Ice Road Truckers

Narrator: Now on "ice road truckers"...

Wow.

Hopefully something like this is not gonna happen to me.

- There ain't no way I'm getting turned around anywhere.

Narrator: Hard choices...

I got myself in a (bleep) jam.

Whoa.

Narrator: And big risks.....

Lisa: I have no steering.

So I gotta start it now or never.

Art: I don't want him beside me.

Narrator:...Push the drivers to the edge.

Art: Get the (bleep) away from me!

Narrator: In the ontario wilderness...

- Definitely feels like we're gonna have a short season this year.

Narrator: A renegade business owner's

Racing against the clock and mother nature.

- I've never seen the weather like this before up here.

Narrator: Darrell ward scored 20 tons of supplies

For a school being built in the town of pikangikum.

But the 200 mile trail is in danger of being shut down

Due to rising temperatures.

Darrell: They don't know whether the roads open

Or closed half the time.

You might run towards your winter road,

But when you get to the winter road

You find a road closed sign.

It's not safe, they close the road.

Narrator: This early in the season

Warm temperatures are a rarity.

But this year el nino is wreaking havoc

For the ice road truckers.

To keep the winter roads in tact

Temperatures must be minus six degrees celsius

Or lower to remain open.

If the thermometer raises to minus five or above

The route could be closed by road authorities.

Darrell: I got six below zero this morning

So I don't know from hour to hour

Whether these roads are gonna be open or closed.

Narrator: At minus six darrell's right on the cusp.

Darrell: We're gonna have to have some major changes

In the weather.

It's a crazy warm year.

Darrell: I'm headed to pikangikum.

Has it been closed today, do you know?

All right. Ten four.

That's kind of (bleep) up.

Narrator: The path ahead has been shut down...

So darrell's got no choice but to wait it out.

Darrell: This company's survival

Depends on loads being delivered on time.

I'm afraid that we won't get the loads in

That we need to survive the season.

This company could go down.

I don't know.

Narrator: While darrell's down,

50 miles to the northwest...

Rival polar's on the move.

Art: This is my little good luck pouch here.

It's supposed to keep me safe.

I was given that by a cree friend of mine.

I rub that every day.

Narrator: Art burke's looking for luck

On a high stakes mission.

Art: Away we go again.

Narrator: A 400 mile trek to remote st. Theresa point.

Art: Be nice to get a trip without anything going (bleep), eh?

Like one trip is all I ask, you know.

Narrator: The load of building supplies

Could bring in a fortune for polar.

But the dangerous routes rumored to be in rough shape.

It's getting warmer now.

I don't know.

Well, well, well, well, well.

Hey, there big truck, you got a copy, buddy.

Trucker: (on radio) yeah.

- You didn't come out of st. Theresa's

By any chance, did ya?

- Right on, buddy. How was the road?

- Now isn't that (bleep) something.

The road is getting worse and worse.

Look at this.

That's the top of the muskeg coming up

Through the (bleep) snow, eh.

Like this should be all covered with snow this time of year.

This is no good.

This is a bad spot here, b'y.

I wouldn't wanna (bleep) up on this.

Wow! Check this out, buddy.

Holy (bleep), eh.

Look at all the chains marks, man.

Whenever they were trying to pull this out, look.

Everything tore all to hell.

Holy god, eh.

Narrator: The thawing muskeg can act like quick sand

Forcing drivers to flee and abandon their trucks

Hundreds of miles from the nearest town.

And this road's so ravaged even maintenance vehicles

Aren't immune to the trails wrath.

- You break through that road run,

You'll go right to your (bleep) arse just like this, look.

Art: When you're in the middle of nowheres,

You're in this by yourself.

There's none of this call help

Or any of this kind of (bleep), b'y.

We screw up we might not get to do it again.

Hopefully something like this is not gonna happen to me.

What can I say...

Away we go again.

That's all that happens today it'll be a good (bleep) day.

Hooray hurrah. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Narrator: While polar's wild card

Gambles down the brutal road.

100 miles to the north...

- Do some hard trucking today, man.

Narrator: The competition's looking to bank some big money.

Lisa: Going to winnipeg.

Just got this back haul.

It's a broken loader.

Narrator: Lisa kelly's hauling a busted $60,000 loader

400 miles from remote garden hill

Down to winnipeg for repairs.

Lisa: I like back hauls

It means that I'm making double the money on the same run.

So that's pretty exciting.

Narrator: A high price job will bring in much needed cash

For the small business.

Jeez louise!

The road's falling apart.

So I just need to get out of here.

Narrator: But the road's deteriorating fast

And within hours is expected to get shut down.

whoa.

What the heck was that?

What is going on?

Whoa.

We have a problem.

That's the engine, skipping or something.

All right, I gotta stop this thing.

So I gotta get out and I gotta pop my hood

And see if everything's good.

And in order to check the fluids and stuff

I'm gonna have to turn the truck off

Which is the ultimate no-no.

Narrator: A cardinal rule of ice road trucking

Is never turn off the engine.

In these conditions it might not start back up

Leaving the driver stranded

Hundreds of miles from civilization.

With the motor failing she may have to make the tough call.

- So I'm gonna break the rules of the road right now, ready?

Narrator: 300 miles from winnipeg.

Lisa: In order to check the fluids and stuff

I'm gonna have to turn the truck off

Which is all, the ultimate no-no.

Narrator: To try and fix her engine

Lisa kelly's willing to take a giant risk.

- So I'm gonna break the rules of the road right now, ready?

Lisa: I cross my finger

And hope it's something I know how to fix

Because if it isn't I don't know what to do.

What am I gonna do, sit here and do nothing.

That's not my motto.

Just sitting here ain't gonna solve anything.

Truck's don't heal, they get fixed.

Coolants good.