Ice Road Truckers the Real Story

Season 3 of Ice Road Truckers began on 5/31/2009

Well I have to admit - the 3rd season gives us even more dangers and thrills. We are now introduced to the Dalton Road in Alaska, aka the "Haul Road" running between Fairbanks and Prudoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. We are introduced to a cast of colorful "Haul Road veterans", like "big load" driver, Jack Jesse and 30 year, road veteran, George Sears. Also added, is 29 year old Lisa Kelly who is driving this road for the second year. We are told that Lisa is only one of three female truck drivers on the Dalton Rd.

Returning from the last 2 seasons of IRT are favorite veteran Canadian truck drivers, Hugh "the Polar Bear" Rollins and Alex Debogorski. We're eager to see how these cagey veterans measure up to the new dangers on this Alaskan ice road.

The Mission: Carlile Trucking in Fairbanks has only 3 months to move over 2,000 truck loads, over 600 miles, to supply the Alaskan Oil Industry in and around Prudoe Bay. The drivers seek to earn their $120,000+ salary over the 3 month season and survive the dangers.

Dangers on the Dalton Rd include icy roads (literally - the road surface is composed of 2 inches of ice spread over gravel or whatever is underneath) steep hills and hairpin turns, narrow road clearances, avalanches, complete white-outs, called "blows" and last but not least travel over frozen sea ice and 70 below zero F temperatures.

Anyway, great to see some of our favorite characters back in action along with some interesting newcomers and some very awesome driving challenges!

The ice road for 2008 is closed and we're looking forward to a season 3!

Final load count for 2008, Hugh, "the polar bear" Rowlands wins with 68 total loads (of "grey water") over the ice road.

Eric Dufresne comes in with a close 67 loads (Eric was the overall load champion last year - on the Inuvik road).

Rick Yemm, with 57 total loads, is fired by the company on the last day of the season (was unable to properly load a 13 ton front end loader onto his flat bed trailer, since he didn't know how to use a winch). Rick was told not to come back!

Bear Swenson, a new driver featured in season 2, had 53 total loads, but hauled the highest tonnage and some of the most difficult loads over the ice road.

Last, but not least, old friend Drew Sherwood finishes up with 9 total ice road loads, as he ended-up working for a local trucking company delivering groceries.

Hugh Rowlands expresses the opinion that both Rick and Drew lack a good work ethic and he is very disappointed with their 2007 performance!

We are not informed as to the monetary rewards received for these ice road loads - which is disappointing!

The stage has been set for a season 3 and we will be waiting in anticipation.

Hugh, "the polar bear" is working for Northwinds Transportation, out of Inuvik, While Rick, "the complainer" is working for Gruben Transportation out of Tuk'. Drew originally started with Northwinds, quit and went to work at a 3rd company in Inuvik. He started-out working in the warehouse and has now been promoted to tractor trailer driver, once again. Will he get stuck on his first load?

It looks like Alex is truly done for the season, ending-up with 22 loads over the ice road. He remains in the hospital in Yellow Knife, with one and possibly two blood clots (1 in each lung). The doctor has ordered him off the ice and no further driving for now. Hugh the "Polar Bear" gives him a phone call to cheer him up.

Meanwhile, Eric the Inuvik ice road veteran, is in the lead with 41 trips over the ice road, while the Polar Bear is in second place with 40 loads. Hugh's young 18 year old rookie fails his class 1 drivers test. Hugh continues to haul the "gray water" septic pump to it's needed locations.

Alex Debogorski update. Alex was having difficulty breathing and went to the emergency room in Inuvik. He has been air evacuated to Yellow Knife, for treatment of a suspected blood clot in his lung - this could be dire for Alex. It was also disclosed that Alex had open-heart surgery 5 years ago.

Drew, after quitting his job at Northwinds Transportation, gets a job with another company delivering junk food to the drilling sites.

Rick, is grumbling and drinking too much. He continues to have repair problems with this trucks - is he being blacklisted?

Ice Road Truckers are reportedly able to make up to $70,000 per the season. Not sure if this figure is US or C dollars, but they're about equal value at present.

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Producer and genre:

Ice Road Truckers is one of the so called "Jungereality" documentaries produced by Original Productions, which is also behind other successful shows of this genre, including "Deadliest Catch" and "Ax Men." The term Jungereality is attributed to author Sebastian Junger who wrote the book, "The Perfect Storm." This genre basically shows manly men, working at dangerous jobs. Another term for this genre is "He Man Chic."

The drivers in Ice Road Truckers aren't daredevils, but rather ordinary employees working for a living, combating the forces of nature. But, not only are they engaged in man against nature, but also man against man, as they seek to bring home the most cash in this high stakes gig. Knowing how high the stakes are, informs and engages the viewer.

The idea behind this series:

In 2000 the History Channel did a documentary series called Suicide Missions. As one of the "Missions" the series did a 46 minute segment on "Ice Road Truckers," based on the book "Denison's Ice Road," by Edith Iglauer. The episode detailed the treacherous work of hauling equipment and supplies over the frozen lakes, known as ice roads, in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Later this one episode of Ice Road Truckers was aired as a rerun on the History Channel's series Modern Marvels, where it achieved very high viewer ratings.

Current Status of Series in Season 2:

After the first season, the locale for Ice Road Truckers was changed. Instead of driving the ice roads and frozen lakes out of Yellowknife, NWT, for the diamond mining industry, many of the same truckers (and a few new ones) are now driving the ice road from Inuk, over the frozen McKenzie River and frozen Arctic Ocean, to deliver equipment and supplies to the natural gas drilling rigs.

Apparently, the diamond mining interests controlling and maintaining the original ice road were unhappy about the first season and felt that the producers made the driving look more dangerous than it actually is.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

In the first season of "Ice Road Truckers" we meet a mixed cast of young and older experienced truckers, who are working hard in dangerous conditions to support their families back home. They're in rigs weighing many tons, driving over just 24 inches of ice in many spots. They have 10,000 tons of equipment to move, in a relatively short time, before the Spring thaw closes the road.

Two of the older drivers, Alex Debogorski and Hugh the "Polar Bear", are vying for the title "King of the Ice," for carrying the most loads over the ice road during the season and thus earning the most money to take home to their families (we are informed that Hugh the Polar Bear had won the previous year). They are challenged by a couple of personable, but very young, drivers, rookies out to earn some important money for their young families, and some respect on the ice road.

There are a cast of other drivers, as well, including, some whiners ("Drew") and other mal-contents, just to make things interesting. Each episode is a battle against equipment failures, harsh 60 degree below zero Fahrenheit, temperatures, blizzards, changing ice conditions and health challenges. There is also a nice blend of interpersonal friction and problems arising between some of the drivers and between drivers and mechanics. All in all, great stuff!

The crusty veterans of Ice Road Truckers make the deadly look routine. In this case enter someone bound to screw things up, Drew a whiner, who is unable to operate his truck without breaking it somehow, or a rookie driver, unable to keep up with his convoy and falling dangerously behind in a blizzard. Careful editing adds comic effect as well, with one rookie driver snottily insisting over the CB radio that he "has no intention of winding up in a ditch, Bro." Sure enough, in the next scene, there he is, stuck in a ditch!

There are many strict company rules for the Ice Road Truckers to follow: The biggest is to obey the speed limits, otherwise if you go too fast, the speed and weight of the truck may create waves under the ice that will make it buckle farther down the road and if you were to lose control of your rig and jackknife, traffic backs up behind you, and the combined weight of the stalled trucks could sink everyone. Speed limits and other rules are strictly enforced. One trucker is caught going too fast and is banned from the ice road.

An engaging and interesting show that's almost the equal of "Deadliest Catch" and well worth watching for it's educational and entertainment value!

(Photo courtesy of Flickr)

The second season of Ice Road Truckers began in June 2008. Due to issues between the producers and the mining company interests (the mining company felt that the show depicted driving on the ice road as being more dangerous than it actually is), the series has moved to an alternate ice road in Canada, between Inuvik and the scattered natural gas drilling platforms north of the Arctic Circle.

In the second season, we have many of the same truckers, who've apparently relocated along with the series to the new setting - equally as daunting. Apparently these truckers are basking in their new found stardom and enjoying the "bright lights."

This season the truckers are driving over the frozen McKenzie river and out over the frozen Arctic ocean. Although speed limits have increased considerably, we are warned that prolonged stops on the ice could be lethal, due to shifting tides underneath the ice and the effects of a stationary heavy weight.

This year as with last, we have "Alex and Hugh" the rough and tough veterans and a slew of cry babies, including, of all people, "Drew," who quit the ice road last year in a "hissy fit." As could be predicted, he shows-up at the Arctic Circle without his winter jacket, thus earning the immediate scorn of his new boss (he ends-up having to borrow one, but is grounded for several days). Let the competition and games begin!

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