Original subtitles

This time on Highway Thru Hell...

...over the edge...

...with team MSA.

How are we gonna get this outta the way?

Extreme grades...

It's just too steep.

...an uphill battle...

...and a logjam...

This is gonna be a big pull.

...of trouble.

Hey! You're rolling over.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

In British Columbia's

Fraser Valley...

...unseasonably warm temperatures...

...have brought relentless rain to the region.

The heavy, heavy rain,

lots of things can happen.

A break in the weather

has MSA Towing's 50-tonne "Lion"

rolling out...

...with the youngest Banwait brother,

Gurkirat, or "Gurk".

There was a mudslide

we weren't really able to get a lot of information,

unfortunately.

So we're kind of going in a little bit blind to this.

Team MSA hopes for the best,

but we're prepared for the worst.

Following behind...

in the 35-tonne "Moose..."

Definitely need two trucks for this one.

...older brother, Gursimran, or "Sim".

It's always fun when you get a big wreck.

The brothers head 45 minutes northeast,

where daybreak reveals...

Poor tanker.

Already on scene,

their father and MSA Towing owner, Kirpal...

Tanker looks like it's more than 200 feet.

Yeah, quite far down.

Kinda sketchy.

...and eldest son Gursharan.

A large volume of rain

washed out the edge of the cliff here.

I think it was about 20 feet from the edge

that washed away.

It's gonna be a badass wreck.

Well, that's pretty interesting.

It's hella steep.

It's kinda scary.

Lots of loose ground.

Pretty sketchy.

It's a straight drop down.

Like, it's no joke.

If you slip and you fall,

you're going for a hell of a ride.

Are we even going to have enough line?

Off Highway 1...

Yeah, it's bad.

...Team MSA face their biggest recovery yet.

It's a fresh landslide.

We're just hoping

that there's not another mudslide

while we're in the line of fire here.

I say we should just hike down there

and take a look.

The mud walls are very slippery.

There's loose rocks and dirt.

It's very dangerous.

...and a closer look...

How are we gonna get this out of the way?

...reveals a concrete lockblock

has come down with the tanker.

It weighs about 4,500 pounds,

and it needs to be moved

before we can begin our recovery.

Let us try to winch it.

Hey, Gurk, go, go this way.

Having to hike up and down

this really steep hill

is very dangerous.

Grab that hook and throw it down a little bit.

All it takes

is just for one of your feet to give out,

and you could be tumbling down the hill.

I'm just trying to feed this through here.

I'm worried about the boys.

I want to be safe there,

and don't get hurt going down there.

Gurk and Sim secure the block with a strap...

-Good? -Yeah.

...while up top,

they improvise using a loader on site...

Yeah, that's good.

...as an anchor.

We are redirecting the line

so when we're pulling the tanker up and over,

there's no block sitting in the way.

Start tightening your line.

Yeah, keep going, keep going, keep going.

With 4,500 pounds on the line...

It's coming.

...there's no room for error.

We have to be very careful

when we are pulling this up.

If it gets off the cable...

...it's going to be trouble.

Below the precarious wreck

lies an active rail line

carrying millions of dollars of freight.

This is a very risky move.

Stop!

So Kirpal...

Put the chain around

so that way the sling won't slide out.

...takes an extra precaution.

It will be safer to get it out.

Bingo!

Give 'er!

Keep going. It's almost there.

Secured with a chain,

the heavy lockblock...

That's a big fish!

...reaches the top.

That's good.

But bringing up the loaded tanker

is a much bigger challenge.

This is not easy.

It's more scary job than anything else.

We'll go one truck, both lines to the king pin,

and then we'll do one truck will go to the axle.

We are really gonna need to come up with

a solid game plan,

or we could potentially end up

halfway down this cliff

ourselves.

With lines from the 50-tonne,

and lines from the 35-tonne,

they'll drag the tanker up the 70-degree slope.

Don't get too close to the edge there.

But to reach the tanker...

200 feet down...

That's it.

...they'll need their wreckers

as close as possible

to the edge of the unstable bank.

We pretty much

just have to throw our lines down

to clear the edge of the cliff...

That's probably good there, yo.

...but far away enough

so that our wreckers and equipment

stays safe and secure.

With Gurk securing the 50-tonne's lines...

...Sim rappels down

to help rig lines from the 35-tonne.

You good?

It doesn't really get much steeper than this.

I'm going to rig to the rear axle.

It would be the worst situation

if this tanker ends up on the tracks down below.

Now the tanker...

Tighten up your lines now.

...faces an uphill battle...

...of rough terrain.

You're good, you guys are good.

All eyes are on the fragile tanker...

...holding upwards of 12,000 gallons of liquid.

We don't want to puncture

the wall of the tanker

letting it leak.

But just as the tanker

starts inching its way up...

Dad!

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

There's a big, big rock.

If we keep pulling,

the tank will bust,

and we don't want to take that risk.

We have to call someone here,

get it emptied.

Team MSA's recovery is on pause...

Pump that out of there.

...until they can get a pump truck onsite.

When it's empty, it will be better.

Then we can see what we can do.

It's gonna take a long time.

500 kilometres north...

...outside Quesnel, B.C...

...an Autow 50-tonne wrecker

heads to a call...

Hopefully, he's out there.

...with owner-operator Rob Barber...

The weather didn't bother me so much

when I was younger.

As we get older, it's a little tougher to take.

...but today's job...

It gets just really steep and windy.

...is in new territory.

Some people call it the "mini Coq."

The road washed out four years ago,

and this is the first winter that it's been reopened.

The newly rebuilt West Fraser Road

saves drivers 40 minutes off the alternate route...

...but with hairpin turns

and a 13% percent grade,

it's a tough climb to the top.

It's got a full load of hay,

big goose-neck trailer.

Halfway up the steep hill...

He seems happy to see us.

...Rob pulls up to a spun-out farmer

hauling 14 tonnes of hay.

He's sorta stuck there,

until either the snow melts,

or someone shows up to help pull him up the hill.

This is the worst hill on the road?

Yep. You never been?

No, never.

This is the first time I'm going up, eh?

I kinda feel bad for him.

He's just trying to get feed to his animals.

Okay.

With 43,000 pounds on the hook,

Rob begins the climb.

Being this is the first winter,

we're not too sure how much of a pull it'll be

to go up the hill.

South of Quesnel...

...on West Fraser Road...

It's just too steep...

...Rob is attempting the 13% incline...

...and not forgiving.

...with a 43,000-pound load

on the hook.

Should be more of a summer hill,

not a winter hill.

It's a lot of weight.

It's a pickup truck with a big hay trailer.

...but after 10 long minutes...

...the red 50-tonne pulls them

in to the summit...

You go down, around the corner...

Okay.

...and then I'll just chase ya.

Okay, sounds good.

...but Rob decides

the job isn't over yet.

It's quite steep... the other side.

As a safety, I'm gonna watch his truck.

To get back down,

the farmer must brave a 12% grade descent...

...but navigating downhill...

Just big drops on both sides.

...comes with new dangers.

Gotta be 200 feet on either side.

You wouldn't want to blow through the barricades.

Pretty impressive though.

He's doing well.

He's just got to get to that corner,

and then it's flat.

The farmer,

and his 14 tonnes of hay...

That's the end of it.

...make it to the bottom.

The animals will be all fed,

and he'll be home in no time.

We got 'er done, right?

Hopefully next time,

if he comes through with a load of hay,

he'll go the other way.

Okay, have a good day.

Thank you so much. Take care.

Hope I don't see you again.

Rob's first tow up...

on Quesnel's own "mini Coq"

is a win.

What motivates me

is keeping our customers happy.

Six hours south

on the edge of the Fraser Valley...

We will see.

...MSA's mudslide tanker rescue...

Let's light it up.

...is well into the night.

We had to pump out that oil

for like five, six hours.

Yeah, that's it.

With 12,000 gallons offloaded...

Pumps disconnected?

All good.

...and lines already in place...

Good to go.

...they restart the recovery.

Kind of excited and nervous at the same time.

All right, let's rock and roll.

Go, Gursimran.

But working in the dark...

Pass my headlamp.

...is risky.

That definitely makes our job harder.

We need to be able to see what we're doing.

Yeah, go, Gursharan, keep pulling.

Positioned at the edge...

Yeah, yeah, you're good, keep going.

...of a muddy, unstable cliff...

Oh, no, hold on,

hold on, hold on, hold on.

...Kirpal spots...

See it's catching onto the log.

...an obstacle lurking below.

It's a big tree stump,

which has not let us go up the hill.

Why don't we pull the log out.

Okay, let's try it.

Instead of muscling through it,

the safest thing to do

is to first remove the stump,

and then continue on with the recovery.

Put the chain onto the stump there,

and put the other cable on.

Repurposing one of the 35-tonne's lines...

Yeah, right there, like that.

Now pull the log.

...they unearth...

You got it.

...a massive ten-foot stump.

That's a big root, man. Holy.

Pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull, pull.

Little bit more.

Okay, put it down on the ground now.

With the log out of the way...

Okay, go.

...they wind up for the main event.

Go ahead.

Gursimran, go a little bit faster.

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

Yeah, go, Gursharan.

That's it.

That's it. Stop now, stop now.

...to crest the bank,

MSA needs a new strategy.

Sim will pull The Moose forward,

and then he'll, uh,

hold the wrecked trailer in place,

and that'll allow me to move my wrecker forward.

The tanker is almost up the cliff now...

Give 'er!

...but we don't want to break the cable.

Go, go, go, go, it's coming.

If it slid down the hill,

then we will be screwed.

Keep going, guys, keep going.

Given the sheer size of the tanker...

Go, go, boom up high, all the way.

...we need a lot more lift and reach

to be able to pull this tanker

up and over the embankment.

But as the 40-foot tanker...

Just a second.

...makes it halfway over...

Wait, hold on, stop then.

Hold on. Stop.

Hold it, hold it, hold it!

Wait, hold on. Stop then.

On the edge of the Fraser Valley...

Hold it, hold it, hold it!

...MSA's tanker recovery...

Okay, let's do this. Hold on.

...teeters over a cliff.

No, let's hook second lines up.

This is a tricky move.

The stakes are pretty high.

Look at that,

it's right against the thing.

The trailer's axles are caught on the edge.

That is in there pretty bad.

We just don't know

how the ground is going to react,

so that's definitely a big concern right now.

To stop the trailer from digging in further...

Bang on, perfect.

...Kirpal recruits the excavator.

That's good there.

We are going to use the excavator

to lift the back end up while we are pulling.

Try that...

slowly!

Gurk, get outta there.

All right.

Everyone clears the area...

Yeah.

...as the wreckers and excavator...

Yeah.

Go for it!

...work in concert

to make it barrel-roll.

Keep pulling!

Go boom down. Go boom down.

Perfect.

Perfect.

That's bang on.

That's it, Gursimran.

15 hours since their arrival...

You can go down.

...the tanker is back on top.

I am so relieved

that the tanker is finally up on flat solid ground.

Now we just gotta upright it.

Okay.

A quick rerig...

Gursharan, go.

...and the tanker...

...is back on its wheels.

That's it,

done deal.

Yeah, that was a success.

We had some tough moments,

but we got the job done.

Close.

Up, up, up.

MSA's first mudslide recovery...

It was a little bit tougher,

but we did it.

...is in the bag.

I'm proud of my sons because they work hard,

and the next time

we have to do something like this,

we know what to do.

I've done some pretty crazy recoveries.

probably one of the craziest recoveries we've done.

Everybody on the team today learned a lot,

and we're ready for the next one.

It's been a long day, let's go home.

Okay.

All right, man.

It's definitely a milestone for Team MSA.

250 kilometres east...

...in British Columbia's

Southern Interior.

En route,

a Reliable Towing 35-tonne...

You never know what's gonna happen, right?

...with a new face.

Heavy operator Bob Potts.

We just, you know, get up there,

and take a... take a boo,

and see how everything is,

and go from there.

I am almost 62.

I started towing in 1979,

and it's in my blood,

and I've never stopped.

We want to get this done before nightfall.

Bob's been in the industry

for quite some time.

He's a hard worker,

not afraid to get his hands dirty.

Following Bob's lead

in a second 35-tonne...

That's where I live.

Where those rocks come down.

We'll be just driving past my house.

...Reliable's newest operator...

...Keelan Weldring.

I've been working for Reliable

for five months now,

and enjoying every moment of it.

I was seeing tow trucks around,

and thought,

"That could be fun."

Okay, we're gonna have fun going up this mountain.

Today's job...

Oh, joy.

First logging road drive.

...will take them four kilometres

up a remote logging road...

Big potholes,

and big ruts,

and cliffside, of course.

Holy, this is wild.

A little bit nerve-wracking

driving on those logging roads.

...climbing above the snowline.

Wow.

You know, that doesn't look good.

All I know's about this logging truck

was about a hundred feet down.

I did not know that he was fully loaded.

Can I go home now?

That's a bit crazy, man.

That's wild.

That's a long ways down.

It's 75% grade.

It's a nightmare.

It's gonna be a challenge.

In Southern B.C...

It's in there good, eh?

...Team Reliable's Bob and Keelan

face a logging B-train...

Still got logs on there, too.

...100 feet down the bank.

Oh, my God.

How are we gonna get this one up?

The logging B-train

was rounding the corner

when the rear trailer slid off the shoulder...

...pulling the entire truck down with it.

He's lucky to be alive.

The owner has arrived,

and takes in the scene...

Just glad the driver's safe.

That's really all that matters.

Trucks are replaceable.

...but to run lines to the wreck...

Whew!

No falling!

...Keelan must go down there himself.

Climbing that hill up and down

is not easy as I thought.

There you go.

My plan is

to separate the truck from the trailer,

and pull up the truck.

Hell yeah.

All good?

Good!

With lines from both wreckers,

they'll separate the unit,

and pull the tractor up the bank.

It's snowing now.

Okay, let's see what's gonna happen here.

Start pulling, and watch me.

Keep pulling!

Looking good!

There she goes.

Free of the trailers,

Bob's next move

is getting the 25,000-pound load

up the slope.

It's all rocks, stumps, boulders.

Not nice.

Keep pullin'!

When you almost get it up on top,

well, that is the hardest part...

...because it's the steepest.

Come on.

The 75% grade...

Nope.

...pushes Bob's wrecker to its limit.

Pull it!

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Oh, boy.

Chain broke?

Yeah.

Chain is as strong as its weakest link,

so I guess it had a weak link.

Can't believe it.

We almost had it up here.

That kinda sucks.

But with night approaching...

We're gonna have to come back.

...Bob puts the job on hold.

Disappointed.

Not feeling very good today.

No tow truck driver likes to get defeated,

but tomorrow we're gonna have more iron.

We're gonna get 'er done.

Not fun.

The next morning...

I'm prepared for the second round.

...Bob heads back to the scene.

I was getting really frustrated yesterday.

Yeah, it was a swing and a miss yesterday,

but it's gonna be a home run.

Following behind...

...in his 50-tonne tri-drive "Heavy Metal"...

They're having some troubles.

...Reliable's lead heavy operator Andy Cullum.

So we're going up today to help 'em out.

We're gonna try to get the truck up,

and then we'll see how the trailers come up.

Holy.

Andy arrives

at the site of yesterday's failed attempt.

First look at the wreck,

there's a lot of logs in the way of the trailer...

...and the truck's a long ways down.

Already on scene...

You made it.

...is Keelan with the 35-tonne.

I am excited to come back on day two.

I'd try to grab those bottom two

and drag them.

Yep.

Keelan starts on log removal...

...while Andy and Bob...

You want both of us on that?

...focus on the tractor.

We're gonna rig my truck to the front of the truck first.

This guy's a freaking mountain goat.

I need that pin on the--

Whoa, that was good!

Basically,

we're doing the same way,

but we're going to have the 50-tonne up top.

All right, we got it hooked up!

Here we go.

Keep pulling!

There we go.

But as they near the steepest section...

...where Bob and Keelan lost the tractor...

I'm hoping it's gonna land.

Okay, hold on.

We should almost get a catch line on the front end.

In case we have failure again.

Yeah, okay.

We want to get this second cable on

to act as a catch cable.

A catch line from Heavy Metal...

...is hooked to the front axle...

Okay, I feel safer.

...but Andy...

Yeah.

Chain around the axle.

...also wants to rig for the next move...

by having Bob hook to the rear...

with his 35-tonne.

Okay, tighten it!

So we can slide it like a slingshot up sideways,

so it could sit on the road.

Okay.

Both wreckers now on the tractor...

Andy and Bob go for broke.

I don't care if I'm here until midnight, man,

I'm doing it!

Boom up.

It's coming up perfect!

Look at that.

We got it on the road!

Whoo-hoo!

Right on, brother.

Andy, he knows his stuff.

The tractor is finally out of the way...

The trailer's are gonna be the hardest part.

...but the trailers still need to be cleared.

The amount of logs

could cause a few extra challenges.

Kinda jammed everything together there.

I think this is going to be a big pull.

At the doorstep to the Rocky Mountains...

I'm just gonna go get my gloves, okay?

...it's training day...

Do you have more gloves?

...for Jamie Davis' daughter, Alexis.

I don't, I just got mine.

See what's in the truck there.

I'm switching right into teacher mode.

He's starting her out in LR-19.

-Okay, good to go? -Yeah.

You've gotta be trained, and you've gotta take baby steps

before you get into this in a big way.

I'm going the speed limit.

I just got my driver's license three months ago,

and now I'm towing.

Today is Alexis' first time

in the driver's seat.

For a young girl

to be driving a tonne-and-a-half truck

with a plow on the front,

she's acquiring skills

that a lot of kids her age wouldn't even understand.

He can't fire me, right?

That's probably, uh...

probably the best part of working with him.

Just gotta hang a left

down that way...

They arrive...

...and then back up to the front of that car.

...at her first job.

I want to stand back.

All I need to do here is supervise.

I'm taking it easy,

you know, I have my head down,

I'm just trying to learn.

Suck it in.

That don't sound right.

-No. -Nope.

Okay, let's go take it out on the road.

I'm driving out of the driveway,

so we can test it on the road

to see if it's just the snow,

or if it's not... just not working.

Pulling onto the pavement...

Huh.

...it's clear

the truck's rear axles aren't cooperating.

Okay, park.

We have to dolly it.

Sometimes, you get to a job,

and the wheels are bent,

or the transmission's locked up.

There's all kinds of times

when you would need to put the dollies on the vehicle

in order to make the tow.

I'm gonna show you a trick.

See this?

Lift one hand like this...

-Ah! -See?

That's what you do.

I'm having a great time working with my father right now.

So I put it two spots out.

As her dad,

it's important for me to be there

to teach her what could happen,

so that she gets it.

Now the hard part comes.

Hard part?

'Cause now you're lifting up the whole car.

Okay, take that and run with it.

Get a run into it,

you throw your whole body into it, like hockey.

You did it! See?

She's handling it like a pro.

Her first dolly tow...

This is my first time towing something on dollies.

...will be a six-kilometre drive...

Okay, let's go.

Okay.

...back to the yard.

425 kilometres southwest...

...Team Reliable sizes up

B-train trailers

100 feet down the bank.

I think this is gonna be a big pull.

These trailers are not going to be easy to come up

because the logs are everywhere and everywhere.

Early yesterday,

the lumber B-train...

...rolled 100 feet

down a steep embankment.

Yeah, that one,

and then we'll be good, I think.

Now...

I think so.

...Keelan moves the last of the logs

blocking the pull.

There we go.

Everything's loose.

We're gonna rig the trailers

to bring them up both together.

-Good? -Okay!

With Bob's 35-tonne on the front...

Where do you want it?

Around the frame behind that cross member.

...Andy's 50-tonne hooks to the middle.

Okay.

Start pulling.

It's binding, eh?

But now they're pulling...

That's the logs are doing it.

...through a logjam.

The logs are everywhere,

binding up in the wheels, the frame.

Holy...

Something's going to hold it,

and then you break a cable.

-Hey, hey! -Hey, Bob!

You're rolling over!

Whoa!

Four kilometres up a logging road...

Hey, hey!

Hey, Bob.

...Team Reliable is in a tug of war...

You're rolling over!

Whoa!

...with the final pieces...

Boom in.

...of a B-train recovery...

As we're bringing it up,

some of the logs are getting a little tangled in.

...but Andy's big 50-tonne...

Wow.

...and Bob's 35-tonne...

...power through the obstacles.

We're gonna get 'er done.

I ain't gonna get defeated twice.

Finally, the trailers...

Yay!

...break free.

Okay, hold on.

Let's take this and go low.

A line from Andy's heavy

is re-rigged...

Okay.

...to the rear trailer...

Bob, pull!

There we go.

...and the two-day job...

Okay, stop.

...comes to a close.

That's how it's supposed to go.

I feel great. Thank you, Andy.

Good job.

It's a victory for the industry vet...

Yoo!

I defeated you, you little--

...and newest operator.

I learned quite a bit.

That should work.

My message to my employees is that, you know,

recognize when you have that challenge

that you might need some help.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Definitely a win for Team Reliable.

Everybody's happy at the end of the day,

it's a good day.

To the northeast...

...Alexis and her first tow on dollies...

-Come on back. -Okay.

...make it to the yard.

This job went well.

Definitely feeling like I'm getting the hang of it more.

I had a great time with my father today.

Keep going.

She's sucking everything up like a sponge.

Perfect.

It's kind of an amazing thing.

Here's this tiny little girl

just getting into it and doing it.

See, she just did that like a pro.

I was the same.

At 16 years old, I was driving my dad's truck.

Makes me pretty happy.

Okay, and then... that's good.

Had a kind of a tear in my eye when I...

Here's your, uh...

Whoo!

...here's your end on the end.

Okay?

I got, I think $50 from that.

Let's go and have a coffee.

All right.

Alexis is working in the trucks,

going out on jobs.

She's just hounding me day and night

to help her figure things out

and do training,

and, you know, she's doing a pretty damn good job.

Next time on Highway Thru Hell...

...crash...

That's not good.

...and burn.

I gotta put it out.

Reliable takes a hit...

...MSA...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

-...inches... -Hold it!

...from disaster...

You can just see how a tight space this is.

...and Jamie...

...heads off-road.

I feel like I'm gonna wipe out already.

Holy!