Top Gear USA - Fifth Season

Now on Top Gear

We put our big rig driving skills to the ultimate test

as we attempt one of the most dangerous jobs in the world

hauling over 40 tons of timber

down the open road.

Holy... Stop, baby, stop!

The Pacific Northwest is home

to over 40 million acres of wilderness

and one of the most dangerous industries in America...

Logging.

And with all that timber, worth over $10 billion a year,

someone has to haul it down the mountain.

Both logging and truck driving already rank

as some of the most deadliest jobs in the world,

but combine the two and you've got a serious challenge

best left to the professionals...

Until now.

"Top Gear" challenged us to haul over 40 tons of timber

across 75 miles of treacherous roads

in possibly our riskiest challenge to date.

First one to reach the mill

with the least amount of mistakes would win.

We were told to meet in an empty field

by an abandoned airport,

where we'd be introduced to our big rigs.

Wood: Oh, yeah!

Look at that.

Foust: That's what I'm talking about.

Look at the size of these things.

This brings back memories.

We'd driven monsters like these before,

with limited success...

Ferrara: Popped out of gear.

Oh brake!

So the thought of getting back in a big rig was daunting.

Foust: What are we doing here?

Let's se

"tomorrow, you will embark on 75-mile journey

"over tarmac, gravel, and dirt

to pick up and deliver a load of logs."

Good lord.

"You have to prove that you're still road-ready

"by surviving a refresher course.

"Your first challenge will take place

"on the other side of the runway,

"but first, you must get there.

Extricate your truck from the pit in front of you."

What? Extricate?

Yeah. Got to get it out of here.

First one out wins.

You d... you know...

We're back in the big rigs.

Okay, just like riding a bike.

Nice to see you back, there, captain.

Foust: Last time, Rut proved he was the best driver,

so today is all about payback.

Oh. Parking brake.

I got the holeshot! Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

Oh, good. There goes Tanner. Okay.

Shift! Come on, baby. Find a gear.

Oh, come on, Adam!

I'm extricating!

Come on!

Wood: Tanner may have beat me in the mud...

But my trucker skills were kicking in.

Here I come on the outside.

It's like "how Stella got her groove back."

Ferrara: But tiny dancer just got his groove back.

Foust: I do have the most torque here, so I'm gonna use it.

Come on, baby.

Foust: With Adam way behind,

it was just the bearded lady and I

as we headed down the last straightaway.

Oh, Tanner wants a piece. Kenworth!

Oh, it's on.

Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!

That's one for me, fellas.

Okay, so it's gonna be like this, Tanner.

Ferrara: You gonna score everything?

You know it!

Oh, man, I'm rolling cool in a Kenworth.

I have truly missed driving a big rig.

It's all kind of coming back.

I do remember Rutledge

was, like, a semi-truck-driving master.

It was obnoxious. I don't know what the deal was.

Last time we raced big rigs,

our Southern boy, Rut, proved to be the best...

I cannot believe that Rutledge won that.

And it was hardly surprising,

given that his high-school mascot was a tractor.

Oh, I did it! I don't believe you.

I think this is where I celebrate, right?

But these things were still monstrous to drive,

and it was anyone's game.

I forgot how much I love this.

Foust: Kind of getting used to this stuff, huh?

That's fun.

What are you driving, Tanner?

2006 Peterbilt 379 long-nose.

I don't know much about big rigs,

but I do know a lot about speed,

and with 625 horsepower and 2,050 foot-pounds of torque,

this is by far the fastest truck of the three.

I would have preferred red,

but I guess with green, I'll get fewer speeding tickets.

Listen, you're missing the point.

2007 Kenworth t800 mule train.

Ferrara: Who cares about speed?

How about biggest hauling capacity?

This silver stud is the little truck that could.

The mule train can pack 110,000 pounds,

which is too much for Washington state.

You're only allowed to carry 105,000 pounds.

That's an outlaw rig, right there.

When I think of you, I think, "outlaw."

Yeah. That's pretty much me.

You guys know what you're looking at, here, right?

Wood: I'd chosen a 1991 Kenworth w900l long-nose.

Tanner's got the fastest, and Adam's got the strongest,

but this beauty is the oldest,

so it deserves a little respect.

What are we doing here?

Let's see.

"Wood: " Truckers have to drive through tight spaces,

"from tunnels to overpasses and narrow roads,

"so it's important to be able to gauge dimensions accurately.

"To test your judgment, three gateways

"with different widths and heights have been created,

"and only one will allow a clean pass-through.

"You must determine which gate is big enough

"and drive through it at no less than 30 miles per hour.

"After each person goes,

"the gateways will be resized and reset.

Cleanest pass-through wins."

This is like that old "square peg in a round hole" thing,

but just sped up.

No, it's not.

This is square peg and smaller-square hole.

It's a size issue.

Yeah, why don't you go first, then,

- if you're so confident? - Fine.

I don't have any size issues.

This truck is 13 feet, 6 inches to the top of the stacks,

8 feet, 6 inches to the edge of the mirrors... give or take.

That's the problem is the "give or take."

And all these look the same from back here.

Oh, I don't feel good about this.

All right, fellas, you ready?

Yeah, ready. Go for it.

There we go.

Oops. Get in gear.

Has anyone ever been killed

by a flying cardboard box before?

Oh, that looks narrow.

That's narrower than I thought.

I'm going right.

Looks like he's choosing...

Oh, he's choosing right. Oh! Oh!

Line up straight.

Get through there. 30 miles an hour.

Come on, baby. Come on, baby.

Come on, baby. Straight through.

Yes!

He hit the top.

Foust: Adam failed.

If that had been the top of a tunnel,

it would have been nasty.

I didn't hit anything!

I think.

Eh?

"Eh"?

What? You hit the pole.

Oh. Yeah.

You didn't... you didn't feel that or hear it or anything?

All right, well, there's that.

You're just a little bit too tall, I think.

You'll never have that problem.

Hmm. Actually, sometimes, I do.

No. There are some vehicles, some doorways.

I'll go next. Where, on a gingerbread house?

Like in Europe.

Ferrara: The gates were resized,

and it was the bearded lady's turn.

Wood: Oh, this is stressful.

I'm either going for the one in the middle

or the one on the right.

I could go for the one on the left.

I don't know. They all look the same to me.

I've seen him hit the side of his head

going in a doorway before.

To be fair, that's a big head.

All right, you boys ready?

Yeah. Bring it on, big guy.

Nice and easy on the clutch. Let her roll.

Oh, you know what? I can't do it.

I got to try this one.

He's choosing the center.

No, he's choosing the far side.

He's back to the center.