All language subtitles for Ice.Road.Truckers.S03E11.Busted.Parts.and.Breakdowns.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: On this episode
of "Ice Road Truckers."

Oh, no.

Hang on.

NARRATOR: Alaska is rocked
by a volcanic eruption.

Alex charges ahead in
the dash for the cash.

I like to catch him because
it will make him grumpy.

Dirty rotten [bleep].

Heh, heh, heh.

NARRATOR: And a breakdown
leaves Lisa stranded on the ice.

LISA KELLY: My truck is dead.

NARRATOR: At the
top of the world--

[horn honks]

[grinding]

--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]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[glass crashing]

[truck engine getting louder]

[glass crashing]

[brakes swoosh]

With less than two weeks
left in the winter season,

the spring thaw is
fast approaching.

And the race is on
to get the last 300

loads in before the
ice roads melt away.

But an unforeseen disaster
1,000 miles to the south

has made this treacherous
road more vital than ever.

Mount Redoubt is erupting--

[loud explosion]

--sending ash more than
65,000 feet into the sky.

It's grounded all
air traffic in Alaska

and created delays in
nearly every industry.

Now the Dalton ice road is the
only route to the oilfields,

and the north slope is
desperate for supplies.

In Fairbanks, Jack
Jessee is picking up

his 17th load of the season.

JACK JESSEE: Well, we've got
a loaded fuel tanker today.

It's got about 9,200
gallons of fuel on it.

We're going to be right
at our max weight.

NARRATOR: And this fuel tanker
could be Jack's most important

run yet.

JACK JESSEE: The volcano
erupted down there in Anchorage,

shut down the refineries.

Prudhoe's been out of fuel
for a couple days now,

and they're going
to start feeling it.

NARRATOR: Everything
in Deadhorse

runs on diesel generators.

No fuel, no power, no heat.

And the oil-flowing south
will soon come to a halt

if they can't keep the flow
of diesel moving north.

And it's mad rush to get
all this fuel up there.

I try to load max
volume on the tanker

to bring the whole trailer
right up to my max weight.

And then I have to
adjust my axles to make

all the axle groups legal.

NARRATOR: But Jack's
lift axle is frozen shut.

A lift axle uses compressed
air to raise and lower

the suspension, which
transfers weight

evenly throughout the trailer.

[air hisses]

Nope, I'll go get
the mechanic again.

[air hisses]

It doesn't seem like
coming up is the problem.

It just happened
when it come down.

NARRATOR: Carlile
mechanic Jared Lane

pries open the valves to clear
the air lines of any moisture.

[air hisses]

JACK JESSEE: There we go.

Perfect.

And then we'll get this
tanker load to Prudhoe.

NARRATOR: As Jack reaches the
Dalton, the rapidly thawing

road becomes his
next big challenge.

JACK JESSEE: The sun
hit it yesterday,

and it just makes
it so much slicker.

And I'm already spinning
climbing up this hill.

Those are the tires
spinning right now.

Come on, find some traction.

I told you, this is going to
be a slick day out here today.

[loud semi engine]

NARRATOR: 500 miles north
in Deadhorse, Lisa Kelly

arrives to pick up her
13th load of the season.

LISA KELLY: Our wonderful
mountain blew up,

and it was, like, there's
this ash everywhere.

NARRATOR: The volcano is
creating multiple delays.

If my wheels aren't turning,
I'm not getting paid to sit.

What am I hauling?

Uh, it's just going to
be some miscellaneous LTL.

OK.

And it will include
a little bit of hazmat.

Used batteries, I think
I can deal with that.

No big deal.

OK, so go fast.

NARRATOR: But a load
of used batteries

is not the only thing Lisa
will be carrying today.

I have a passenger today.

NARRATOR: Anita Stelsel is
a safety trainer for an oil

company, and a volcano has
stranded her on the north

slope.

Hey.

NARRATOR: She needs to hitch
a ride back to Fairbanks

with Lisa.
- Hi.

Thanks for taking me to town.

Yeah, no problem, Anita.

Her flight was canceled
and rescheduled

for a much later time than
she wanted to be there.

Load your stuff and hop
in, we'll get out of here.

It's going to be interesting
having a passenger.

I haven't had one
in a long time.

I'm sure she's not
going to like my techno.

[door closes]

[laughs]

[techno music]

NARRATOR: Back in
Deadhorse, Alex Debogorski

is also preparing to head
south with a backhaul.

I'm hauling a C-1256, one
of the Carlile tractors.

The radiator broke and was
leaking a bunch of antifreeze.

NARRATOR: Alex has trailed
his rival Hugh Rowland

in loads all season.

Now they're dead even, and
he's eager to pull ahead.

Oh, I'd like to catch him
because it will make him

grumpy.

[chuckles]

Because he's always
rush, rush, rush, rush.

So right now, I've
aired up the trailer.

I'm just going to
check the chains,

check the tires and the
suspension on the trailer,

and I guess we'll be off.

[soft thuds]

Well, [bleep], that tire's flat.

This tire's off the rim.

NARRATOR: Alex has been
sidelined this season

by a frustrating run
of worn-out tires.

A huge hole delayed
him the first time.

Then--

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Look at that,
we've got another flat tire.

Looks like it's
got the tread gone.

NARRATOR: --on another trip,
he lost an entire tread layer.

Now this.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well,
I mean, the weight,

I mean, that tire
couldn't carry two,

the weight for both of them.

We'll end up with
two flat tires.

These smaller tires don't--
aren't that great anyway.

Yeah, I think and then
probably that looks like a cap,

too, so she'd be wrecked.

NARRATOR: Alex has no choice
but to head to the tire shop.

Well, I've got a full load,
and that tire goes flat,

then there's a possibility
in wrecking a second tire.

We end up with two flat
tires and one axle,

chances are, we're
not going to make it.

Oh, well.

A guy's gotta pick a
place to die of old age,

I guess, it might be Prudhoe.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: Back at the
Carlile yard in Fairbanks.

Hugh.

Get another load, I guess.

Sure.

Another load of pipe.

OK.

It's actually the last
load of the seven-inch pipe

for the year, so go get your
truck and get ready to go,

and it'll be right
here in this yard.

Oh?

NARRATOR: Mechanic Jared
Lane has some bad news.

HUGH ROWLAND: OK, well,
at least I know that.

NARRATOR: Hugh was hoping to
hit the road within the hour.

But now that his truck has
a major exhaust problem,

he's stuck in town indefinitely.

Well, here I sit
broken-hearted.

Truck's broken down.

We're waiting for some
exhaust clamps and stuff.

I guess they better fix it.

Because if your
exhaust ain't good,

you're not going anywhere.

NARRATOR: 60 miles out of
Deadhorse, Lisa races south

with her passenger, Anita.

Am I scaring ya?

[laughs]

No, not at all because
I'm a safety trainer, right?

I teach driving.

I can tell you're really solid.

Well, as pretty
as this road is,

though, there sure is a lot
of crazy accidents up here.

I figure it's because they're
all looking at the mountains

and not the road.

[chuckles]

I would guess it has something
to do with the speed you

guys go because I've wondered
how and why a trucker would be

driving faster than I would
drive on a road like this.

Trucks are a lot
heavier than a car is.

Right.

And the trailer actually
helps weight the tires.

And then when you
think about it,

I've got at least 10 wheels
just on the truck alone.

That's more contact
with the ice.

NARRATOR: Lisa is making
good time until suddenly--

Um.

[ominous music]

[door closes]

[diesel engine running]

LISA KELLY: [bleep],, I've
got a major fuel leak.

It's leaking on the ground.

[engine stops]

If the truck isn't running
and doesn't give me heat,

then I could freeze to death.

This is a major problem.

My truck is dead.

NARRATOR: 62 miles
south of Deadhorse,

Lisa Kelly and her
passenger, Anita,

are stranded with
a broken fuel line.

LISA KELLY: I don't know.

I don't even know what to do
because I don't know where it's

coming from.

I can't find, there's
fuel like everywhere.

And I can't go
anywhere like this.

We won't make it
anywhere with no fuel.

NARRATOR: The diesel continues
to pour out into a hazmat

pan used to protect the tundra.

They're out of radio contact.

And without fuel,
they have no heat.

The situation is quickly
becoming life-threatening.

OK.

I'm going to go check it out,
make sure, see if it's stopped

or not.
OK.

Do you need my help?

--what's going on.

Uh, no, just stay in here
and stay warm for now,

I guess, so I'll be right back.

[door closes]

I just don't even know
where it's coming from.

It's just all soaked under here.

I'm too [bleep] cold.

You know, there's always people
around until you break down,

then there's nobody.

[ominous music]

[door closes]

ANITA STELSEL: What's wrong?

LISA KELLY: From what I can
see, it's a major, major problem

that I can't fix.

It's not something I
can just, I don't even

know where it's coming from.

So the thing we gotta do is
sit here and wait for a truck

to go by.

The truck's off, and
it's cold out here,

so hopefully someone comes
along before I freeze to death.

NARRATOR: Up north
in Deadhorse, Alex

has been stuck for two hours
waiting for his flat tire

to be repaired.

He gave up the lucrative
ice roads in Yellowknife

for a shot at bigger
money in Alaska.

But constant mechanical
trouble has cost him

thousands of dollars.

Well, you lose
money because we've--

I don't know-- we've lost
a couple of days already,

you know.

Tires go flat, and it
gets slightly frustrating.

That's just the way it goes.

Hopefully we'll get to see
Fairbanks soon and start

with a new load.

That'll be pretty
well the morning.

We'll start on the
afternoon shift after that.

[chuckles]

[metal thud]

Yeah, Jeff found
this in my tire.

Goodness knows what it is.

He thinks it might
be a piece of chain.

Could be a piece of space
junk that fell to Earth,

landed on the Dalton
highway, and I ran it over.

[space music]

[whirring]

Have fun.

Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Alex makes a break
for it, trying once again

to pull ahead of Hugh.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI:
Well, what would Hugh

do if he had a flat tire?

He'd probably run till all
the tires fell off the truck.

[laughs]

NARRATOR: But just as
he heads for the ice--

ALEX DEBOGORSKI:
We're not done yet.

NARRATOR: Another setback.

The rolling
disaster continues.

The truck which we're hauling
has a radiator problem, which

means it's leaking antifreeze.

NARRATOR: The antifreeze is
toxic and must be contained.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Ah,
[bleep],, it's leaking out

the other side, too.

MECHANIC: Yeah.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: It's
not rocket science.

It has to be drained.

MECHANIC: We can pull that
one plug out right there

on that bottom hose.

And it'll come right out.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Because they
are usually seized in there.

We're lucky that thing
might break loose.

I'm thinking that's
the one right there.

NARRATOR: Alex removes
the radiator cap

to drain all the antifreeze.

[liquid draining]

OK.

NARRATOR: With the
spill cleaned up,

Alex attempts to head
south one more time.

I've had enough of
Prudhoe for today.

Pretty well fixed everything.

We might as well get going
before something else breaks.

[laughing]

Let's go do some trucking.

Good Lord willing,
I'll see you in Coldfoot.

[chuckles]

I don't believe it.

We're finally on the road.

NARRATOR: Back in Fairbanks--

[loud whirring]

--mechanics have just
finished repairing

Hugh's exhaust system, and he's
finally getting on the road.

HUGH ROWLAND: Hey, let's go.

Go ahead and head on up there.

Let's rock and roll, Billy.

We were going to start at 5:00.

It's 10:00 now.

[truck horn]

NARRATOR: The sun has already
beaten down on the ice for five

long hours, and it's clear.

The end of the ice
road season is near.

See, the old frost
heaves are coming out now.

She's starting to warm up.

The road got soft.

She's "washboardy," potholes,
[bleep] rocks sticking out

of her.

Now she's a [bleep] mess.

She's a rough son of a [bleep].

NARRATOR: Hugh struggles
to keep his rig steady

over the rough terrain.

HUGH ROWLAND: You [bleep].

She don't want to go up there.

Come into low range.

Making that sound, she won't
go into high range on the hill.

DISPATCH: You have a good trip.

HUGH ROWLAND: Too
steep right there.

NARRATOR: At this pace,
Hugh won't be taking back

his lead on Alex anytime soon.

Road's rougher than [bleep].

Spring has sprung.

She's coming apart at the seams,
but we'll make her happen.

Just got to go slow and steady.

Make it work.

NARRATOR: 150 miles
up the ice road,

Jack Jessee continues north
with a load of fuel desperately

needed on the north slope.

Uh, right now, I'm
hauling 9,200 gallons.

We're shipping up massive
quantities of this fuel.

NARRATOR: When it comes to
hauling important loads,

Jack is one of
Carlile's top drivers.

If they give me
a load, they know

it's going to get there, unless
something catastrophic happens.

You know, I'm not hauling a
van load of valves or groceries

or insulation, you know.

This is, this is fuel.

Trucks catch on fire sometimes.

I mean, tankers have burned
down on the roads before.

It does happen.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, Jack
faces one of the Dalton's most

challenging hills, the Koyukuk.

The Koyukuk, you
know, she's one

of the many places you don't
want to meet people out here.

You know, you could easily end
up a big ball of mess of steel

down at the bottom of it.

NARRATOR: It starts with a
razor-sharp narrow curve,

and then it's straight
up, a 13% grade.

And it's best navigated
one truck at a time.

Jack builds momentum
to make the climb.

JACK JESSEE [ON RADIO]:
Going up the Koyukuk now.

[radio beeps]

Son of a [bleep].

NARRATOR: But a southbound
truck is also headed straight

for the narrow curve.

JACK JESSEE: I hollered
at him on the radio.

I hope he heard me 'cause
if he doesn't stop,

then I'm going to try my
damnedest to get him to stop

or slowed down.

[ominous music]

Oh, no.

Hang on.

[bleep] dammit.

Holy [bleep].

NARRATOR: 150 miles
up the ice road,

Jack Jessee is navigating
a razor-sharp curve.

JACK JESSEE: Koyukuk, just one
of the many places you don't

want to meet people out here.

You know, you could easily end
up a big ball of mess of steel

down at the bottom of it.

NARRATOR: He radioed ahead
to warn an oncoming truck.

JACK JESSEE [ON RADIO]: I'm
coming up this way, Southbound.

NARRATOR: But his
call went unnoticed.

JACK JESSEE: [bleep] dammit.

NARRATOR: And now they're
on a collision course.

JACK JESSEE: Oh, no, hang on.

Oh, my god.

Holy [bleep].

Holy cow.

Well, now, why in the
hell did anybody do that?

You know, it's a well-known
fact among all our drivers

up here that northbound truck
usually have the right-of-way.

Ah, hell, that wasn't
a close call then.

That's just normal.

[laughs]

I wasn't worried.

I had my fingers crossed.

I don't get worried
till I cross my toes.

NARRATOR: Jack forges ahead
with 270 miles still to go.

You know, we're not
thrill-seekers up here.

We're just trying
to make a living.

You know, we want to make it
home to our families, you know.

That's-- that's what we do.

NARRATOR: 200 miles to the
north, Lisa and her passenger

are still broken down
in the Arctic cold

with a massive fuel leak.

Oh, there'll be somebody.

There'll be somebody
that comes along.

NARRATOR: They've been
stranded for nearly an hour

with no heat and
no help in sight.

Finally--

LISA KELLY: Hey,
there's a truck coming.

Hey, hey, hey, can you stop,
can you stop for a second.

Back up.
I need you.

I need you.
I'm broken.

Come back.

BAIRD FOLSOM: Hey, Lisa.

LISA KELLY: Yeah.

I'm broken.

Please help me.

Hey.

Thanks for stopping.

I was smelling diesel fuel
really bad, and then I got out

and the whole underside of
the truck is just covered.

Yeah, it's leaking
when it's not running?

LISA KELLY: I can't figure
out where it's coming from,

but it looked like it was
just coming out of the bottom

down there.

That's where it's really wet.

NARRATOR: Trucker Baird Folsom
spots the trouble immediately.

The fuel line's dropped
on a fitting in there,

and it's actually rubbed
a hole in the fuel line.

LISA KELLY: Well, if
we can't get it fixed,

somebody needs a ride.

NARRATOR: If it
can't be fixed, Lisa

will have to abandon her
load and lose nearly $1,500.

But there's nothing like
a damsel in distress

to attract passing truckers.

Soon Lisa's got an
entourage of helping hands.

LISA KELLY: Help me.

Where's it broke at?

LISA KELLY: Save me, Hardy.

[laughs]

NARRATOR: Most ice road
truckers carry spare parts.

But an extra fuel
return line is rare.

Look at that.

LISA KELLY: Woo!

You owe him big.

NARRATOR: If the
part works, Lisa

will soon be back in business.

LISA KELLY: I want
to help if I can

or learn or watch or something.

I can be somewhat useful.

I wish I was a little bit more
mechanically inclined than I

am, but I couldn't even tell
where it was coming from.

This is something I
have never seen before.

I have yet to see a
mechanic work on a motor

from the top of it like that.

LISA KELLY: I have a
great view from here.

I'm watching.

I'm learning.

MAN: She was standing in
the fender well last time.

[laughing]

I was-- I was watching
and learning then, too.

So that's a fuel line, huh?

MAN: This is the return line.
LISA KELLY: What's it do?

Go back into the--

MAN: Goes back into,
into the system.

LISA KELLY: What kind
of fitting do you need?

I have like an air one.

MAN: Oh, you've got
different kind of tools,

like you've got makeup
or something in there.

[laughter]

I'm sorry, Lisa.

I'm sorry.

LISA KELLY: You've got a
crescent wrench right here

that I'm about ready to chuck.

[laughs]

That's the bad line, and
here's the good line.

We screwed it on there and
screwed it in the back.

Actually, Baird did it.
Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Better start it, make
sure it works first.

NARRATOR: One big
test still remains.

[click]

[engine struggling]

[engine starts]

LISA KELLY: Awesome.

MAN: OK.

LISA KELLY: OK,
thank you so much.

Very, very grateful that
these guys stopped to help us.

NARRATOR: Back on the road,
Lisa is southbound once again,

hoping to make up for lost time.

It's tough to get
warm after all that,

but the truck's heating up.

We've got some air going on now.

Rolling again, woo-hoo.

NARRATOR: 120 miles
south of Lisa, Hugh

is hell-bent on raking
in as many loads

as he can before
the season ends.

HUGH ROWLAND: It's
warming up every day.

I think I got the last load
of big seven-inch pipe.

There won't be any more big
stuff coming, I don't think,

so it's really winding down
here for the end of the season.

We're going to make her all
the way to Prudhoe Bay tonight,

so we're going to
push right on through.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, treacherous
conditions on Atigun Pass

are making chains necessary
for all northbound trucks.

But here at the base
of the mountain range,

an early spring thaw is
quickly turning the road

into a slick mixture
of ice and mud.

Go throw some iron on here.

[chains rattling]

[bleep] mud.

You're just making
everything tough to get on.

[bleep] dammit.

Ah, [bleep].

NARRATOR: Four miles ahead,
Hugh's convoy partner,

Phil Cromm, has already
made it over the pass.

He's struggling a bit.

He should be coming
down this side by now.

NARRATOR: While the polar bear
may reign on roads made of ice,

slogging through mud
is just not his style.

Ah, you dirty rotten
[bleep],, slimy [bleep]..

NARRATOR: 170 miles from
Deadhorse, Hugh Rowland

is stuck at the
base of Atigun Pass.

HUGH ROWLAND: Oh,
you [bleep] sucker.

NARRATOR: Struggling to
chain up in the worst

springtime conditions.

HUGH ROWLAND: [bleep],,
ah, ah, [bleep]..

NARRATOR: The chains are
caked with frozen mud--

Nope.

NARRATOR: --making them
impossible to clasp.

But without chains, he stands
no chance against the still icy

conditions on the Pass.

HUGH ROWLAND: Uh, [bleep].

NARRATOR: After 45
minutes of struggle,

Hugh finally locks the
last chain in place.

HUGH ROWLAND: Isn't
that something?

[bleep] mud on
my [bleep] glasses.

Yeah, type of [bleep] where
I'd like to shove some camera

up somebody's [bleep]
ass is what it is.

[grunts]

[dramatic music]

[chains rattling]

NARRATOR: Hugh climbs steadily
to the top of the 4,700-foot

summit.

Well, I'll tell
you, it ain't very

many trips since she's melting.

Every day, you notice a
difference every time you

come over here.

NARRATOR: As he heads
down the icy slope,

he has to rely on
his Jake brake, which

uses engine compression
to slow his descent.

Too much foot brake in
these slick conditions

could cause him to
jackknife over the edge.

[metal crunching]

As his speed increases, Hugh
flips the Jake brake on,

but nothing happens.

HUGH ROWLAND: Come
on, you [bleep]..

NARRATOR: 45,000
pounds of drill pipe

is now pushing Hugh faster
and faster down the hill.

Up ahead, one of Atigun's
deadly hairpin turns.

[ominous music]

Hugh down-shifts and carefully
pumps the foot brake,

but it's not slowing
him down fast enough.

He hits the Jake one more time.

[dramatic music]

[engine revs down]

And it finally engages.

[bleep], amazing.

I love that pass.

I mean, that's,
going over there,

and that's [bleep]
exciting driving, that one.

Brake [bleep] pucker up,
that's the best thing

that ever happened.

Woo-hoo.

[truck horn]

NARRATOR: The Brooks mountain
range was formed more than 126

million years ago.

It extends for 710 miles
across northern Alaska

and reaches heights
of up to 4,700 feet.

At this altitude, the
weather is so unpredictable

that it caused many historical
gold expeditions to fail.

And today, as a front
moves in, the pass still

proves to be the worst
trouble spot for the truckers.

So shortly here, we'll get
down there by Atigun camp.

We'll be putting the chains on.

NARRATOR: Alex and
convoy partner Ron Dobbs

are at the north
slope of Atigun,

preparing to make the climb.

Hopefully I don't have
problems getting over

with this load.

I think it's fairly heavy
towards the back end,

so I could spin.

Gonna go out and
put the chains on.

Hang the jewelry.

[chains rattling]

NARRATOR: To be safe, Alex
chains up all four drive axles.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Oh, baby.

NARRATOR: Like Hugh, Alex
has struggled with his chains

the entire time
he's been in Alaska.

[hydraulics hiss]

But today, Alex proves he's
one step closer to mastering

the Dalton ice road.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: OK.

Rock and roll.

[snow crunches]

We're all locked up and
chained up on all four.

And we've got snow falling.

Slippery, up we go, up and
over, into the Twilight Zone.

NARRATOR: Each foot he
climbs brings heavier snow.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We're
climbing into the clouds now,

so visibility will probably
not be great at the top.

So we won't be
worried about scenery.

We'll be just worrying
about seeing the guardrail.

Heh, heh, heh.

Ooh.

The good thing is you can't
see down over the cliff.

Depends where you go, it'll
be 200 to maybe 300 feet down.

Make for a wild ride anyway.

Make sure we've got
our radios turned on

so we can hear if anybody's
coming up from the other side.

Oh!

[truck honking]

Where's the shoulder?

Holy mackerel,
we're disappearing.

[radio chatter]

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: You've
disappeared into the clouds.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Just as long
as I don't go over the guardrail

instead.

Braille.

NARRATOR: Alex and Ron cut
through the fog and snow

and finally round the
4,700-foot summit.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We've come
down out of the clouds.

We're doing fine.

Avalanche comes down, it'll
just shove us over the bank.

I'm just worried about
staying on the road.

I'll let the avalanche
worry about itself.

If we get hit by an avalanche,
we won't have much time

to think about it.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: 75 miles from
Fairbanks, Lisa Kelly

and her passenger are nearing
the end of a long day.

LISA KELLY: It never fails.

The trip you're
going home is the one

that just screws all up.

It goes wrong, takes long.

Floyd, Floyd, Floyd, I need you.

I need you.
I need you.

I'm broken.

Come back.

NARRATOR: Luckily, Lisa
got her fuel line fixed.

[engine running]

LISA KELLY: OK,
thank you so much.

NARRATOR: But they've spent
the past 12 hours inhaling

diesel fumes.

LISA KELLY: The
piece that came off

was like right in
front of the dash here.

And then it just soaked
the whole underside.

The fumes are just coming right
up through the cabin sleeper,

so the fumes are in here so
bad that you can taste them.

Yeah, we're all
eager to get home.

NARRATOR: Inhaling diesel
can cause nausea and even

temporary blindness.

But with the finish
line in sight,

Lisa decides to power
through to Fairbanks.

Uh, my head feels
like about 100 pounds,

and it wants to fall down on the
ground because it hurts so bad.

Head feels like a bowling ball.

[ominous music]

[bird cawing]

NARRATOR: Lisa Kelly
is nearing the end

of a grueling 14-hour trip in
a cab filled with diesel fumes.

All this diesel smell
is making me sick,

so I'm not feeling
too good right now.

NARRATOR: She
survived a breakdown

and managed to ferry her
passenger safely back

to Fairbanks.

LISA KELLY: I'm in
Fairbanks, and I'm done.

All right, yeah, thanks.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah, thanks.

And next time I can't fly home
because a volcano blows up, I

will keep you in mind.

OK, thanks.

[chuckles]

NARRATOR: With 500
miles behind her,

Lisa finally calls it a day.

LISA KELLY: Barely made
it, but we made it.

That's all that matters.

We're here.

NARRATOR: Just 85
miles up the road,

Alex and Ron are also
closing in on Fairbanks.

Yeah, there's been
enough twists and turns,

that's for sure.

NARRATOR: Alex had a day filled
with mechanical problems,

and it's not over yet.

[engine rattling]

Oh, baby.

We're going up the hill, and,
uh, all of a sudden, the engine

quits.

You know, maybe drops 100, 200
RPM and then catches again.

[engine revs back up]

Kind of jiggle it back and forth
like it's not running the way

it should.

So I'm not sure if it's
the air cleaner causing

a problem or the
computer or it just, we

haven't had any trouble
for the last two

or three hours so it's just
time to have a problem.

NARRATOR: Alex's truck stands
little chance of making it

over the steep
hills to Fairbanks.

If he can't fix
the problem, he'll

lose the load and the
$1,300 that goes with it.

RON: Well, let's
just drop the hood,

and we'll just
take a quick peek.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: See, there's
quite a bit of dirt here, eh?

RON: Quite a bit of dirt, yeah.
ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Surprised--

NARRATOR: The air filter is
clogged, causing the engine

to falter.

Ron tries rigging the
valve to get air directly

into the system.

RON: When it's idling like
that, it's usually getting air

from the inside underneath the
hood, so it's getting warm air.

Now when you get on the
throttle and that pops open,

and then you're getting
the outside air.

Does it, does it go back
or back and forth on its own?

RON: Well, it should.

I don't understand why it's
hanging up there like that.

Yeah, with a
little bit of luck,

we'll get this
thing back to town

before we have
any more problems.

That's a sigh of relief.

There's the shop.

NARRATOR: With
Carlile's yard in sight,

Alex limps across
the finish line.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well,
it's been a heck of a trip.

I'm happy to see the end
of it, that's for sure.

NARRATOR: 490 miles
north, Hugh and Phil power

out the last stretch
to Deadhorse.

HUGH ROWLAND: Hammer down
then for [bleep] sakes.

[laughs]

Quit your lollygagging.

[truck horn]

Coming around the
edge of the airport.

NARRATOR: When they
finally pull into the yard,

Hugh is hoping to turn and
burn with another load.

Yes, it's Hugh Rowland,
truck number 1158.

Well, I don't have a load.

I thought I'd have a
load when I got here,

but apparently I don't.

So what do I, what do I do?

Yeah, I don't see it
so, OK, yeah, bye.

Tried to get another one.

Nobody's up.

Nobody's around.

No, I didn't have
a load, I guess.

I have to wait till morning.

We were late getting going.

That's why we're so
late getting here.

It's done now.

NARRATOR: After 11 weeks
on the Dalton ice road,

Hugh and Alex are
in a dead heat,

and Jack Jessee is
the clear frontrunner,

as he continues to push through
the night with a vital load

of fuel.

The way this road
is, I don't think I'm

going to have any
problem staying awake.

It's kind of taking
110% attention

to drive it right now.

NARRATOR: Hauling 9,200 gallons
of diesel over this road

has taken its toll.

[gears grinding]

JACK JESSEE: The load's
wiggling me around.

Potholes here, you
know, rough road there.

The back of my neck from getting
thrown back and forth going

through the frost heaves.

Uh.

Oh, we finally made
it to Deadhorse.

It's about 3:30.

NARRATOR: Jack pulls into
the pumps with little time

to spare.

Yeah, you see how far the line
is up on those tanks up there?

That's how much fuel
they got in them.

Uh, what a day.

OK, we got flow.

You look at it just right, you
can see that stuff zooming out

of there.

NARRATOR: 9,200 gallons drain
in less than 45 minutes.

Eh, make it empty.

It don't do me any
good to haul it back.

MAN: You're on the road.

JACK JESSEE: All right.

Sounds good to me.

It's been a long day.

We got it up here, though.

Then, we're going to find a hole
to crawl into, just go to bed.