition is already delivering.
Yeah, we got another one delivered today.
We had a little fun on the hill down there.
I spun out.
VP Express racks up two loads and Todd even scores a backhaul.
Looks like I got a gravel truck.
Looks like it was already strapped down for me, which is nice, so we're just gonna kind of double-check everything.
Gonna hook everything up and do what we do.
Two down, one to go.
While VP Express plows ahead - the temperature is dropping - I hope it holds.
It's all I've got to use.
Polar driver Darrell Ward's trying to restart his truck after repairing his cooling fan.
All I got to do is get the load delivered, and I get a paycheck.
Hope for the best.
Fuck.
Oh, yeah, I got the fan now.
All right, here we go.
Darrell's back in business, attempting to be the first driver to get a big rig over the Utik Lake ice road.
Yeah, it looks like it's hanging in there right around that ain't bad at all.
My light's off.
I am still full of coolant.
And my engine fan is spinning.
I can hear it.
Little Montana ingenuity at its finest there.
Rhubarb repair.
Do it out in the bush.
We do it better in the bush.
But the final challenge before reaching the remote lodge is still ahead an ice crossing over not monitored by the government.
Stop right here before I get onto it.
We got crew working here on the ice, and this is the one they've been warning me about.
I'm gonna go check it out before I go any farther, make sure something hasn't changed and figure out what they want to do.
We're a little thin on ice.
So we've got a forklift coming down the road, and we're gonna take a couple pounds off before we send you across.
Okay.
Thin ice.
Yep, a little bit too thin.
And you're the first truck, so And you said you're probably about 75,000 pounds? Yeah, probably right in there.
I'll get down on the edge where he can get around me, and I'll pull some straps off and be ready for him.
Darrell's too heavy to cross the thin ice, so the plan is to lighten the load hoping it's enough to keep him from breaking through.
But it's still a guessing game.
I get out on these ice roads where I don't have enough ice under me to hold me up, and I'm listening to the ice crack under my feet.
If I had my own ice auger, I'd be able to measure this.
I got 5 kilometers of this to get across.
You know, only thing that goes through your mind when you're out there is your family-- your kids, Ladawna, my future.
It's hard to tell how thick it is.
The hair might stand up on the back of your neck as you're going across this ice, but this is my job.
This is what I'm hired to do, and I'm not gonna let thin ice or anything intimidate me.
I guess one way to find out is to head across it, test it with the weight of my truck.
About all I can do.
Get on my way before it gets any thinner.
Coming up Lisa's in enemy territory.
Hey, Lisa, you on there? - At Utik Lake - It's hard to tell how thick it is.
Test it with the weight of my truck.
About all I can do.
Workers are removing cargo from Darrell Ward's 40-ton haul, hoping it'll be light enough to survive the ice.
You know, they took some weight off of me, but all of it's off my trailer.
None of it's off my truck.
My truck's where it's heavy.
The 3-mile ice crossing is off the winter roads and not regulated by the government.
So there's only one way to find out if the ice can hold a loaded big rig.
Get this door open.
I know this is probably the thinnest ice I've ever crossed before.
I'll feel it if it starts to go.
I'll hear it, and I'm gonna make the big jump, as far as I can jump.
I got a screwdriver in my hand to bury it into the ice, so I got something-- you know, if this ice folds down, I want to be able to get a grip in it, and I can't do it with my bare hands.
Use a screwdriver, ice pick, hold yourself on the biggest iceberg that you land on.
I haven't crossed one yet that pops and cracks like this one does.
You know, all that's going through my mind right now is my high school sweetheart, Ladawna, and my kids.
Whoa! I don't know what that was, but I didn't like the feel of it.
I can hear the ice cracking, popping.
Come on.
Come on! Well, looks like I made it.
About to come off the ice right into this lodge get unloaded, and see if I can warm up a little bit.
Darrell is the first to conquer the road to Utik Lake Oh, the Utik Lake Lodge.
Get this load off my back.
Get back and get another one.
And Polar's hopes of completing the risky contract are looking up.
Truck number one, a success.
- 150 miles south - I've been working hard.
No days off till the job is done.
Polar teammate Lisa Kelly's gunning for St.
Theresa Point, hauling an 15-ton fire truck.
It's always something.
Never take a break, 'cause you never know what's gonna happen.
Uh-oh! Up ahead, another truck's blocking the road.
And he spun out.
Can I help you? Once again, Lisa is the first on the scene.
No fucking chains, really? Gotta be shitting me.
Shit, I don't have a chain.
- Traffic is backing up - These guys are fucked! And VP Express rivals Hugh Rowland and Todd Dewey have joined the pileup on their way back from St.
Theresa Point.
That guy looks like he's on the ice, sitting there.
See his trailer? And I think Hugh's behind him with his fricking truck.
What a nightmare, dude.
Fuck! And Hugh.
Hey, Lisa.
- Hugh, do you have a chain I could borrow - Chain? Yeah.
So I can try to pull him? It's the first time all season Hugh and Lisa have come face-to-face.
They have a Lisa driving for them.
She shouldn't even be here, like, because she's a girl.
You think you could make it through there and then pull him out backwards? I could try.
With Hugh's assistance, Lisa pulls into position That's good! And chains up to the stranded rig.
All right, here we go.
Go, go, go! You got it! There they go.
Just pulled him out.
Good? All right.
The truck's out of the way, and cargo's moving.
Where you headed, Lise? Going to St.
Theresa.
I'm trying, anyway.
Oh, boy.
Make sure you put your chains on when you hit that section.
That's just where I came from for this.
- That fucking road is tore up.
- 10-4.
Thanks for the heads-up.
Okay, good luck.
We'll see you at home.
Oh, Todd made my night.
Todd's friendly advice isn't the only word from VP Express.
Hey, Lisa, you on there? No, ha.
Yeah, go ahead.
I was gonna tell you, if you can make 'er up to St.
Theresa without a hitch there, you should come to work for VP Express next year instead of Polar.
Okay.
I got a truck for you to drive.
Copy that.
I've never thought about going over to VP.
Like, that completely caught me off guard.
I wonder how much Hugh would pay me.
If I get to St.
Theresa without a "hitch," I wonder what he's offering.
- Back on the road to Utik Lake - Oh, this is ugly.
Ooh, this is so ugly.
Team Polar's still pushing to the remote lodge What kind of a trip we on now? Art's hauling construction supplies and Alex is pulling tires to smooth out the ragged road.
This is wild.
Oh, there's another one.
Whoo-whoo-whoo! How's that for ugly? Arthur, how's it going back there? Been doing all right, man.
I really didn't expect that shit.
- I filled them holes in for you.
- You know what? I was just gonna say something like that-- where the fuck were the tires? When you went around that turn, the tires must have slung up into the trees, 'cause they didn't fill that hole in.
I think they just bounced over it.
They fucking must have.
The convoy's reached the Utik Lake ice crossing.
I know this is probably the thinnest ice I've ever crossed before.
Where just a few hours ago, the ice was too thin to support Darrell's load.
Now, did you hear anything about somebody that was saying to me that the lake didn't have very much ice on it, and we'd have to unload part of our load? Oh, yeah, I heard that too.
The ice is pretty thin up here.
What do you mean? You heard it from where? Oh, that was the talk on the street there earlier, that the ice up here is pretty thin.
Well, how much ice do you figure you need? Don't matter to me, but you're going first.
Okay, I'll change that question around-- How much ice do you think I need? Here's the lake, boys.
But there's no one around to help lighten Art's fully loaded truck.
Well, let's go, for fucks sake.
So they'll just have to risk it.
And we's off, boy.
My load looks little, but it's big, and the trailer's pretty heavy too.
Alex Debogorski and Art Burke are on the final - stretch of the road to Utik Lake - This is not a good situation, eh? But to complete the mission, they're tempting fate on an unmonitored ice crossing.
Well, let's fucking go, for fucks sake.
And we's off, boy.
Easy does it.
Get down here pretty fucking quick.
What the fuck was that? Well, I'm good, Art.
I made 'er across.
Right on, buddy.
We're coming too.
Yeah, you're better.
This counterweight doesn't float as well as that lumber does.
I got to keep an eye on it.
Come on.
Thank God.
We made 'er, buddy.
After conquering the ice Alex and Art bank two more loads for Team Polar.
It went okay today, considering all that kerfuffle.
And Arthur's doing just fine.
For all the complaining about Art and his driving, Art did fine.
Oh, yeah, that was-- that was a fun trip.
That was a great trip.
I needed that trip after the bullshit over there, eh? It's not like, "Keep up.
Keep up.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on, there.
Get 'er down.
Get the pedal down.
" There's none of that here.
It's way better here.
The next morning Yeah, we made record time coming home again.
VP Express boss Hugh Rowland and driver Todd Dewey arrive in Winnipeg.
We can't slow up, and we can't slow down.
It's just me and Hugh, and we're headed back to the shop to pick up another load.
Todd's backhaul is another load in the books for VP Express, and to keep pace with Polar, there's no time to rest.
Today we're ahead of the game.
I didn't figure we'd be here yet, and we're here right now, so We never-- we never missed a beat.
While VP Express turns and burns Outside of St.
Theresa Point, Polar's still got one driver on the ice.
When I first got down on the ice, it made a crack noise-- pretty good crack noise.
After pulling two trucks from the road, Lisa Kelly's trip hauling a 15-ton fire truck isn't finished.
There is so many crossings.
I don't know how they keep up with testing all of them like this.
And honestly, I've never seen anybody out here in all this time testing the ice.
The possibility is always there, and we're not invincible.
We're humans.
People die every day, you know? This is fun, but I ain't asking to die early.
I have way too much to do.
All right, I'm on the other side of the lake.
Here we are at St.
Theresa Point, right where we need to be.
Safely across, Lisa makes it to St.
Theresa Point - without a hitch - Good job.
See ya.
opening a door for her at VP Express.
So the season's almost done.
I really want Polar to succeed.
Mark's been trusting me with a lot, and I know the war is going on between VP and Polar, and I'm just such a loyal person.
I don't want to betray that trust.
But then again, more money's more money, ain't it? And this ain't my war, so I'd have to think about it.
Next time on Ice Road Truckers Not a whole lot of time left on these ice roads to get these loads moved in here.
Spring approaches This does not sound good.
The ice is getting thinner.
- The roads are getting rougher - I felt a big boom in the truck.
It's gonna get a whole lot worse than it's been all season.
- And for some - Don't die here, baby, come on.
Fucking truck! the season may be ending early.
Everything's fucked.