Original subtitles

They need all hands on deck.

DAVE PETTITT (NARRATES): This time on Heavy Rescue, 401...

..pileup in the east shakes up drivers...

I thought I was gonna die.

..and shuts down the highway.

We got a backlog going back miles.

OK, let's do this. Let's get it out of here.

We've got one hour. Mitch takes the lead...

Ooh...

It's a mess, man.

..and a new crew member...

Austin, don't get in that other lane.

..swings into action.

Put the boom down?

Down!

Just a week into winter...

..and a low-pressure system from the American southwest

has moved up into Ontario...

MTO is coming through with plows.

10-4.

..pushing eastward,

and battering the highways around Toronto.

We're getting this winter weather coming through right now.

It is going to be a bit of a mess.

We're dealing with all kinds of precipitation.

The roads are slippery, they're snow-covered.

They're slick.

We're getting calls for crashes all over the place.

We've got about a dozen crashes on the go as we speak.

The potential for serious collision is very real.

OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt...

I'm gonna go live here now.

..rolls onto the scene of a minor collision to update

the public through social media.

So, I'm actually right now on the Burlington Skyway,

at the base of the Skyway on the Niagara-bound side.

I am getting hit right now with freezing ice pellets.

The wind is really strong.

If you're driving anywhere,

just please be careful of the conditions.

The scene is almost clear...

Alright, we got another vehicle out of the snowbank.

It was stuck in traffic.

We just got a bit of a slowdown here while we get this thing hooked up.

..but...

Uh... what's that red car there going sideways for?

You see that car over there? See that car over in the distance?

Looking down the highway,

I can see another vehicle coming up

the opposite ramp towards us, head on.

Uh, he's certainly going the wrong way.

Holy cow. I don't know what they're doing.

I'm wondering what on earth is going through this driver's head,

because it does not seem, uh...

normal.

What are you doing?

You're going the wrong way!

She wanted to come up and speak to the driver of this other vehicle,

and thought driving the wrong way on the highway

would be the best option.

I don't want to see people doing U-turns at the end of ramps,

coming back the wrong way into oncoming traffic.

OK.

Are you kidding me?

OK, get turned around, get turned around, and stop.

Right now, this ramp is shut down because the tow truck's

on scene, but as soon as they start rolling,

they're going to be driving head-on.

Please, don't drive the wrong way on a highway.

Anytime, ever.

We're all a little bit tense, a little bit nervous,

and not quite sure what's going to happen next.

It's going to be a long day.

(THEME MUSIC)

On North America's busiest highway,

closure...is not an option.

(THEME MUSIC)

80 miles northeast of the Skyway...

..there's a break between squalls on the 401 near Newtonville,

but the first blast of snow has already done its damage.

I'm currently headed westbound.

We've got a bobtail tractor that's gone off the highway

and sounds like it's a couple hundred feet off

into the ditch.

From his yard near Oshawa,

B and G's Mitch Wright is heading to get the tractor out...

The road conditions are really slippery.

We got freezing rain, so we have to get this thing out of here fast,

and get going down the road before anything bad can happen.

..and the entire crew

will be looking to Mitch to guide them.

My dad's out of town,

so this is going to be my wreck to run.

You want me to start? Pick it up.

At just 22, Mitch has proven he can handle the rotator.

Now, he needs to prove he's a leader.

I'm a little nervous about that.

I obviously have a small amount of concern...

You're OK.

..but as time goes on, I'm becoming far more confident

with Mitch's capabilities

of doing things without me in his ear.

Let it go, nice and easy...

Nice.

That's the first time my heartbeat that fast,

that's for sure.

The tractor hit a patch of ice,

skidding off the road and deep into the field.

This thing out?

I think best way to do it is we'll go over the front,

kind of off the front corner, grab onto the back,

pull it out the same way that it went in,

and then we're going to bring it out right in front of us.

I'm definitely on edge. I'm a little worried about this one.

Anytime my dad's not here to give me a hand, you know,

it puts you out of your comfort zone that much more.

There's my old man there.

Hey. Uh, not much.

We're going to go off the front, drag him out to the guardrail.

I try to communicate with Mitch several times during

a recovery, whether he wants me to or not...

OK, I got one hour to get this thing out of here.

..so that I get a sense that we're getting the highway open

in a timely fashion.

Bye. (LAUGHS)

OK, we have a lane. Let's get this going.

Mitch has set a tight deadline...

Mike, that tall door's got the pads in the bottom.

Let's get the pads slid on that side.

..so he wants his crew to follow the most efficient plan...

Alrighty.

Most cases, it's easiest to take the unit out

the same exact way it went in.

No guessing.

We know that the tractor made it in that way.

We know it's gonna come out without rolling over.

He plans to pull the truck right back through the hole

it tore in the guardrail.

Here, step on that.

Keep your foot on there for a sec.

We got one hour ETA with the OPP, so they're counting on us.

OK, I'm all the way out on all fours...

This looks like one we're going to have in the bag,

so long everything goes as planned.

He'll be leaning hard on his crew, including mechanic Matt Hubbling.

We wanna get this job done as quickly as possible

to get out of the danger area...

Look at this.

..with the speeding drivers and the worsening road conditions.

OK, let's do this, let's get it out of here.

We got one hour.

Our biggest concern is just manoeuvring

through that tough terrain,

and get it as close up to the guardrail

so we can do our final pull.

Turn the wheel to the right...

right there.

The guardrail posts are still sticking out

of the ground about a foot,

so in order for us to get this truck out,

it's gotta clear those posts.

Alright, Matt, do you wanna get that chop saw running?

We'll get these.

Our quickest approach of attack is to kind of cut them off flat...

Perfect.

..so we don't cause any damage to the truck on the way out.

So, far...

Brian, you want to jump back in, get those brakes off for me?

..Mitch's plan is on track.

With the boom out over the cab,

Mitch will pull on a diverted low line

to bring the tractor up to the road.

Something I've never done before,

but we use the front of these to pull stuff

out all the time, so I'm pretty confident.

I find, for the most part,

guys kind of stray away from working over the front like that,

but when it's needed, there's definitely a place for it.

OK, now let's run that chain back over to the truck again.

The move will allow Mitch to wrangle the tractor

onto the highway facing the right direction,

shaving time from the job...

I would say we're beating the (BLEEP) out of our one hour.

Like, we're coming up on that hot.

..but the proof is in the pull.

Turn to the right, Mitch.

I'm hoping we can start getting some grip here in a minute.

The ditch is very, very, very icy,

so the tires aren't biting into anything.

Instead of climbing to the road, it's sliding to the side.

Gonna have to move the truck again. I knew it.

There's a lot of pressure on Mitch...

Yo!

..because of the deadline he gave to the police.

Everyone's kind of watching to see what his next move is.

Alrighty.

You got loud noises from the highway.

You've got people on your back to get it done.

You have so many things going on.

To keep a clear headspace is almost next to impossible.

It's a mess, man.

Such a simple (BLEEP) job.

150 miles to the east,

waves of squalls have passed through Brockville.

Three delta zero seven one, Smiths Falls,

I'll be heading down to the 401 to assist with the collision.

..and OPP Constable Erin Cranton is on the move.

If they're calling all units down to the 401

because there's a major collision, they need all hands on deck.

The entire westbound highway

is caught in the grip of a massive pileup.

Constable Rob Sinclair is working to assess the scene...

We got a series of chain-reaction collisions

mostly involving tractor-trailers,

but there's a lot of personal vehicles

involved as well.

..and the ripple effect is already stretching

four miles down the 401.

The pressure is to make sure that everybody's safe,

and we got a backlog that's going back miles.

It was snowing very, very hard,

and then the traffic came to a stop,

and then I was just rear-ended and pushed into this truck here.

One driver didn't survive the impact.

I'm amazed that there weren't more serious injuries,

or other fatalities.

The police need to conduct a full investigation.

In the meantime, Rob wants to clear the backlog of trapped drivers...

There's a barrier in the median, and there's no turn-offs,

so we're just kind of in the worst place

we could possibly be.

..but with almost 50 damaged vehicles

blocking their way, tow trucks can't even gain access.

We just physically can't get them through.

On the 401, just east of Brockville...

..Rob Sinclair needs to ease the traffic behind the pileup...

Our biggest goal right now is to get the traffic moving

so we can clear this backlog.

..while Constable Erin Cranton checks on the people trapped.

We probably have about a 3km stretch of vehicles.

Some are directly involved in the collision,

some are just stranded as a result of a collision in front of them.

How are you doing?

We're doing OK.

Yeah, you doing OK with warmth and everything else?

Lots of gas to keep you guys warm?

Yes, luckily, I filled up last night, so...

OK, take care.

Sometimes people are prepared, sometimes they're not, so

do they have enough gas to keep the car running and keep them warm?

Are there any injuries or any medical concerns

that maybe someone might have to be dealing with?

Doing good?

Making sure that we check all the needs of those

that are stranded.

How are you doing?

Good.

So, how's the status of the gas doing?

It's low...

If you do get to a point where you can't start it again...

Yeah.

..please try and find somebody and get our attention,

and we'll help you out, OK?

OK.

Nightfall, with a sharp drop in temperature,

is less than an hour away.

We gotta move that truck.

Rob has managed to escort the first tow truck onto the scene.

He wants to strategically move a mangled pickup.

The back end was gone, front end was gone.

It was completely destroyed.

As the investigation progresses,

the OPP needs to open up a route to help backed-up traffic weave

its way to freedom...

and make space for heavy wreckers to access the scene.

I'm going to go down,

try and finish up what I can down at that second collision,

and then hopefully we can just start towing.

Straighten your wheels!

Left, left, left!

150 miles west, near Newtonville...

I'm starting to lose my patience.

Mitch's self-imposed deadline has come and gone.

Dark does creep up pretty fast this time of year...

We got freezing rain coming down,

and we got high speeds going by,

so it's definitely something we want to get done

as soon as possible.

It's time for the new leader to come up with a new plan.

Gong show, like always.

We're going to get the rotator put away,

grab onto the front of it and drag it around,

and then get hooked and get out of here.

I'm done screwing around doing this.

Yeah, alright, get this thing pulled ahead, Bri.

I'll stop ya.

I don't like to pick up the phone and call my dad.

I know I should be the one that should've had this out already.

That's on me.

Good.

Mitch repositions the rotator.

I'm absolutely pissed.

A job that should've been a one-hour job is now turning

into three hours.

Grab me a snatch block, I'll run this out.

The crew now rigs to the front of the tractor

to wrangle it onto the road.

Yeah, we gotta run that second line down here.

I'm gonna run a secondary cable down

to the back end of the tractor,

try to pull the whole unit right towards me,

and up and out of harm's way.

There.

Mitch is out of time, and out of patience.

I just keep pulling,

and the second that I feel comfortable...

That's what we want.

..I went wide open on both of my cables and sucked

that thing out of there as fast as possible.

She's out!

Yeah, it's out.

It took long enough, but whatever, nothing got broken,

nobody got hurt, so...

It ended up taking about three hours.

It makes me feel like a bit of a bonehead because I know

that I know better,

and that should've been out of there in an hour.

We're just going to get hooked to the front axle

and then get this thing out of here,

and they can get this road back opened up.

It's about time. Yeah.

I went in with a little bit of overconfidence,

and this job's pretty good at humbling you pretty fast

if you're not careful, so, yeah, it kind of bit me in the ass.

It's all learning, right?

Every time I come out, it's another learning experience,

so next time I come, and it's the same way,

you know, we'll have a faster way to do it,

no trial and error.

We got 'er out. It's time to go home.

Any time you can complete the task at hand,

whether you go through some difficulties during that task,

if you can take that information, put it away,

and make use of it for next time...it's still a win.

Back in Maitland, near Brockville...

You're going to go to him with one heavy...

Sure. ..and the tilt-and-load.

Yup. The other heavy stays here.

Sounds good, Rob. OK.

Appreciate it. No problem!

Rob Sinclair has helped open a route for heavy tows

to start their work.

It's a huge relief.

The priority now shifts to seeing what we can do to get the backlog

of traffic moving and getting it through.

A big part of that task will be up to the crew from Kane's Towing,

based just on the other side of Brockville.

Kind of a mess, isn't it?

Owner Derek Kane sizes up the biggest challenge,

a badly smashed semi...

This is the nastiest one

because of the condition of the trucks.

OK, I'll go down have a look at that.

Yeah, yeah. See what's going on here.

The SUV was jammed up pretty close to being under

to the windshield in the back of the truck that it hit.

Fortunately, nobody was hurt in that.

..but the damage is extensive.

We have to worry about that cargo possibly falling out

because the back was all broke open.

35,000 pounds of frozen chicken, ready to dump all over the highway.

If we can avoid having to offload it,

it's going to save us a significant amount of time.

The first step is just separating the SUV,

but that will shift the load in the compromised semi.

The gamble would be if the trailer's going

to break apart and spill out all over the road,

and have us a bigger mess to have to deal with.

Are you ready?

Just down the road,

Constable Cranton has called in transport

for people trapped in their vehicles.

We gathered everybody up in a school bus that was unable

to drive their vehicles so that we could transport them

to the warming centre.

There's food set up and a heated location for them

to keep warm and make phone calls and arrangements

for where they're gonna stay tonight.

The teamwork involved in any emergency situation,

it's not just police.

It's all the first responders involved in making sure

that not only do we keep everybody safe,

and warm, and taken care of,

but that we can also clean up the highway

and get things moving again.

At the front of the pileup,

Derek Kane and crew are rigged up and ready to see

if the trailer will hold.

If things go as planned, we'll separate that one,

get it out, dragged out,

we can hook onto it once that's out of the way,

take that whole unit with us.

If everything goes as planned.

Watch and see if it's separating, boys!

Keep going.

Watch yourself!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

On the 401 east of Brockville,

it's been ten hours since the pileup stopped all westbound traffic...

Lot of damage, lot of mess.

..and if the damaged trailer doesn't hold,

it will add hours of cleanup to the closure...

Watch and see if it's separating, boys!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Stand back from that.

Oh, wow!

That may hold in for the drive.

We were fully expecting to see the chicken nuggets spill out

onto the highway.

Perfect example of something

that's been loaded properly, with bars.

It actually stays in the truck even despite there's a collision,

so kudos to whoever loaded that truck.

..but they still have to move it off the road.

If we can limp it off the highway and offload it at a safe location,

that'll make this go a lot faster here.

Our concern is that it's going to fall apart in tow, so hopefully,

we can pull this off.

..and help is rolling onto the scene...

local heavy veteran John Campbell.

Hi. How are ya?

I'm the owner-operator of John Campbell's Towing.

The day I was born,

they brought me home from the hospital in a tow truck.

Been in 'em ever since.

Chicken nuggets.

Really bad.

Tonight, these competitors will work together.

It's a small community,

and everybody seems to get along just fine.

We work back and forth when we can to help out.

Just drag it out of the way, I guess, eh?

Yeah, I'll grab the front of it, and, you know?

We're gonna slide it over this way, grab the front,

and drag it off the highway.

If goes as planned, as we say...

If goes as planned.

(CHUCKLES)

If the trailer falls apart,

we got chicken nuggets all over the highway.

We're gonna grab this side cable, and a chain, and hook in,

see if we can't drag it sideways off that other stuff.

OK, that should be good.

Can't run that chain through there?

Underneath, in between the two tires?

Can you go around the back of the axle?

Hook that in there.

I'll watch it as you pull, John.

OK.

Everybody clear!

Just prying the fully loaded trailer away

from the other semi could tear it apart.

Whoa!

..but right now...

Gotta angle my truck more.

..the wrecker is losing the fight.

These things are not designed for pulling sideways,

that's for sure.

Yeah, buddy.

A few miles to the west, in the city of Brockville...

You're gonna go this way, go inside.

..stranded motorists are heading

into the safety of the warming centre...

Go this way here. This way!

In here!

..and for driver Dean Leonard...

it's the first chance to process what he's just experienced...

I think when you're involved in a collision,

it's very eye-opening and very scary.

How are you doing, though?

I'm going to be OK, I'm gonna be OK.

I'm a little shooken up.

Of course.

Knowing that there is somebody there to look after them

if they need something,

is really important because that shock

can stay there for a while.

The snow starts, it starts kind of slowish,

and then it just goes whiteout conditions,

and people are starting to slow down,

they put their flashers on...

You could tell people were starting to panic,

and I ended pinned between the two trucks underneath.

I was crying in the car.

I thought I was dying.

I thought I was going to die.

I've never been so scared in my life.

Well, I'm glad that you're OK.

Me too. Great day.

Take care. Thanks for being there.

What a lovely lady.

Back out on the highway...

I gotta angle my truck more.

Yeah.

John Campbell is repositioning for a better angle to wrench

the delicate trailer free.

It's like a game of Jenga.

You start pulling on stuff,

you don't know how everything else is going to react.

She's starting to come.

There she goes!

Keep 'er going.

Looks good, boys!

Like butter!

That's more gooder, eh?

(LAUGHS) Y'know, buddy!

Now, the fastest way to clear is towing the tractor

and trailer as one piece.

We're gonna hook it all up, drag it down the road,

hopefully, nothing falls apart.

..and with almost 40,000 pounds inside...

OK, let's get some air to it, boys!

..that's a lot of hoping.

Taking air?

We have air! Perfect.

The best way for some of these vehicles to be removed

were simply to be dragged down the highway,

and they could deal with them on a side street,

or in a parking lot.

You know, if this gets off the highway

like this, I'll be amazed.

Those back wheels are, like, touching the frame and everything.

It could be interesting.

Sparks are flying.

I'm taking up the whole highway.

The very, very back of the trailer is flopping around.

I never left first gear,

just hoping and praying it stayed together

until I got it off the road.

That is not pretty...

(LAUGHS)

But it's getting off the road,

and it's still together, so we're happy.

Very happy.

Now, Derek Kane has one job left.

Both sides, double it in.

The transport is so damaged,

there's no way to tow it as a single unit...

Motor's under the cab of that truck.

That's a very lucky driver, very lucky.

..and the tractor doesn't look like it can survive the separation.

It's kind of hard to find a place

that's not going to fall apart.

Hook that into there. OK.

We're going to see what happens with this...this truck.

Don't think the axle's going to hold.

Keep an eye on it!

On the 401 outside Brockville...

one of the last wrecks of the night...

That'd be the axle.

..isn't going down easy.

A lot of these tractor-trailers were so heavily damaged,

it was a matter of trying to get things

that had been smashed up beyond belief to a safe location,

so we can open it up as soon as possible.

Because after almost 12 hours,

the line of traffic inching onto the detour route

is stretching for miles...

What are you thinking, Derek?

..Derek Kane needs a new plan.

Going to hook into the fifth wheel plate now.

Hook the hook in the die, and I'll get the winch started up.

(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)

They've split the semi...

That took quite a pull to get that out of that truck.

..but they need a secure hook-up to drag the tractor off the road.

We'll hook this one right into there...in the middle.

One more is gone.

The trailer looks like it's going to be good to tow,

which is going to speed up the process.

Now, Derek prepares...

OK, just want to drag ahead.

..for his final tow of the night.

As the final casualties roll out,

the end is finally in sight for Rob Sinclair

and everyone who pushed through the night.

When the chips are down, everybody's working together.

True picture of professionalism right there.

Even though they're competition,

they still help each other out to get the job done.

300 miles east...

..a job is just beginning for Ross Services' 75-ton rotator,

and there's a new face behind the wheel.

I'm driving Unit 125,

which is our 75-ton Peterbilt rotator.

Austin Hutchinson joined the Rosses just a few months ago.

I'm new at Ross,

but I've been in the industry for quite a while now,

and I've definitely got my practice in, that's for sure.

Austin ran a heavy wrecker for another tow company

for many years, and he's also a licensed mechanic.

He helps out in the shop.

When we have our free time, this is where you'll find us,

making sure that our equipment is good to go

for when we do get those big wrecks.

My grandfather owned his own repair shop.

I grew up around trucks my whole life.

I was working in and out of truck shops

from the time I was 10, 11 years old.

I wanna go on the teeter-totter!

Alright.

These days, he has a stronger motivation

for his strong work ethic.

I have a four-year-old boy at home.

It's just him and myself.

Some days it's a challenge, but I wouldn't trade it.

You gonna drive a tow truck when you get big?

Yes. Yeah?

I'm a firm believer that towing and recovery

is...it's in your blood.

Which truck do you want? Do you want the rotator?

Yes! Yes! (LAUGHS)

That's what everybody wants, isn't it?

Tonight, Austin is heading into his first major rollover

of the season with his new team.

We're in for a good pull on that one.

The semi lost control,

veering off the road and scraping over a concrete culvert

before it smashed into the ditch.

The tractor is completely destroyed,

but the driver suffered just minor injuries.

Is it loaded or empty?

Loaded.

Car parts.

Lovely.

Tonight, Austin's working under David Ross's supervision,

and they're staring down a hard deadline.

The object is always to try and keep this highway opened,

and we know that road really picks up at 6:30, 7:00

in the morning, so we want to be out of there.

The trailer has remained intact with its 40,000-pound load,

and David wants to keep it that way...

We've got a chance of saving 'er, getting 'er up.

The only damage that we can see at this point is it's cleaned

the landing legs out from underneath of this trailer,

but other than that, it looks to be in good shape,

so we're going to bring

this thing up and out of here loaded.

..but their first challenge is the tractor,

barely holding together.

This tractor's beyond repairable.

There's just nothing left of this tractor.

Put a line on the front of it somewhere.

Just drag upside of the ditch for now?

Yup. OK.

Alright, well, let's get a chain, and we'll get hooked up here.

Just after 1am, reinforcements arrive...

operator Brad Prince...

Just another day on this highway.

You never know what the next one's gonna bring ya.

..and veteran Dave Moss.

This is a mess. It's gonna take hours.

This truck is not going to drive away

after we get it out of the ditch.

The cab is three-quarters ripped off the frame,

so we're just gonna set it on our float

and get it outta here.

Then we can work on sliding this trailer up the ditch

and getting it back on its wheels.

OK, let's get this thing pulled!

Give it a tug! Get it outta here!

I think that cab is probably gonna come right off.

We're going to pull it up a little bit more,

throw a couple straps under it.

So, they rig to pull the cab free...

There.

Boom up, lock 'er up, see if I can pop 'er off.

..but the cab refuses to let go.

Take 'er in the air and swing 'er.

Whoa!

Oh, it's the torque rod right there.

There's one piece holding this cab to the frame.

Prime 'er up, there she goes!

We're going to pick this cab up, set it there,

then we'll pick the whole frame

and just put the frame on the float first.

MTO's gonna close Lane three,

and that'll give us room to bring the float up beside it.

Our goal here is to try and get this recovery out of here

before the sun's up,

and before traffic starts to barrel down this highway.

Manoeuvring the swinging chassis

next to moving traffic is delicate work...

Don't go into that other lane.

..and that's up to the newest member of the crew.

It's a little bit of a challenge.

One eye on what you're doing, one eye on the traffic.

That's our golden rule.

Austin, don't get in that other lane!

Austin, bring it down.

Put the boom down?

Down!

Austin, bring it down.

Put the boom down?

Down!

On the eastbound 401 near Veterans Parkway...

Lower your cables and raise your boom.

..Ross's newest crew member is working to coax

a swaying chassis onto a trailer...

Yeah, she's going to come around a little more, OK?

..and keep it out of the adjacent live lane.

As you lift the actual frame-up,

it's going to try to twist.

It's going to try to wiggle around a bit.

You got about a foot you can come this way.

OK.

OK! OK?

Down! Down.

The chassis is in place...

but the crew needs to wrangle the cab.

Alright, tighten 'er up.

We're just going to work

its way over and set it on our float.

Once it clears the truck,

bring it down so we can grab a hold of it, Austin.

Now, they turn to the heavy lift, the trailer,

loaded with 40,000 pounds of auto parts.

Now, we're just looking at getting the strap on the front

of this trailer so that we can get it rolled back over

and get 'er outta here.

OK, we'll drag the, uh...cable down.

One rotator on each end will roll the trailer upright, then,

they'll add secondary lines to ease it to the highway.

We'll just put two straps underneath

the front and rear corner...

OK.

Hopefully, it comes down into the ditch nice and gentle.

I need under this corner somehow.

Oh, yeah, no worries.

From what they can see, the trailer is intact,

but it's what they can't see that's the concern.

Come on...

There we go.

When a trailer's laying on its side,

you really can't tell if anything's bit it on the way out.

The last thing an operator wants is for the load

to come bursting through the wall.

Alright, you're number one, you're number two.

Yeah.

Just tighten 'er up... Take 'er up.

..and Dave'll watch his own bottom strap.

You won't have to worry. Alright.

Austin will have to time his pull exactly...

Are your winches faster than mine?

..to match the speed of seasoned pro Dave Moss.

Yeah, mine is a little bit faster.

Number two...

Number one!

You.

Pull 'er up.

Take 'er over, he says.

OK, stop.

Phase one is complete, and so far, the trailer is holding.

Well, now that we got it upright,

we got to get it out of the ditch.

See if we can spin that front around.

They re-rig to pull it sideways and toward the road,

careful to keep it level, with no tractor wheels upfront.

Just have to keep the nose up, out of the ground,

so it doesn't plow in and dig.

Keep going.

Keep coming!

The landing gear's going to fight us.

We might be better off to cut that off.

Just don't worry about it.

The traffic is building as we get this trailer

up to the driving lane, so it's time to get it out of there.

Can you reach over and take the front of this?

Because everything's binding up underneath.

We gotta reposition so we can put one truck on the front

to winch, and another truck to just coax it up out.

With morning traffic looming,

they re-rig with a rotator on each end of the trailer.

OK, just work 'em both.

You just want to slowly walk it up?

One corner, we want lift, and the other corner,

we just want pull.

We just want to pull it up straight.

Alright, ready?

Load 'em up!

Just pull on the far one.

OK, there she comes.

Keep going?

Yeah, don't stop.

Austin needs to lift high enough for the undercarriage

to clear, but not too high...

You take it as far as you can!

We don't want to be lifting that corner of the trailer,

because then you get the trailer tipping.

OK, I'm almost out.

Just use your drag winch.

OK, that's it, David.

OK, just hold 'er steady for a minute.

Well, I guess the trailer's half out.

Yeah. (CHUCKLES)

..and they can't pull the other half out from this setup.

Well, we're gonna unhook ya and reposition ya, so...

Are the brakes off?

Yeah.

OK, start pulling!

Get him up!

That side!

Just...just follow with this one,

do your lead with that one.

Now, Austin must guide it into the narrow space

between the rotator and ditch.

Just bring 'er to a stop when you can't go anymore.

That's all I got.

OK, stop 'er.

Take 'er right over. Yeah, good.

It's on the road.

Now, that we got this trailer up on the road,

the next thing is just to hook up to it and drag everything home.

OK, up.

OK.

Just finish hooking onto this, and take 'er down the road.

The first rollover of the winter,

and the new hire's first test, are over.

You got air going to it now, David?

It went really well, actually.

Once we got everything set up, we were ready to go,

it went smooth, and it, uh...and it come out well.

We're happy with it.

Our goal is to get this recovery up

and out of the ditch and cleaned up before rush hour

before the sun comes up,

and we've pretty well met that deadline bang-on.

These guys have been in the business for a long time.

They're very good at what they do,

so definitely you feel privileged to work with these guys.

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