All language subtitles for Ice.Road.Truckers.S03E04.Blinding.Whiteout.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: A brutal arctic
storm wipes out the road.

I see a mountain up here and
I see a guardrail out here.

And the rest is a guessing game.

NARRATOR: Hugh's got a
dangerous need for speed.

HUGH: I kind of like this
road because we can go up

to 55 miles an hour.

That's a lot of buyers for me.

I mean, I I can kick
it right in the ass.

NARRATOR: And - ventures
out over the Arctic Ocean.

JACK: I'm getting
a little nervous.

You're going slower.

Your heart beats a
little bit faster.

NARRATOR: At the top of theworld, there's a job only a few

would dare.

Just when you thought extreme
trucking couldn't get more

dangerous, Ice Road
Truckers take on Alaska.

[theme music playing]

NARRATOR: It's just 10 days intoAlaska's new ice road season,

and a massive winter storm
is blasting the region

from the Arctic
Circle to Prudhoe Bay.

It's a phase 3 whiteout, and
no trucks are on the road.

Except for one.

Dalton ace Jack Jesse is
navigating through the eye

of the storm with a 50,000
pound, 17 feet wide,

18 feet tall load of pipe rack.

The storm's moving
in really fast.

It's going to get pretty
intense out here tonight.

I don't know what's
going to happen

But I'm going to keep going.

NARRATOR: Winds are
gusting at 70 miles an hour

and visibility is near zero.

You can't can see
anything on this road.

We've just got to go really
slow and take it easy.

So when it's snowing
really hard like this,

and you're running only 10 milesan hour, maybe 15 at the most,

it can make for a
really long night.

NARRATOR: The only
thing guiding jack

are three foot tall reflective
posts placed 100 feet apart.

You have to pay attention
to a lot to do this,

not only staying on the
road, seeing the delineator.

Right now, the problems is,
there are no delineators.

So I literally have to sit up,
look straight down and find

the road.

NARRATOR: After 13
years on the Dalton,

Jack knows this road lies in
wait for the smallest driver

error.

This road, it always
takes paying attention to.

You just can't
relax on this road.

It's a job.

It's work all the way.

NARRATOR: If Jack
stops now, he could

become stranded in the storm.

JACK: I'm doing, like, 20.

Just kind of waiting for the
reflectors to show back up.

NARRATOR: He's just 50 miles
from the safety of Dead Horse.

This ain't going
to get any better.

And has no choice
but to push forward.

JACK: If you look directly
into your headlights driving

in this stuff, you will
drive right off the road.

You'll tend to just drive
whichever way the wind's

blowing, you'll just
steer it off the roads.

Mother Nature does that to you.

It tricks you.

You've got to ignore the
headlights, look through them

and find the road
back to the highway.

NARRATOR: 160 miles south
that cold foot, more than 50

truckers including George
Spears, Tim Freeman and Lisa

Kelly, have taken
refuge from the storm.

It's a heavy financial setback
for all, as they wait for news

about a break in the weather.

Blowing snow, drifting
snow, icy patches.

That part we knew.

Driving conditions, difficult.
That was a big help.

NARRATOR: 500
miles to the south,

at the Carlisle
Fairbanks Terminal,

Hugh Roland arrives before
his rival, Alex Devogorski.

I'll probably have to pass
him like usual couple of times

a day, while he's napping.

NARRATOR: This will be Hugh's
first solo trip over the ice.

His first run north
ended before it began.

Hugh was demoted to
the passenger seat

after taking a corner too fast.

Now he's given one
more shot to drive it.

He'll be following 12
year veteran Phil Krom.

OFF-CAMERA: If everybody'sready, we can head on up there.

Yeah, you bet.

Everybody's ready to roll.

You ever think he's turning?

Make way, the polar
bear is coming through.

Near the entrance
to the ice road,

you and Phil get the last chanceto fill their tanks for 175

miles.

Yeah, there's no service
stations up there now.

And I need full tanks to get up.

375 gallons, I guess?

Yeah.

This one's about 375.

NARRATOR: Topping off a big
rig costs upwards of $1,000.

OFF-CAMERA RADIO VOICE:
OK, everybody ready?

Big 10-4.

Here we are.

We're full of motion
lotion and we're

ready to rock and
roll down the dome.

NARRATOR: A few miles
later, the pavement

gives way to solid ice.

Hugh has met Alaska's ice road
on his own for the first time.

I love rocking and rolling
down these dangerous roads.

I think it's pretty cool.

Not everybody gets to do
this and I'm doing it.

These highways here are
known all over the world.

All over the world.

I make it [inaudible] every
[bleep] trip I make here.

NARRATOR: On the
other end of the road,

it's taking all of
Jack's concentration

just to stay on the ice.

JACK: I can still feel the windtrying to blow the truck over

to the right.

I'm going to have to fight
the wheel a little bit just

to keep it in the
center of the road.

NARRATOR: He has just
10 miles left to go.

As he nears Dead Horse,
the storm begins to clear.

Just 50 miles.

50 miles just take
me eight hours.

NARRATOR: Jack finally
arrives at the Carlisle Yard.

Once more, the ace has succeededdown a road few dare to tread.

JACK: I think we're
here, we're there,

we're done for the night.

I look forward to getting into
bed and taking a big long nap.

NARRATOR: As a new day
begins, the storm has cleared,

but the dangers have increased.

An army of DOT
employees work furiously

to clear the aftermath before
excess snow and ice put

another trucker over the edge.

Higher!

NARRATOR: An avalanche
crew blast snow

off the mountainside.

You holler at me, Mark?

NARRATOR: And Ken Bear
is first over the ice

to clear a path with
a high speed plow.

The whole reason
for the Dalton highway

was a supply line to
the Rudabay oil fields.

It's our job to
keep it maintained.

We clean up the center
of the road first.

That's where all
the traffic drives.

We don't want to over plow it,
because when traffic passes

each other, if they get overtoo far, they'll catch the edge

and end up in a snow bank.

And that's not a good thing.

At the Cold Foot truck
stop, the stranded drivers

begin to move out.

The break in weather
means finally catching up

on lost cash.

The sun is creeping out.

Good snowing.

It's not blowing as
hard up on the pass.

Towards the pass, it's
still blowing a little bit.

Nothing like it was before.

So we're going to get up thereand see if we can get ourselves

all the way from [inaudible].

NARRATOR: Rookie Tim Freemanis taking his second load north

on the ice.

During the first
half of this trip,

he survived a
harrowing whiteout.

Still coming, George.

I can't see [bleep] thing now.

NARRATOR: Guiding him is 30
year Dalton veteran and family

friend, George Spears.

This year, George plans on
retiring from the haul road.

But not before he's taught
Tim enough to survive.

GEORGE: We're ready to go.

Get as much daylight as you can.

TIM: Back on 19, George?

GEORGE: Yes, I am.

TIM: OK.

A02 on the big one.

NARRATOR: They head north,
each with nearly six tons

of construction supplies.

Up ahead, Attigan Pass, the
steepest and most dangerous

part of the Dalton.

We'll be anticipating
quite a few drifting areas

this morning.

The pass and the shelf will
probably be hard to get over.

There will be a lot
of snow up there.

And then, there'll be a lot of
one lane places between here

and the Brutal Bay.

We'll have to be
watchful for that.

NARRATOR: Back at Cold Foot,
by mid-morning, most trucks

have left.

But Lisa Kelly has
waited until last.

All the trucks are gone.

Hopefully all these guys
will break the trail up there

for me.

And we'll just walk right up it.

That's the idea anyway,
or else we're all

going to be stuck up the road.

[laughing]

LISA: All ready.

Are we rolling?

NARRATOR: After almost two
years as a driver at Carlisle,

this is Lisa's first
heavy haul load.

Six truck tires, 12 feet
wide and 14 feet high.

Anything oversized or overweightbrings in bigger bucks.

LISA: This year's goal, the onlygoal I really have is doing,

like, oversized, bigger stuff.

Just because it's challenging.

And then, when you
get all done, you're

like, yay, look what I just did.

So.

The load has got to get there.

And if I get stuck,
there's somebody else

that's going to do it for me.

I'm the only one who's
going to get it there.

So I better figure it out.

NARRATOR: Lisa's next challenge,Attigan Pass in a whiteout.

I can't see at all.

NARRATOR: 110 miles north
of Fairbanks, Hugh and Phil

are treading down a steep two
mile hill known as the Beaver

Slide.

Hugh's doing good.

Just kind of trucking
along back there.

OFF-CAMERA RADIO
VOICE: Hell, we know

the Polar Bear Can Handle It.
- Yeah.

That's what they tell me.

NARRATOR: Every mile north
brings more fresh snow

from last night's storm.

No matter what, if
it's blowing snow,

that always makes
the road ice-y.

Ice is ice.

But I mean, you're dealing
with a 9% grade here,

two miles long.

That's the sticky part of this.

NARRATOR: Navigating
slick downhill grades

is one of the biggest tests
in mastering the Dalton.

Picking the right gear is
vital to staying in control.

Sharp braking could cause
the trailer to jackknife.

Hugh nears the bottom
of the icy hill.

And his truck picks up speed.

He has to downshift
before it's too late.

[honking]

NARRATOR: Finally,
he gets it into gear

and his truck begins to slow.

I let it go too long.

My fault.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's something.

I just wanted to get
her into low range,

but I was going ttoo fast.

Yeah.

Yeah, you bet.

NARRATOR: Hugh, the old hand,
has made a common rookie

mistake.

If you peek over a hill,
and you're going too fast,

you'll have to do
what I did back there.

Just get her into a low gear
before you get to mass, right?

If you're not
aware of this road,

and you don't respect this
road, you're taking your life

into your hands.

Maybe not even your own life.

It could be somebody
else's life.

NARRATOR: Back in Fairbanks.

ALEX: Just checking the oil.

Check the antifreeze.

NARRATOR: Alex Debagorsi
gears up for his first solo

run up the Dalton.

Even though his
truck was in the shop

yesterday for a full service.

We got Alex in when I
threw those DieHard batteries

in there for him.

ALEX: Almost turned his
truck into an electric car

with all of those cranking apps.

We won't need to start the
engine, just turn the key

and drive down the road
using all that battery power.

NARRATOR: Before he leaves,
Alex does his own check.

Well I'm screwed anyway.

I've got a broken spring.

That's the start of the day.

Good morning, Fairbanks.

[laugh]

NARRATOR: So far, Alex's time
in Alaska has been a bust.

He missed a gear
on his first run

and spent most of the trip
in the passenger seat.

If Alex is going
to ever catch you,

he's got to get on the road.

TIM: Good morning, Alex.

How are you doing?

Well, a broken
spring and a low tire.

OK.

They're doing the traders
over in the new shop.

That spring is probably
going to take a while.

Why don't we try and
get you a different one.

And then I'll give you
this other pipe that's

over in the mammoth yard.

We'll check it out,
and if it's good,

we'll let you take
off with that one.

That way we're not
holding you up.

We're going to drop this
trailer off where I found it.

Problems are part of the job.

You know, we get a
truck load of problems.

When you buy a truck,
you buy problems.

Then you go get the load, you goto pick up a load of problems.

Then we haul all our problems
north to Prudhoe Bay.

Get another load of
problems and haul them back.

NARRATOR: Halfway between Cold
Foot and Attigan Pass, Lisa

Kelly is moving cautiously northwith her first ever wide load.

Her pilot car ahead
is keeping a close eye

on southbound traffic.

Lisa, I'm going to try and stayout a little bit further ahead

of you through here so we
don't get caught by surprise.

Let me know if I get out too
far and you start losing me.

Oh, OK.

Yeah, that'd be great.

When you have an oversize
load, it's a lot slower

going because it's so much
heavier than normal loads.

And a lot more careful
because of how wide you are.

You have to be careful to
not go in the ditch trying

to move over.

NARRATOR: Lisa's goal is to getto a Dead Horse by nightfall.

But big loads take extra time
to allow for oncoming traffic

to pass.

She can't stop for
every southbound truck.

But she certainly doesn't want
to end up in a ditch either.

You've got to be aware
of what your load is doing.

Because it hangs so
far over the trailer.

It's easier that it can,
like, tip and stuff.

Especially, like, top heavy
loads when they stick up high.

NARRATOR: She's already
had one close call

with a pick-up truck, yesterday.

Holy crap.

Get over!

Jeez!

NARRATOR: Now, an
oncoming 18 Wheeler.

OFF-CAMERA RADIO VOICE:
Tanker coming your way.

Ace just coming
up the hill now.

NARRATOR: She moves over
just inches from the edge.

Try to stay out
of the ditch here.

That first one, man.

He was flying.

Should I just pull over here?

If you can get down
here on the straight,

that'd probably
be the best place.

All righty.

I'll keep truckin'.

Thanks.

Let's see if you can
hit me too there, Buddy.

Where did the road go?

That's where I was,
like, that close.

NARRATOR: Just south of
Attigan Pass, Tim and George

chain up to make
sure they'll have

some extra bite in the dense
snow pack over the 4,700 foot

Brooks Range.

OK.

Will, pull your pants up, buddy.

Your butt crack is showing.

Sorry, George.

You look like a
plumber out here.

I didn't mean to
give you a show.

NARRATOR: The convoy heads
up the steep incline.

But the road has been reduced
to a narrow single lane.

That place right in front of
you is kind of narrow there.

NARRATOR: On this stretch,
Tim takes his lead

from the veteran.

We're just
starting up the pass.

We're going to check our
visibility up through here,

make sure we're not
meeting anybody.

NARRATOR: George gears down
until he feels the chains grab

the ice.

GEORGE: Tim, are
you still coming?

Still coming, George.

NARRATOR: After climbing Attiganliterally thousands of times,

George knows how to ward
off the effects of altitude.

I always try to chew
gum going over the path.

Because it keeps your
ears from popping.

So that helps a little bit.

NARRATOR: After a
slow, two mile climb,

they finally reached
the top of the pass.

We successfully
made it over the pass.

We actually did pretty good.

It was better visibility
than what I anticipated.

NARRATOR: But the descent
down the north slope

is even more treacherous.

The drivers must use the
lower gears, and the power

of the engine, to keep
the trucks under control.

One missed gear
can be disastrous.

And braking can result in
an uncontrollable jackknife.

As George and Tim reached
the bottom of the slope,

they see the remains of
just such an accident.

It reminds George of
his own similar crash.

I look back in the
mirror, and I saw my trailer

going off in the ditch.

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom!

Went bounding over the
hill, rolled over twice.

I walked out the windshield.

I don't care how good a driver
you are, if you don't have

a good respect for that
road, sooner or later,

it will reach out and grab you.

NARRATOR: Eight miles
behind George and Tim--

Brrrr!

NARRATOR: Lisa is next to take
on the treacherous Attigan

pass.

The most challenging part ofmy job of being little and just

not being able to have the
muscle that other people do,

chaining up takes
everything I have.

NARRATOR: She throws her entire120 pounds into wrangling

the heavy chains.

I think they're,
like, 65 pounds.

I think, I'm not sure.

And once again,
I'm glad I changed

I haven't regretted it yet.

NARRATOR: As she
heads for this summit,

the weather takes a
turn for the worse.

I can't see.

At all.

NARRATOR: 314 miles north
of Fairbanks, Lisa Kelly

is inching up the ice
towards Attigan Pass.

CB RADIO: Visibility
is bad up here.

Uh-oh.

All right, I just passed a
pullout here in the canyon.

And it's starting to blow
pretty good down here.

NARRATOR: With conditions
growing worse by the minute,

she's forced to
make an emergency

stop in the middle of the road.

I'll be putting
on my big TRYGGs.

I'm putting on a second
set, because it's

horrible out there.

When I'm getting out
to chain up and stuff,

you can just sit in your
truck and monitor the radio.

Make sure no one comes down
around the corner and rear

ends me or something.
- OK.

You betcha.

Not a problem

His job is hard.

He's got to stay in his truck.

Holy crap!

I can't even open the door.

NARRATOR: Lisa has already
chained her front drive axle.

But now, she needs to
change the rear one as well,

or else she'll never make
it up the steep slope.

These are really heavy.

These are the ones that weigh
more than I do, 150 pounds.

These things wear me out.

NARRATOR: With added traction,
Lisa resumes her climb.

I haven't spun
out on Attigan yet.

NARRATOR: But minutes later,she's warned of a new obstacle.

CB RADIO: Lisa, drag
your feet, babe.

We gotta hang tight here.

We got one up on the
hill that's stuck.

Yeah, Keith, this is Reid.

I just heard something on
the CB about the truck over.

NARRATOR: Department of
Transportation officials

are first on the scene.

Are you doing all right?

Yeah.

No injuries?

No, no.

Good, good.

I just kind of went
snow-blind right on there.

He got too close to his edge,
he got sucked in, you know?

That was the wrong place.

Yeah.

You're going to find that
in a lot of places going

up there for the next few days.

I've hooked on to you here
and I locked my lockers up.

I'm just going to drag him out.

NARRATOR: The small
grader guns it,

trying to pull more than
four times its weight

from the ditch.

The dense snow holds
the rig like wet cement.

Inch by inch, they manage to
drag it out of the snow bank.

Thanks, Don!

Hey, no problem, man.

I'm ready.

CB RADIO: All righty.

NARRATOR: With the road clear,
Lisa starts up the steep grade

toward the summit.

I must say that this is the
worst I've ever seen the pass.

I see a mountain up here,
and I see a guardrail here,

and the rest is a guessing game.

NARRATOR: Even with chains
on every drive wheel,

Lisa's truck barely
clings to the ice.

The problem is, what do you
do when you spin out fully?

I don't know.

NARRATOR: While Lisa's
pilot car driver

scouts for oncoming traffic, shestruggles to stay on the road.

I already can hardly see,
and I'm barely moving here.

So, yeah, I'm in the middle.

CB RADIO: OK.
That's not a problem.

I ain't going to let
nobody get around me.

Maybe if I can shift.

NARRATOR: Lisa considers
shifting to a lower

gear for added traction.

But one wrong move can send
her spinning over the edge.

I don't want to shift.

Oh wow.

It's deep.

NARRATOR: It's slow going
all the way to the top.

OK.

We've made it over Attigan.

We're alive.

We didn't hit
anything or anyone.

Lisa made the climb intact.

CB RADIO: Uh, Lisa,
I've got a problem.

NARRATOR: But her pilot
car was not so lucky.

Well, I lost
the wheel bearing.

And, in the process of
doing so, I took out

one of the brake calibers.

Because I've got a wheel
that's now leaning.

So, unfortunately, she won't
have a pilot from here on.

NARRATOR: For the
remaining 240 miles,

Lisa will be
completely on her own.

170 miles north, Jack Jesse
is stranded in Dead Horse.

We're stuck in camp.

We can't go anywhere
if we wanted to.

NARRATOR: Waiting for
a break in the weather.

This is the safest place tobe right now until the wind dies

down.

Figure out when we can get out
of here, when we get the pilot

cars back into town.

The Weather Service
said it's not

going to last too much longer.

That way, we can all
get back to our business

and get this stuff done.

NARRATOR: Every
hour Jack is delayed

means lost money and fewer
loads delivered for Carlisle.

Carlisle Trucking is a central
player in oil production

in the state of Alaska.

This winter of 2008-2009
winter is shaping up

to probably be one of the
busiest we've seen in the last

10 years.

My brother and I started
Carlisle transportation

in 1980.

Both of us were driving trucks.

In about 1985, we started
probably our first call

to Prudhoe Bay.

Carlisle, now, is operating
about 100 class 8 tractors out

of Fairbanks here.

Routinely, a full-time
Prudhoe Bay driver

is going to make well
over $100,000 a year.

NARRATOR: At Carlisle
headquarters in Fairbanks.

Cussing around back there.

NARRATOR: Alex is still
trying to make his first buy.

He's picking up a new
trailer to replace the one

with the broken spring.

Oh, lord.

Hi, Mr. McCann?

Hi, Jack McCann.

What's your name?

Alex Demogorski.

- Alex?
- Yes, sir.

OK.

NARRATOR: Jack McCann
is a veteran trucker

who will lead Alex on his
first solo run up the haul

road with a 46,000
pound load of pipe.

This stuff is pretty
dangerous to haul.

See how slick it is?

NARRATOR: 50 foot
lengths of pipe

are commonly used on oil rigs.

But transporting them can
be hazardous if they're not

properly anchored with straps.

If unsecured in a sudden stop,
the pipes could pierce the cap

and kill the driver.

Let's tighten everything up.

We're ready to head north
to Prudhoe Bay, now.

NARRATOR: OK, Alex.

I'll meet you up at the hilltop.- OK.

Good enough.

NARRATOR: Alex and Jack departfor the 500 mile journey, where

Alex will face the biggest
challenge of his career.

You're always looking
out for surprises.

So there are good
surprises and that they

don't turn into bad surprises.

[chuckling]

NARRATOR: 100 miles
from Fairbanks, Alex

is on his virgin
run up the ice road.

We're the new guys, you know.

We've only been here
for a couple of days.

This is only our second trip.

I mean, these guys have
made 100, or hundreds of,

trips on this road.

I think we still have
to prove ourselves.

NARRATOR: On this trip, Alex isbeing led by a true haul road

veteran.

I am following another
truck, Jack McCann.

He's about 112 years old, and
spent about 110 of those years

on this road.

: How are you doing, Alex?

Alex is doing lovely.

He calls about once an hour
to see whether I'm still

breathing.

That's about the only
thing I've heard from Jack.

The ice on this road is
different than sea ice,

or river ice, or lake ice.

This is ice on a
road, and it can

cause problems because
of the steep greens,

and the mountainous conditions,and the ditches or cliffs

on the side of the road.

NARRATOR: Alex has navigated
over the rollercoaster,

and down the long descent,
known as the beaver slide.

But he's still nervous about
his unfamiliar transmission.

Well, this transmission
is called the super 10.

And the place I'm
having trouble with it

is in coming from
seventh back into sixth.

So the person has
to be, actually,

a little extra cautious
making that one.

NARRATOR: Missing
a gear on the ice

could cause him to lose
control of the truck.

It was a mistake he already
made on his first trip,

and it landed him straight
in the passenger seat.

I'm still moving.

So we're doing all right.

NARRATOR: 183 miles
north, Hugh and Phil

have chained up for Hugh's
first attempt at Attigan Pass.

Oh, if I've got chains on,
you'll worry about nothing.

NARRATOR: But Attigan's long
and narrow climb to 4,700 feet

is a challenge for even the
most experienced drivers.

And it takes all of
Hugh's concentration

to make the ascent.

As he crests the summit,
he picks up speed

and finds himself just
where he doesn't want to be.

Right on Jill's ass again.

I must have caught
up to him there.

Because I cut around
the corner and there

he is on the way down.

Well, dammit, just be careful.

NARRATOR: Braking on an icy
downhill means possibly losing

all traction.

As he closes in on Phil's truck,he makes a desperate downshift.

The gear engages just in time.

If I had a mystic ear, then
I'd probably start [bleep]

free-wheeling down
the hills, though.

Didn't.

I got lucky.

[laughing]

NARRATOR: At the
bottom of the pass,

Hugh and Phil pull over
to remove their chains.

Yeah, I got right
up on you there.

Yeah.

You'd have bragging rights,
socking a fuel tanker

on the pass.

NARRATOR: In no time,
Hugh is back on the road,

racing to dead horse.

People push hard, they
can make three trips a week.

If you don't push hard, you'regoing to make two trips a week.

But you've got to get
the load from point A

to point B in such
and such a time,

or you're not going
to make any money.

NARRATOR: 75 miles south, Alex
and Jack pull into Cold Foot

to discuss their next move.

I don't know.

We got an awful late
start out of town.

We usually get in a lot earlier.

I don't know.

What do you think about maybe
just hanging out here tonight

and leaving here about
4:00 in the morning.

Because then, we leave
here a couple hours,

it'll be getting daylight.

We're going to have to change
from the big hill anyway.

NARRATOR: Alex has no choice
but to follow Jack's lead,

even though staying in Cold Footmeans falling further behind.

240 miles north
of Cold Foot, Lisa

is passing through the
desolate arctic tundra known

as the Bluffs.

This is by far the
most intense trip ever.

NARRATOR: Lisa is
without a pilot car

and battling a fierce
snowstorm, alone.

We lost the
delineator for a sec.

This is intense.

This is freaking the mostintense trip I've ever taken up

here.

NARRATOR: The light from
Lisa's powerful headlamps

is reflected back
by the wall of snow.

Oh my gosh.

I can't see anything at all.

Oh, we're topping out at five.

NARRATOR: Any faster and she
risks going off the road.

Finally, the lights of
Dead Horse are in sight.

This has been a
pretty wild trip.

Lots of chaining up.

Lots of getting stuck.

My first oversize, first
pilot car, first everything.

I would say it's all
downhill from here.

But I'm pretty sure
it could get worse.

It's slow going, and it'spainful, and I have a headache,

and I just want to go to bed.

And it's been days since
I talked to my sweetie

because I've been
stuck out here.

But I made it.

NARRATOR: After a treacherous
two days on the road.

It's all clear, Ken.

Put him around if you want.

NARRATOR: George and Tim
are finally closing in

on Dead Horse.

We spent the
night at Cold Foot

rather than coming up here.

So we're a good 12 hours,
maybe a little more, behind.

It'll be nice when
we're finally there

and I've got this load dropped.

It would be number two for me.

NARRATOR: Tim has survived
the haul road once again,

and put an extra
$1,300 in his pocket.

I get paid by the
trip, of course,

not by the hour or the days.

So if it takes a little longer
to make a trip, it costs me.

That's part of driving up here.

You can't just run
through the stuff.

A lot of guys do it and
a lot of guys make it,

but they get a lot more
experience than I do.

NARRATOR: For George, this tripis more than just another job

well done.

GEORGE: I've known Tim's
father for a long time.

And I've only known Tim herefor probably 10 years or better.

But I feel really
responsible because it's

a friend of mine's boy.

And I'm a little more
cautious and concerned

because it's somebody I know.

Oh, Georgie's great.

I couldn't think anybody
else better to follow.

I've known him since
I was a little kid.

So, I mean, it just makes
it that much better.

It's like following my uncle
around up here, you know?

NARRATOR: They pull into the
Carlisle Terminal in Dead

Horse, half a day behind
schedule, but in one piece.

I believe that
Tim Freeman here

is going to do a great job.

He's got good common sense.

He was raised in a truck.

His dad taught him really well.

The biggest difference
between me and Tim Freeman

is, I know this road.

Every inch of it.

Now, he has to learn it yet.

NARRATOR: Just after dawn.

But we're here in Prudhoe now.

NARRATOR: Hugh successfully
completes his first solo trip

on the Dalton.

And he's already
feeling like an old pro.

I think the ice scares
a lot of people away.

That's the biggest factor in it.

You've got to love what you do.

If you don't love
what you do, you're

not going to do this job,
that's for damn sure.

We want to get out of
here as soon as possible,

before we get snowed in up here.

We're going to try to get out
of here as soon as we can.

NARRATOR: Hugh is
not wasting any time.

He plans to turn and burn.

It says my load is
waiting there for me.

There it is.

Ready to rock.

Polar bears got the right
of way in the north.

Always.

No matter if they're in the
Northwest Territories, Inuvik

and Alaska, polar bears
got the right of way.

Here we go.

I have to wait for security.

NARRATOR: Jack Jesse was
stranded in Dead Horse for 24

hours because of the storm.

Now that it's let up, he's
been given one last mission

before heading
back to Fairbanks.

Yeah, we went in and
talked with dispatch.

And they called the
people out in the oilfield

and they want this
thing right away.

A load of 80 foot pipe needs
to be delivered 30 miles west,

directly to an off shore
oil rig in the Arctic Sea.

There's only so many days
up here in the wintertime

to get things done.

There's a limited amount of timeto get everything with that oil

rig loaded up with things
that they can't fly in

in the summer.

They make the road every winter.

And it's only open for a
certain amount of time.

So that particular part of the
road is more like those ice

road truckers in Canada.

NARRATOR: Over just
a few inches of ice,

the speed limit is
10 miles per hour.

Any faster and you
risk breaking through.

You're going slower.

Your heart beats a
little bit faster.

But we've got it here now.

The guys are going to show me
where they want me to drop it

at.

I'll probably be able to
send this thing tomorrow.

I think the wind is
supposed to die down.

And everybody will be happy.

After two weeks on the
ice road, Jack and George

are tied with
three loads apiece.

And Hugh Roland has made
personal history in America.

CB RADIO: What do
you think so far?

Well she's quite a haul
road, that's for sure.

I've heard about this road
since I was a little kid,

since I was a teenager.

I always wanted to
come over and try it.

I made it to the Dalton game.

So I did pretty good.

I'm pretty proud of myself.

Pretty honored.