All language subtitles for Ice.Road.Truckers.S05E01.Pushing.The.Edge.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: For five seasons,
the ice road truckers

have tested themselves on the
most dangerous roads in North

America.

We're on the ice.

Woo-hoo!

[horn honking]

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

[horn honking]

Woo!

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: This
year, old friends--

[horn honking]

Hey.

You look familiar.

NARRATOR: --and new rivals--

I cannot wait to get driving.

I came here to
drive the ice roads.

You know, everybody
talks about the ice road.

NARRATOR: --will face off in
a battle across the continent.

Well, I think Little Miss
Muffet's gonna get knocked off

her tuffet.

It ain't over till the fat
lady sings. [SINGING] Ah!

NARRATOR: They'll return to
the deadly mountains of Alaska.

Holy crap.

NARRATOR: And take on the
frozen wilderness of Canada--

[dramatic music]

It's like four-wheel
driving in a big rig.

Ha, ha, ha!

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

NARRATOR: --to fight for the
title King of the Ice Roads.

Dash for the cash.

I want to be the guy
making all the dough.

NARRATOR: Two roads, one winner.

When you only got 60 days to
make your cash, you drive her.

[dramatic music]

NARRATOR: No second chances.

The cop's gonna come
arrest me right now.

Stop.

Stop.

Brake, brake,
brake, brake, brake!

[dramatic music]

[theme music]

NARRATOR: As winter takes
hold across the north,

plummeting temperatures
mean one thing.

Damn!

Love you.

Love you, too.

And I'll see
you in the spring.

NARRATOR: It's time
for the Polar Bear

to get back on the prowl.

OK!

Let's roll!

[horn honking]

This will do it.

Keep the sleep at bay.

Let's get at her.

NARRATOR: This
trucking legend has

made a name driving the
toughest roads in the north--

Yellowknife--

Woo!

NARRATOR: --Inuvik--

She's another good bingo.

I made her back to
Inuvik one more time.

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: --and for the last
two seasons, Alaska's Dalton

Highway.

[imitates whip cracking]
Come on, baby!

NARRATOR: But this
year, the Polar Bear

is talking new territory, back
in his homeland of Canada.

Well, I was kinda
sick of the Dalton.

I mean, it's a glorified
[bleep] highway.

My-- my driveway is steeper
than most of the [bleep]

hills out there.

The girls on the Dalton
can stay on the Dalton.

I mean, this is where the real
boys actually do some trucking

on the ice road.

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: His destination?

The starting point of
Manitoba's deadly winter roads.

1,400 miles of twisting
trails through some

of the most remote and
unforgiving wilderness

on the planet.

Drivers here face
axle-crushing frost heaves,

heart-stopping ice crossings,
and frozen swamps that

can swallow a big rig whole.

ALEX: Whoa.

NARRATOR: And out here, the
only thing more dangerous

than the ice is the isolation.

Basically, taking your truck,
driving it through the worst

[bleep] possible, and hoping
things don't break down.

These are the most southernly
ice roads in North America.

We've got a small window here--
60 days.

That's what I like.

60, 70 days of ice roads.

And, you know-- head down,
ass up, and get at her.

NARRATOR: For just a
few weeks each year,

the window opens to resupply
dozens of native communities

across the wild.

All these people depend on us
to get their supplies up there

for the upcoming year.

[horn honking]

Last year, the season
ended really early.

There was essentials that needed
to get into the communities.

And the weather turned,
and everything just

went to [bleep].

[ominous music]

This year, we've got
a lot of work to do.

Because we've got last year's
loads and this year's loads

to haul up.

NARRATOR: The extreme danger
means big money for any trucker

willing to take the risk.

[dramatic music]

Ha, ha, ha.

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: And for this job, Hugh
is bringing along some backup--

his ex-employee Rick Yemm.

Feels good to be back.

I've been off from the ice
trucking for a few years now.

And for-- I guess--
my triumphant return,

I get to do it with
my best friend.

I said, Rick will never
drive one of my trucks again.

And that was a
couple of years ago.

And he never has drove
one of my trucks again.

This time, he's leasing a truck.

And he's his own boss.

NARRATOR: After years struggling
to play by other people's

rules--

You [bleep] [bleep].

Come back in this yard again,
I'm gonna get the RCMP in.

[thud]

NARRATOR: Leasing Hugh's
truck is Rick's first shot

to be in business for himself.

A lot more money for me
and a lot more responsibility

for me, too.

But I'm taking a big step,
and moving forward, and moving

my way up in this kind of work.

This is his big
redemption here.

If he can make her here,
he's going to be in the--

he'll be in the money game now.

NARRATOR: Finally, Hugh and
Rick arrive in Winnipeg.

And the Polar Bear wastes no
time getting down to business.

I'll try this Mark guy.

See what he's got going on.

Hello, Mark?

Hey, Mark.

Hugh Rowland here
from-- from BC there.

Just made her into
Winnipeg here now.

So what's she looking
like for loads over there?

OK.

OK, thanks.

Bye.

Bye.

He said give him
a call tomorrow.

He's got lots of loads.
He said he's got lots of loads.

Just not till the
first of the week.

He's got lots
of loads, he said.

So that's good.
- Lots of loads, yep.

Cha-ching!

HUGH: You nail some
of these loads,

you're going home with
a pocketful of cash.

This separates highway
truckers from the real guys

that know how to drive a truck.

I mean, this is the
Canadian ice roads.

This is where it all started.

This is where-- this is how they
learned how to drive on ice.

Right here.

NARRATOR: While Hugh
and Rick gear up--

2,600 miles northwest at the
starting line of the Dalton

Highway--

[engine turning over]

[horn honking]

--the race has just begun.

[horn honking]

Alaska's elite truckers are
about to embark on an epic

mission.

The goal?

Deliver 1,500 loads
in just 90 days

to resupply the billion dollar
oilfields of Prudhoe Bay.

We're hauling modules.

We're going to haul pipe.

We're going to haul fuel.

Basically, if they build
it, we're hauling it.

NARRATOR: With a record number
of heavy hauls this season,

every trucker on the road
will have to raise their game.

LANE: It doesn't matter
if it's going over

the ice, through the wind,
through the whiteout--

we're going to get it there.

NARRATOR: And at the
Carlile yard in Fairbanks,

veteran trucker Lisa Kelly
is up for the challenge.

Well, I ain't Blondie no more.

My hair is red, because I've
been blond for too long.

Doing the whole-- oh!

I'm a damsel in distress, and
I don't know what I'm doing.

And this year, I'm
gonna take no prisoners.

So I dyed it red,
because it's to remind me

of my fiery attitude that
I'm taking on this year.

NARRATOR: Lisa's first
load of the season--

80,000 pounds of pipe.

And she'll be leading a
convoy of heavy haul drivers

to Prudhoe Bay.

Heading out on the
first trip of the season.

[horn honking]

Our little convoying gang
is heading down the road.

Let's get this party started.

[dramatic music]

[horn honking]

[horn honking]

[dramatic music]

NARRATOR: As the short Alaska
days give way to night,

the heavy haul team approaches
one of the biggest challenges

on the Dalton.

We are almost to Koyukuk.

And Koyukuk is a nice,
left hand, uphill corner.

And it's one of the
steepest grades on the road.

Gotta do it now.

NARRATOR: Pulling a 60-ton
load, convoy partner Carey Hall

doesn't have the horsepower
to climb Koyukuk on his own.

Tail heavy lifts
weight off the drive.

Here's the truck
and the trailer.

Tail heavy pulls
it up like this,

pulls weight off the drives.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: To get the job done--

Putting the cables together.

NARRATOR: --Lisa hooks
a 1-inch thick steel tow

line to Carey's rig to drag
him up and over the hill.

What if we slip?

What if we start
slipping on this one?

What do we do?

We start slipping,
ain't much we can do.

NARRATOR: Pulling 120,000
pounds up Koyukuk's steep slope

will put extreme pressure
on the towing gear.

One wrong move and
the tow strap could

snap, sending Carey's
rig crashing backwards

over the edge.

OK.

I'm ready whenever you are.

OK.

Let's go.

[ominous music]

Can you feel him back there?

You would feel a jerk.

[ominous music]

I am in second over.

What are you in?

I'm at 1,500 RPMs.

[engine straining]

OK.

[suspenseful music]

LISA: The grade at the
top is the steepest grade.

Slipping already?

[ominous music]

Yeah.

He's slipping like crazy.

[suspenseful music]

LISA: What?

What's wrong?

[clatter]

[clanking]

[lisa gasping]

NARRATOR: Halfway up the
Dalton's steepest slope--

LISA: What?

What's wrong?

[clatter]

[clanking]

[lisa gasping]

LISA: Whoa!

Holy crap.

[ominous music]

NARRATOR: When the temperature
drops below minus 40 degrees,

metal becomes brittle.

And pulling 60 tons
up the 11% slope

was more than Lisa's
tow hooks could handle.

There's where our pulley went.

CAREY: All right.

I did a little
modification here.

NARRATOR: The only option
is to hook the tow line

to the smaller D-rings on Lisa's
bumper and continue the climb.

If those break off, then
we're pretty much done.

CAREY [OVER CB]: OK.

Ready when you are.

[dramatic music]

I'm in first right now,
working over to second.

[dramatic music]

OK.

I'm in second.

NARRATOR: The metal
holds for now,

but Lisa's convoy still
has 250 miles to go.

If one of those breaks, we're
gonna have to get creative.

I think I'm just gonna
kinda take that as it comes.

NARRATOR: 2,600 miles southeast
in Canada, Hugh and Rick

have rolled north to get
a sneak peek at the ice.

This is the winter
road right here.

Why don't we go up
a little further?

Even though it's [bleep] closed.

Well, we will go up and
see which ones are open

and which ones are closed.
I don't know.

Well, this one's closed.

NARRATOR: But two
unfamiliar trucks

quickly get the attention
of a passing officer.

How you doing?

Hello, gentlemen.

We're just up here
checking the roads out,

seeing which ones are open,
which ones are closed.

First time on these
roads, so we kinda

come up to get a
little bit of a heads

up before we gotta
start hauling.

Oh, yeah.

That's why we got no
trailers on or anything.

OK.
All right.

But, yeah.
No, we weren't going to go out.

We seen the roads closed.

And we're-- we go on the ice.

We know when it's closed,
it's for a reason.

Yeah.

We've got some construction
activities going on.

We're-- we're removing
some beaver dams today.

If you want to come along
and see some of that,

you're welcome.

Oh, that'd be cool.
Want to go check it out?

- We've got time.
- Yeah?

Sure.

Well, if the road's
closed, we're not hauling.

Yeah.

There you go.

So we're going to end up going
about 100 miles north to blow

up some beaver dams today.

There's a few there that
are causing us grief.

And we need to get them removed
so we can get our road in time

to get the freight going.

NARRATOR: A four-foot high
beaver dam is blocking access

to the last section
of the ice road.

And it's up to the Manitoba
road crew to clear it away.

Damn beaver dam.

Yeah.

We-- we curse the beaver dam.
Yeah.

How do you guys remove them?

Do you just got a--

like an excavator over here?

Well, these ones
we have-- this one,

we'd have to blast out of here.

[ominous music]

That's a lot of dynamite, man.

Sorry.

I'm getting a
little excited now.

I thought he was gonna put a
couple sticks in the ground.

Boom.
Now, that's looking good.

That dam runs right
across the roadway here

and runs all the way
over to that rock.

We're chopping holes
in that beaver dam

to find a place to
set the dynamite.

RICK: Oh, yeah.

We'll set the
dynamite in there, and--

HUGH: Pop her.

OK.

It's ready to go.

Run!

[hugh laughing]

HUGH: Get up!

[rick laughing]

RICK: [bleep].

You're gonna get blown up.

[series of explosions]

[laughter]

A couple of [bleep] clowns.

[rock music]

I wasn't sure you guys were
going to make it outta there

in time.

[laughter]

NARRATOR: With the path
clear, the road crew

can get down to business.

And the winter road
season will begin.

You know, hopefully
the trucks start coming,

the freight starts moving,
the communities are happy.

We're all happy when
the freight's going.

That's what we're out here for.

NARRATOR: Back in Alaska,
another old pro rolls

into Fairbanks, ready
to give the haul road

veterans a run for their money.

I'm going to come out on
top on the dash for the cash.

I mean, that's just a given.

All the others think they're
going to come out on top.

They might as well just--
I guess, pack it in now.

Because it ain't
going to happen.

NARRATOR: Trucker Dave Redmond--

a good, old boy from Riverside,
Alabama-- with a truckload

of swagger and 25 years
of driving to back it up.

This isn't my first rodeo.

I've driven in every
state in the lower 48.

I've been in virtually every
city, every small town.

Got 2 and 1/2 million
miles experience.

Last summer, I went
to India to do a job.

I mean, there's
no room for error.

Now, these [bleep].

Piss off.

[bleep]

Done most everything you can.

But I've never driven
up here on these roads.

It's kind of a badge of honor.

It's kind of bragging rights.

You know, where you can
go into the truck stop.

And guys will be talking,
and you can say, well,

I got one better.

Basically, made a few phone
calls and found an opening.

And here I am.

You're Lane?
- Howdy.

Happy to meet you.
- How you doing?

Dave Redmond.

- How you doing?
- All right.

Good.

DAVE [VOICEOVER]: I'm
going to go haul freight.

That's what I'm here to do.

Yes, sir.

We're going to send you
out with Tony Molesky.

OK.

One of our senior drivers.

You know, Tony has been
out there for a long time.

He's been there for 20 years.

I know you've got 25, 26 years
driving experience yourself.

But this is just
a different road.

Am I going to-- you know-- be
expected to just basically sit

there and look out the
window all day, or--

When Tony tells me
you're ready to go,

I'll-- we'll cut you loose and
get you out there doing it with

the guys.

OK.
LANE: All right?

All right.
LANE: All right.

Thanks, Dave.
- All right.

Have a good trip.

Yup.

DAVE [VOICEOVER]: I've
been on ice, been on snow,

been in the mountains,
you know, and I've--

I've been more places
than they've been.

I've been in traffic and done
the same [bleep],, you know.

This-- this road
has a way of uh,

busting an ego in
an awful hurry,

so that's the big thing we try
and get through to the drivers,

whether they're-- you know,
got a lot of miles, or are--

they're a new driver, is that
the road doesn't care who you

are.

I don't need a
[bleep] chaperone.

I just wanna get out on the
road, get this [bleep] done,

get going on-- you
know, by myself.

[tense music]

Hi.

You must be the new guy.
- Hey.

Tony?
- What's happening, Dave?

Ready to rock and roll?
- Ready to go.

Cool.

Well, we just loaded-- uh,
diesel fuel for Prudhoe,

so uh, let's go get her done.

NARRATOR: 20-year
veteran Tony Molesky

will judge Dave's skills as
they head to Prudhoe Bay.

He knows firsthand what can
happen when a rookie gets

behind the wheel.

[suspenseful music]

TONY: Last Wednesday, I was
heading for Prudhoe Bay with

a load of fuel, and I came
up over a small little rise--

what we call a surprise rise--

and met another
truck coming at me.

Couldn't get out of
his way fast enough,

and I had about two
seconds to react.

[horn blares]

And I just steered the
truck into the ditch as hard

as I could.

[truck rumbling]

[metal rattling]

I thought I was gone.

[grim music]

LANE: It's been a long time
since I seen a wreck this bad--

literally just a
couple inches from--

from taking his life.

Probably one of our most senior
drivers on the haul road.

He's been doing it for 20 years.

You know, he's second
to none out there.

He proves it can
happen to anybody.

TONY: The gentleman that
hit me has been on that road

less than a year, probably did
not remember where he was at.

And so that makes me think
of safety a little bit more.

If you don't drive
safe on the haul road,

you're not gonna make it--

that's the way it is.

[truck rumbling]

I could drive this truck
on the Dalton myself,

by myself, right now.

It's just another road.

Just another truck.

Just another load of freight.

I'm here to make money.

I'm not here to sit on my ass.

I'm gonna go haul freight.

[percussive music]

NARRATOR: Outside Winnipeg,
Canada, at the headquarters

of Polar Industries--

We made it.

Finally.

NARRATOR: Ice road truckers
Rick Yemm and Hugh Rowland

report for duty.

MARK: Well, hello, gentlemen.
- Mark?

MARK: Yes, sir.
- Hey.

I'm Hugh.
MARK: Good to meet you.

- Rick.
- Mark, of Polar Industries.

- I'm Rick.
- How you doing, Rick?

- Good.
- Welcome back to Canada.

- Right on.
- Have a seat.

We have a six to
eight-week window

to get 200 loads into Manitoba
and northwestern Ontario.

You're moving
millions and millions

of dollars worth of freight.

I need the best guys out there,
and that's why you're here.

First order of business--

I'm gonna be sending you guys
to Oxford House, the elders'

residence, where the ceiling
is starting to collapse,

and I've got a load that's going
to get up there for tomorrow.

It's in the yard, ready to go.

It's emergency load.

[tense music, forklift buzzing]

NARRATOR: Hugh and Rick's
first run this season

will be hauling building
supplies 620 miles northeast

to that Cree community
of Oxford House.

Sounds good.

When you gotta go?

MARK: Right now.

Sweet.

There's your load sheet.

There's your load sheet.
- See you in a couple days.

- OK, guys.
- Thank you.

Take care.
Drive safe.

Yeah.

MARK: This is a
time-sensitive load.

They have to get up there.

Ah, the trailers are
loaded-- they gotta go.

Like, there's-- there's no--
there's no farting around.

There's no sleeping,
there's no nothing--

they got to get there.

[reverse alert beeping]

[truck clacks and rattles]

First [bleep]
load of the season.

Here we go.

[hood clanks]

All right, Polar
Bear-- she's good.

[truck hisses and rumbles]

[horn blaring]

HUGH: I'm feeling good.
I'm on the road.

That's all I wanted
to do, is get going

and get making some
[bleep] cash here.

If I'm moving,
I'm making money--

that's all that matters to me.

NARRATOR: 100 miles north,
they leave the pavement behind,

and roll onto the
newly-built Winter Road.

[horn blaring]

[snow crunching]

[truck rumbling]

[undercarriage squeaking]

Whoo-hoo!

[metallic rattling]

That's a little rough.

You got that right.

Bouncing the farts
right out of me.

[laughs]

[tense music continues]

RICK [ON RADIO]: Welcome
to running, Canadian style.

You gonna do what you gotta do
to get a buck in the pocket.

That's a big 10-4.

When you only got 60 days to
make your cash, you drive her.

NARRATOR: This ice road is built
on frozen swamp land called

muskeg.

The constant melting and
refreezing of the bog

makes for a rough ride.

Muskeg is like a
wet, sloppy ground

that when you put the weight
of these big trucks on it,

it actually punches the road
and makes big holes in it.

[truck rumbling and squeaking]

And then it just gets
wetter and wetter and wetter

with the weight.

Churns it all up, and then you
can't get through it anymore.

Like mud-bogging, almost.

HUGH: You get off
where the road is

and you'll sink,
just like quicksand.

Your truck's probably staying
there until [bleep] spring.

[truck banging and rattling]

[harsh breathing]

[shift clanks]

[snow crunching and hissing]

This would mess Lisa's
hair up, for sure.

She'd constantly
have a brush on her.

[hugh laughs]

Bounce that mother [bleep].

RICK [ON RADIO]: Oh yeah, buddy.

Yee-- [bleep] hah.

[horn blares]

NARRATOR: The rocky ride may
have the Canadians revved up,

but just a few miles ahead--

Hello [bleep] Joe.

Where you at?

We got a casualty.

A casualty?

Got a casualty up here.

Really?

Trailer broke in half.

A what broke in half?

HUGH: Big, big
trombone trailer's

broke in half up here.

[grim music]

RICK: Ain't that something, eh?

HUGH [ON RADIO]: You betcha.

[scoffs] See?

Go a little too
fast through here.

That's a big 10-4.

They were saying the
roads are nice right now,

and he broke a trailer in half.

Must have been going too
fast over these hummocks,

broke in half.

RICK: So you got to find your--

what works to get you in
quick, but without doing

all that damage.

You go too fast, you're
not gonna make it.

Load's not gonna make it--
you're not gonna get paid.

You have to keep it-- as much
you want to get in and out,

you got to keep it cool.

And it's like, this is
only going to get worse.

[sharp ringing music]

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: Back in Alaska,
halfway up the haul road--

DAVE: Let's go.

We got to go.

NARRATOR: Dave Redmon is
getting his first shot

behind the wheel.

[truck hisses]

[truck rumbling]

TONY: So how you
feeling over there?

I'm getting, uh--

used to the truck, you know.

Things are kinda
falling into place.

They say anybody
can drive a truck.

It's pretty easy to sit here
and shift gears and steer

the wheel.

It's the decisions, like
when to put chains on

and your fans on-- there
are two, by the way.

It's [bleep] you know, it's--

it's those other decisions
that make this job hard.

I'm-- I'm definitely
not new to this game.

I've been doing this
for 25-plus years.

It'll just take me a--

you know, a couple of passes
to just get comfortable.

Yeah.

This is a dash for the cash.

This isn't a day care center.

[suspenseful music continues]

TONY: Koyukuk gets gnarly.

It's that steep, dude.

It is a nasty son of a bitch.

Koyukuk gets a lot of guys.

NARRATOR: The hill's 11% grade
is the steepest on the haul

road.

To make it to the top, Dave
will have to build speed, then

quickly shift gears as
he climbs the slope.

[truck rumbling]

TONY: I'd go from six
direct to fourth direct,

so whatever you got to do to
get into six direct halfway

up the hill, and then you--
once you get into the hard pull,

go from six direct
to fourth direct.

[percussive music]

Then hit your fourth direct.

Stay to the right,
Rick-- stay to the right.

[sharp ringing music]

Second.

[gearshift grinding]

Oh [bleep].

TONY: Stop.

Stop-- brakes.

Brakes, brakes.

Brakes, brakes.

Brakes!

[wheels hissing and squealing]

[suspenseful music]

NARRATOR: 240 miles
north of Fairbanks--

[bleep].

TONY: Stop, stop.

Brakes, brakes.
Brakes, brakes.

Brakes!

[sharp ringing music]

[brakes grinding and hissing]

You find the brakes?

DAVE: Ab, what [bleep].

TONY: That did-- you did.

But we're all right.
We're all right.

We're stuck.

Keep on the brakes.

I'm on them hard.

[grim music]

You'll take it over?

Nope.

I'm gonna put chains on.

Oh.

[clanking and rattling]

Couldn't get it into
fourth gear quick enough.

NARRATOR: Dave's mistake puts
the tanker, and its flammable

load, dead in the
middle of the road.

Crucial that we get
our chains on right away.

Good luck.

Clear.

We don't want anybody
barrelling up behind us,

so make sure we're clear behind.

Somebody comes down the
hill and can't stop,

they could smash into us.

NARRATOR: At any moment,
a southbound truck

could come over the
top of the hill--

[truck rumbling]

--and jackknife directly
into the tanker.

[truck rumbles, explosion booms]

We got to get out of here.

Let's go.

OK-- check brakes, brakes.

Yep.

Let your clutch out until it
starts to grab a little bit.

Now let go of your
brakes and go.

[truck hisses]

There you go.

[grim music continues]

[wheels crunch, chains rattle]

DAVE: What are we
gonna walk it up to?

TONY: Was that enough
action for you today?

I'm awake now.

[truck rumbling]

[mellow guitar music]

NARRATOR: Finally,
they reach the top

and stop to take off the chains.

My ego's [bleep] right now.

I shouldn't have
missed that gear.

I mean, I'm real--
[STAMMERS] and I don't--

and I'm not just saying that.

I shouldn't have missed it.

But it's a new truck.

I've never driven it before.

Lots of guys have
trouble on this hill,

and really, it's the way to
figure out what a guy has got,

you know?

Because it's a nasty son
of a bitch, isn't it?

Let's turn around
and try it again.

[CHUCKLING] No.

You can do it next time.

All right.

So this road isn't
quite as easy as you--

you were thinking
earlier, is it?

Eh.

It's fine right here.

[chuckling]

Let's go to Coldfoot.

[dave grunts]

[truck rumbles]

NARRATOR: Back in Winnipeg,
another legend of the ice roads

prepares to enter the race.

Hi, Geraldine.

Hello.

How are you?

Good, thanks.

GERALDINE: You all
ready for your load?

ALEX [VOICEOVER]: I'm Alex
Debogorski from Yellowknife,

Northwest Territories, Canada.

Other people may describe me as
sweet, calm, collected, cool.

Good looking.

Handsome.

[laughs]

Do you want to come and look?

Sure.

NARRATOR: With more loads
than ever this season,

First Nations Trucking is
looking for top drivers,

and 30-year veteran Mr.
Debogorski is as good

as they come.

ALEX [VOICEOVER]: I've
come back to Canada Truck

because the
opportunity was there.

There's a good chance
we'll make more money here

than we would have in Alaska.

You're heading
up to Red Sucker.

Food supplies, OK?

Very good.

NARRATOR: 700 miles north
of Winnipeg, Red Sucker Lake

is one of the most remote
destinations on the winter

road.

There's-- right before you
get into-- uh, Red Sucker,

there's a lot of ice.

So you just take your time.

You know what you're doing.
- OK.

OK?

Basically, it's a half load.

It's a half load-- probably
got some ice road going over

it?

GERALDINE: It's only
open for half loads.

ALEX: Still a little thin, then.
- It is, yes.

[suspenseful music]

OK?

I don't have any
questions right now.

I might have in five minutes.
If I do, I'll come back.

[laughs]

Can't find your
trailer back there?

See if I can't find the
truck and the trailer.

[laughs]
- I got you.

[reverse alert beeping]

[truck clanks]

Guess we have to thaw
that out before we drink it.

[truck rumbles]

And we're off.

Slip sliding away.

[suspenseful music continues]

[TRUCK RUMBLING, CHAINS
CLINKING]

So it's a good day
for driving ice.

[snow crunching]

As long as there's enough
of it in the first place.

NARRATOR: 120 miles north, Alex
approaches his first true test

on the winter roads.

Our next stop is going
to be at a river crossing.

[menacing music]

This must be the fellow
from highways here.

Let's not run him over.

Good day, sir.

BRETT: Hey.

How you doing.

We're just finishing up
some ice testing here, so--

got a few more holes to drill
before uh, before you cross.

ALEX: OK.
You want me to come down here--

BRETT: Yeah, sure.

--punch a hole?

NARRATOR: The safety
officer uses an auger

to dig in and test the
thickness of the ice crossing.

[auger grinding]

Let me check that out.

[snow crunching]

Well, it's 100 right there, so--

NARRATOR: 100 centimeters,
or about 39 inches,

is the bare minimum to support
a fully loaded big rig.

BRETT: So we'll-- we'll
open up the ice crossing,

and we'll get you on your way.
- Very good.

Am I gonna be the
first one through?

Yep.
You betcha.

Well that should
make it interesting.

Thank you.

[menacing music]

NARRATOR: 120 miles north
of Winnipeg, Manitoba--

[menacing music]

Alex Debogorski is about
to become the first driver

on a newly frozen ice road.

ALEX: I'm afraid to drive
across the ice sometimes.

It tends to make me nervous.

There's a lot of ice in this
winter roads compared to what

we have up in Dalton.

NARRATOR: This ice crossing
spans a half a mile.

While a few spots show
the right thickness,

other areas are much thinner.

If the ice road flexes under
the weight of the truck,

it could fracture--

[cracking and rumbling]

--and swallow the entire rig.

[horn blares]

[clanking and rumbling]

ALEX: We're loaded, and
it's supposed to go.

And he says I can go,
then I'm gonna go.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC, SNOW
CRUNCHING]

[rumbling and clanking]

[muted crackling]

[truck rumble echoing]

[menacing music]

Whoa, baby.

[ice crackling]

Thank you, dear
God, for this day.

Thank you for this job.

Thank you for my
family and friends.

[TRUCK RUMBLING, MENACING MUSIC
CONTINUES]

Thank you for the
challenges in my life.

Thank you for the
strength to handle any.

Help me to have a safe,
constructive trip.

[truck rumbling and squeaking]

Help me to handle any of
the challenges or problems

that we come across.

[wheels crunching]

In the name of the Father, and
the Son, and the Spirit, amen.

[MENACING MUSIC CRESCENDOS AND
ENDS]

[mellow music]

And we're off like a
hurdle of turtles again.

Good day to be on the road.

Yes, sir.

NARRATOR: As Alex rolls deeper
into the Canadian wilderness--

[percussive music]

--back in Alaska, Lisa Kelly
is the first across the finish

line.

[trucks rumbling]

LISA: Just got to Prudhoe Bay.

We're here.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Scoring the first
load in the dash for the cash,

Lisa is now the one to beat.

LISA: And it's a good feeling
to go to bed just exhausted

and tired and happy,
because you've got a good--

you played hard,
you worked hard.

NARRATOR: Just behind Lisa,
southern driver Dave Redmond

pulls in.

And now it's up to
trainer Tony Molesky

to decide if the good
ol' boy from Alabama has

what it takes to run the
haul road on his own.

You know, knowing
what you're gonna

have to deal with in the next
few weeks, I get this feeling,

you know--

I know what you're
gonna have to do.

I know what it takes to get up
and down this road, and um--

I basically just come
up with a decision.

[suspenseful music]

You don't just get turned
loose after a trip-- one

trip on the haul road.

That's just the way it
is-- not around our place.

You're an experienced driver.

It's just about the road, man--

and knowing where
you're at, and knowing

what to do, when to do it.

Well, so anyways,
let's do one more trip,

and then we'll
just go from there.

Yeah, that's just the
way it's gonna be.

All right.

[grim music, truck rumbling]

[truck hisses]

[electric guitar music]

I'm a lot frustrated right now.

Just, um-- I have to go one
more, I have to go one more.

I mean, what-- you know,
what else can I do?

I'm behind from the start.

Yeah-- Tony's got one
load more than I do,

and hell, I helped deliver.

So-- and I won't
get credit for it.

It's close.

OK.

- He's pumping already?
- Yeah.

My goodness.

Make sure we're not
leaking anywhere,

all the valves are open.

I think Dave might be a
little irritated at me,

but making a judgment call.

So you're cool with-- uh, taking
another ride with Phil, maybe

in your own truck?

Or me.
Whoever.

I'm sure it's disappointing
to hear, but--

- What choice do I have?
- You don't.

Well, then say so.

TONY: Yeah, yeah.

You don't.

I need to feel it in my
gut, and right now, I just

don't feel like you're quite
ready to-- to be on your own.

You know, I've been
on my own for 25 years.

Um.

I haven't taken a road test in--

I can't remember when.

You know?
I mean, I made a mistake--

I should have just
started at the bottom

of the hill in fourth gear.

And what did he say?

That's not how we do
things around here.

So he's not checking
me out to make

sure I can drive the truck.

He's making sure I
can do it his way.

That's all it is.

That's wearing on
my last nerve--

really is.

NARRATOR: While Dave's plans
to run the Dalton are on hold--

[ringing, suspenseful music]

--at the airport in
Fairbanks, a new challenger

has come 4,000 miles to earn her
place as an Ice Road trucker.

MAYA [VOICEOVER]: My
name is Maya Sieber,

and I'm here to bring a little
bit of New York up to Alaska.

[suspenseful music continues]

My last couple of
working days were crazy.

I mean, you had a lot of snow
in New York, a lot of ice.

I've been traveling for two
days to get here to Alaska.

I need a slap in the
face and a cup of coffee.

[laughs]

I have the biggest trucker
withdrawal right now.

I can't take this anymore.

Trucking is such
a passion of mine.

I have a tattoo of Kenworth
on the back of my neck.

I want to get out there.

So I can't wait to drive.

Can't.

I'd drive right now with
no sleep, if I could.