Original subtitles

[music playing]

NARRATOR: On this episode of "Ice Road Truckers."

Another tanker hits the ditch.

Once you get them tires in that loose snow,

you're not going to bring it out.

[honking]

NARRATOR: Alex on slick ice.

Don't [bleep] stop.

Sheesh.

NARRATOR: And Hugh in custody.

Why don't we go ahead and come inside?

Grab the registration for the truck.

Grab the registration for the trailer.

Ah, the coppers-- they'll never take me alive.

NARRATOR: At the top of the world--

[beeping]

[honking]

--there's a job only a few would dare.

Just when you thought extreme trucking couldn't

get more dangerous, "Ice Road Truckers" take on Alaska.

[theme music]

70 miles from Fairbanks, veteran George Spears and rookie Tim

Freeman are caught in one of the worst blows of the season.

Just horrendous storms.

Holy cow.

GEORGE SPEARS: Aw, man.

What a nightmare.

NARRATOR: They're southbound, hoping to reach the safety

of Fairbanks tonight.

This is only Tim's sixth trip on the Dalton,

and already the rookie is caught in his third brutal storm.

To make it through these blinding conditions

he'll have to rely on his lifeline and mentor.

--that's when you have to really know where

the road's at.

Makes a big difference if you know what kind of hill

is coming up.

NARRATOR: They have no choice but to forge ahead.

Blowing snow in a storm this bad can clog a truck's air filter

and shut down the engine, leaving them stranded

on the road with no heat.

They now have just 40 miles to go.

GEORGE SPEARS: Hopefully we got through a big part of it

already, and it won't be so bad for a ways.

Tim couldn't have picked a worse season to start out in.

And if you can get through this stuff here,

then you can get through anything.

You know, it's a tough time to start out,

but you will certainly learn that way.

NARRATOR: Finally, after four grueling hours--

--they reached the outskirts of Fairbanks.

All right.

We got to where we gotta go, and nobody got hurt.

It worked out great.

[yawns]

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: Nine weeks into a winter of fierce storms

and arctic blows, time is running out for Alaska's ice

road season.

Probably 3, 3 and 1/2, 4 weeks before the ice road

closes this year.

So kind of making a final push.

NARRATOR: Major weather delays have put everyone

behind schedule and cost truckers thousands

of dollars in lost loads.

Finally, today, there's a break in the weather,

and the race is on to rack up the runs

before the ice roads melt away.

Halfway between Deadhorse and Coldfoot--

[horn blares]

--Hugh Rowland and convoy partner Phil Krom

are back hauling to Fairbanks.

I'm hauling a Sea-Can.

I got about 50,000 on.

Sun's been out.

We're just about to the Pass.

Nary a problem today.

[horn honks]

NARRATOR: So far Hugh's maintaining his lead

against rival Alex Debogorski in the dash for the cash.

He's on his eighth load of this season.

But Alex is right on his tail with load number seven.

So I'm catching up to you.

Are you concerned?

Not a bit.

[laughter]

It depends if I crash or not.

If I crash, he'll probably beat me.

If he crashes, I know I got him.

NARRATOR: But on this trip, Hugh and Alex aren't the only rivals

on the road.

Phil is battling it out over the radio

with his arch competitor, Drew Watson.

They're arguing about who's ahead.

Drew can't understand that we're ahead of him by 500 miles.

[laughs]

1,250.

DREW (ON RADIO): 1,250.

1,350. - 1,500.

DREW (ON RADIO): 500 miles in front of me.

[inaudible]

1,750.

PHIL (ON RADIO): I don't think so.

2,000.

[laughing]

NARRATOR: Next up in the Carlile Yard is Jack Jesse.

He's managed to pull an impressive 15 loads

through this season's setbacks.

And today, he's on special assignment hauling

10,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

We got three different compartments.

45 in the front compartment.

24 in the middle compartment.

3,600 gallons in the tail compartment.

Very cold.

JACK JESSE: All right?

NARRATOR: Jack will convoy with the upstart Lisa Kelly.

The sun is shining, but that's deceiving.

It is not warm.

It's just bright and cold now.

[laughs] OK, I can't feel my legs anymore.

I'm going to get in the truck.

NARRATOR: Lisa's hauled 10 loads this season.

But if she's to make it into heavy haul,

she still has a lot to learn, and there's no better mentor

than Jack.

[horn honks]

LISA KELLY (ON RADIO): All righty,

let's get this party started.

Well, hey.

Off the Elliott onto the Dalton.

414 more miles to go.

NARRATOR: 70 miles from Fairbanks

they hit the TAPS, 56 miles of icy hills and sharp turns.

These steep grades have given Lisa plenty of trouble

throughout the season.

Oh, this is kinda slick.

Where's the traction?

Holy crap.

I'm spinning.

Well, that's actually the hardest gear to hit, going

from fifth back to fourth.

Just take your time and wait on it, and it'll fall right in.

Not the way I do it.

[laughs] I like riding with Jack, because for one

he's really patient and doesn't act like I'm an inconvenience.

And two is he just teaches me all kinds of stuff

that I want to know.

NARRATOR: She's spun out so many times downshifting on hills

that Jack tries teaching her a new method.

OK.

Take fifth over.

Drag it down to about 1,400 RPMs.

I'm scared.

NARRATOR: If Lisa misses the shift,

she could stall out and slide all the way to the bottom.

I'm going to try it.

It's at 14.

I got to go to 17.

NARRATOR: Lisa downshifts to fourth,

but the gear doesn't lock in.

Holy crap.

NARRATOR: On the steep and icy terrain of the TAPS,

Lisa Kelly is getting schooled by Jack Jesse on how

to climb the vertical hills without stalling out.

JACK JESSE (ON RADIO): Just take your time,

and it'll fall right in.

NARRATOR: But while down shifting from fifth the fourth,

she's found herself free-wheeling in neutral.

Holy crap.

Ah!

NARRATOR: Lisa continues to rev the engine until finally she

drops into fourth.

[sigh]

Oh, I just did the shift, and I waited a second

and I revved it up.

And it kinda grinded a little bit.

And then I just fell right down into the gear.

Oh yeah.

I am going to have to start practicing that everywhere.

That's awesome.

I wish I could run with him more.

I really do.

NARRATOR: Back in Fairbanks--

You want me to run it for a little bit first?

Huh?

Make sure you ain't got no more leaks.

NARRATOR: After taking a beating in last night's storm,

George's truck is in the shop with an oil leak.

And these things they get sprayed by the rocks

by the steer axle, grit and grime off the road.

Eventually it just takes a toll on it.

It started leaking.

We just had to change them now before it gives him

a big problem on the road.

Fire it up, Georgie.

Somebody's got to take care of good ole Georgie.

Always got to take care of you.

GEORGE SPEARS: That's right.

NARRATOR: Out in the yard, Tim is picking up

his sixth load of the season.

Just hooked up to my load here in Fairbanks.

I got on about five or six fiber optic reels

to go up to Prudhoe.

NARRATOR: He and George have high hopes for making good time

in today's weather.

And George has decided that the clear skies are

just right for preparing the rookie to go solo.

GEORGE SPEARS: Well, Tim, I want you to go out front.

You know, you're getting ready to go on your own anyway,

so you go out front.

You got a lighter load.

Let me know what's coming, and make it easier for both of us.

We'll do it.

All right.

Are you sure you can keep up?

I don't know.

I hope [inaudible].

[horn honks]

TIM FREEMAN: I better do a good job.

George told me out front.

Otherwise, they're going to can me.

They're just going to fire me.

NARRATOR: Tim has to start making some cash.

To get to Alaska, he borrowed money from a bank

back in Minnesota, but with so many setbacks

this season he's barely breaking even.

And just as they reached the ice road,

Tim notices another problem with his truck.

TIM FREEMAN: I see I got a marker light that isn't working

on my trailer that was working when I left town.

I don't know.

I'll stop and check my rear light [inaudible] and see what

all's working, what isn't.

I ain't got no tail lights or marker lights.

It's perfect.

NARRATOR: It's illegal to drive without tail lights.

And when night falls, Tim's truck

will be invisible on the ice road

and could easily be rear-ended.

It's just a simple tail light.

But if Tim can't fix it on the road,

he'll have to turn back and lose $1,300 for the wasted trip.

George, you on here?

GEORGE SPEARS (ON RADIO): Yeah, Tim.

TIM FREEMAN: I can't get these to work.

[radio chatter]

NARRATOR: Up in Coldfoot--

I had to reset my hours.

Hey, I don't give a rat's [bleep]..

NARRATOR: Phil is ready to settle his bet with rival Drew

Watson.

In completed trips, or--

Completed trips.

OK.

So you started on the 31st.

Yep.

So did I. There's one.

They can show their each logbook and see

who wins the argument, because I know I'm right.

[laughs]

NARRATOR: Logbooks are official records of a driver's time

spent on the road.

You got back on the 11th.

So there's four. OK.

All right. Four.

And 2 and 1/2 this week.

So that's 6 and 1/2.

6 and 1/2 trips.

OK.

There's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Mhm.

To Prudhoe Bay.

Six to Prudhoe Bay.

You're on your sixth trip.

You got me beat by half a trip.

I told you.

[laughs] I told you.

That's what we counted.

Get off my truck.

So I'm half a trip ahead all month long.

Get off my truck.

You know I am.

Where's my 20 bucks?

[laughing]

NARRATOR: 100 miles south, Lisa is still blazing a trail

with the master. - No.

You're going to [inaudible] it this time, aren't you?

You shouldn't have any problems. - OK.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: When Jack spots trouble with her trailer.

Yeah.

My lights are on, and my tail lights are very, very, very

dim.

NARRATOR: If Lisa can't get her tail lights working,

this will be the end of the trip.

Whoa.

That's why it doesn't work.

It's broke off.

My ground, and I can't get in there.

What's going on here?

Piece of broken crap.

The reason that it's shorting out

is because the ground is broke.

You took the cord and labeled the cord?

No.

No.

And you say the lights came on when you wiggled it?

I didn't, but I could.

Like if you were to take a bungee,

you know, and you hook on it, pull it one direction,

sometimes it holds them on. - Oh yeah.

OK. I'll try that.

Jack said use this bungee cord, but the thing

is I already knew that.

But I didn't think of it, because I'm

with such an intelligent guy that I just kind of naturally

assumed he'd have the answer.

And he did, and it's wonderful.

OK.

It's working right now.

JACK JESSE: Go and hit your breaks and see if they work.

Yeah.

That bungee cord did it, huh?

LISA KELLY (ON RADIO): Is it clear to go?

OK, Lisa, you want to go ahead here.

NARRATOR: Lisa's quick fix has to last long enough to get her

to the garage in Deadhorse.

I won't be bringing the trailer back.

But the next guy has to do that trick.

NARRATOR: After making it only 30 miles north from Fairbanks,

Tim Freeman is also hung up with a tail light problem

and no quick fix seems to be helping.

This is perfect.

NARRATOR: Tim is striking out on the Dalton.

Three out of six trips up this road

have ended with mechanical trouble.

On his very first run, Tim's truck wasn't shifting properly.

This sucks.

GEORGE SPEARS: I know it.

NARRATOR: And he was forced to abandon his load.

Yeah.

I'm bummed about it.

I'm finally up here and doing it.

Now I have to go back to town.

NARRATOR: Then on his third trip.

[bleep] The tensioner pulley is junk.

NARRATOR: The tensioner on his fan belt

failed, leaving him stranded 130 miles from Fairbanks.

Now on his sixth run, a simple tail light might once again

put him out of the race.

A lot of times these prongs get pushed together,

and they won't make a connection.

That could be our problem.

What the [bleep]?

NARRATOR: It's a no go.

Tim has to get back to the safety of Fairbanks

while there's still daylight.

If there's a dead short in the trailer,

it'll come back through that [inaudible] wire cord

and affect the stuff in your truck too.

Like now, my dash lights aren't working, interior dash lights.

He can get as far as Hilltop.

And then they come up there and fix it the morning.

NARRATOR: George pushes ahead without him.

TIM FREEMAN: It's really frustrating, especially

when you're in the situation I'm in, where I need to make

a little bit of money, pay back this loan I borrowed

against the bank down in Minnesota to come up here.

NARRATOR: At the Coldfoot rest stop

halfway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay--

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Oh lord, lord.

OK, OK.

NARRATOR: Alex Debogorski has been stranded since yesterday

when his trainer Ron Dubs was forced to return to Fairbanks.

Just dropping it anyways.

Just leave it for the next guy.

NARRATOR: Fortunately, veteran George Spears

arrived last night.

And without Tim, he has room for a rookie in his convoy.

George Spears, nice to meet you.

Alex Debogorski, pleased to meet you too.

One thing about me, I'm slow.

I'm probably the slowest guy in the whole outfit.

So you might as well plan on taking some time.

So you're going to train--

finish training me at being slow.

I'm slow too.

GEORGE SPEARS: Well, OK.

NARRATOR: Since Alex is running behind his rival Hugh

in the load count, a slow driver is the last thing he needs.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: We're trying not to rush things.

We're following George.

George has a very small pulse I think.

He takes it very easy.

[chuckles]

Alex, how's everything going back there?

It's going just great.

GEORGE SPEARS (ON RADIO): I usually kinda dry my brakes out

here on the straightaway, so that we're

a little aways from the shelf, and that way if we need them

we got them.

NARRATOR: Alex and George push north towards 4,700-foot Atigun

Pass.

GEORGE SPEARS: We're just here at the bottom.

We're fixing to get out, put our chains on, and see if we can't

get up over the hill here.

If I wait a while, do you think George will do it for me?

[laughs]

NARRATOR: George throws his chains on in just 15 minutes.

Just another day in paradise.

NARRATOR: Now, Alex is the slow one.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Well, that was not what I wanted to do.

Darn it all.

NARRATOR: Alex's poor chaining skills have already caused one

trainer to leave him behind.

Now, he wrestles with his nemesis one more time.

This is not the right way to do this.

If you're looking for the hard way to do it,

this is the hard way.

I'm going to try the other side.

Yeah.

I'll have to move ahead a foot or so.

I'll try that again.

Damn.

NARRATOR: Back at Coldfoot, Jack Jesse is getting a slow start

on the day.

LISA KELLY: Finally had to honk my horn to wake him up.

I've been knocking on the door.

I rocked the truck. Nothing.

So I'm like, is he even in there?

So I'm like, honk, honk, honk.

And finally, he's like--

looks out of the sleeper.

[laughter]

NARRATOR: Lisa Kelly is eager to get

on the road before the next storm blows through.

But she has to wait for her convoy partner.

LISA KELLY: It's taking him two hours

to get ready, to eat breakfast, and primp and preen.

And it took me an hour and a half to take a shower

and do my hair.

[grunt]

I'm always fully rested before I take off.

[horn honks]

NARRATOR: Lisa takes the lead, because she has a lighter load.

And she's on a mission to rack up as many trips

this season as possible.

Finally got going.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, Jack and Lisa

reach the foot of Atigun Pass.

The weather is clear today, but the slick road

is as menacing as ever.

LISA KELLY: I got a random question.

Has anything scared you before?

Um.

Oh yeah.

I've been scared before.

As a matter of fact, about 200 yards in front on your left,

I almost went off the left side one time, run off the road.

Just about turned everything over.

That pretty much scared me.

So the great Jack does scare.

It just takes a lot.

[laugh] Yeah.

I suppose it takes a little bit.

You kinda get used to it.

NARRATOR: Back at the foot of the pass--

Chains, chains, and more chains.

George comes to Alex's rescue.

OK.

You want me to hold this back over that.

No. We got that other chain.

Let's go forward.

This is going to work.

We're looking good.

OK. Well--

I'll be going a lot slower.

You might want to give me a little--

Yeah. I'll give you a break.

You get going up there.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Alex is finally chained up,

but the real challenge still lies ahead.

Even with the chains on, I don't have a lot of weight

to imprint the chains in the road.

They're just going to make things just a little

more interesting.

NARRATOR: 240 miles up the ice road,

Alex and George are starting the great ascent over Atigun Pass.

I have my chains on.

We're off like a hurtle of turtles.

NARRATOR: This mountain range has already

taken down more than a dozen trucks this season.

My problem is I don't weigh very much,

so I don't have a lot of traction.

In the first place, even with the chains on,

I don't have a lot of weight to imprint the chains in the road.

NARRATOR: To avoid spinning out, Alex

has to keep up his momentum, but he also

needs to maintain a safe distance from George.

George is going to try to make me spin out

on this hill or what?

How fast should we go?

I think I'm going to go down a gear.

Ooh.

It's a slip there.

I think we'll be all right as long as I don't get too much

loose snow.

Spinning a little bit with the chains on.

NARRATOR: This is no place to lose control.

If he doesn't find enough traction,

it's a long way to the bottom.

Alex tries to find better traction on the opposite side

of the road.

I got a little bit of loose snow on the outside.

When I get all three axles in there

and the lack of weight on my drivers, it wants to spin.

NARRATOR: Barely clinging to the ice,

he finally reaches the summit.

GEORGE SPEARS (ON RADIO): Alex, you gonna take her up OK?

We made it up all right.

GEORGE SPEARS (ON RADIO): OK.

NARRATOR: 190 miles south, Hugh and Phil are crossing the Yukon

River Bridge.

We've only got like 50 miles left of the [bleep] TAPS And

then we're back on the [bleep] Fairbanks, so.

NARRATOR: This bridge carries both the Dalton traffic

and the Trans Alaskan pipeline across the 2,000-foot wide

Yukon River.

The Yukon River Bridge was an enormously challenging

engineering task and was crucial to the success of the highway,

because of course if you can't cross the Yukon River,

you're not going to get anywhere near Prudhoe Bay.

NARRATOR: Completed in 1976 at a cost of $30 million,

it was engineered to withstand the extreme forces of the ice

and remains the largest bridge in Alaska.

[horn honking]

After a 500-mile journey, Hugh and Phil

reached the end of the ice road.

The last stop before calling it a day

is the DOT Inspection Station.

HUGH ROWLAND: I got to go to the scales.

NARRATOR: Inspections are usually just a formality.

But today--

I just got busted.

Here he comes.

He just pulled me into the weigh scales here.

OFFICER: How's it going?

Good.

I just wanted to see your last inspection.

Do you have a last inspection with you?

- No. - No.

OK. - Just my logbook.

All right.

Let me grab your logbook from you.

OK.

So you only got 9 and 1/2 between this hour here,

and you got 8 and 1/2 there, which

isn't going to reset your time.

You need 10.

So why don't we go ahead and come inside?

Grab the registration for the truck.

Grab the registration for the trailer.

NARRATOR: Alaska regulations allow truckers

to drive for 16 hours a day before taking a mandatory 10

hours off.

Not logging downtime properly is a serious violation

that can cost a driver his job.

Ah, the coppers-- they'll never take me alive.

NARRATOR: Hugh's violations may slow him down.

But 350 miles north, Alex's chances of catching up

are not much better.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: So we're going downhill.

George is slowing down.

Not 100% sure why, but I'm sure he's got a good reason for it.

I'm really having trouble keeping my heart beating

at this speed.

[laughs]

I tell you.

George is going to have to hurry.

We got an hour and 10 minutes to get there for supper.

Do you like steak?

GEORGE SPEARS (ON RADIO): Oh yeah.

You bet.

So we get there in less than an hour

and 10 minutes, we could have a warm one.

OK.

Now let's see if that helps.

[laughing]

See if that speeds George up.

I'm expecting a big burst of flame and smoke

to come out of his stacks.

And he's just gone.

[laughing]

NARRATOR: Back at the DOT inspection station,

Hugh's logbooks are still being examined.

You see the way the regulation reads,

you have to have 10 hours of off-duty time to reset

your clock.

Oh, and where's the 12th?

Do you know where the 12th is?

Did you do anything on that day?

What day would it be?

Do you know on the calendar what day it is?

Sunday.

HUGH ROWLAND: Oh, no, we didn't--

This last Sunday.

No.

We had a veer off in town.

Off in town?

HUGH ROWLAND: I didn't even work.

OK.

Yeah.

You should have had the 12th in your last seven,

because you got to retain today's plus the last seven.

And you don't have that one in here either.

If it gets any worse, I'm going--

I'm going to jail.

[laughs]

Well, unfortunately, you're going to get a citation today.

I'm just trying to figure out where all these violations are

here.

Here.

I'm going to slip him a $20, see if he lets me go.

[laughs] Maybe I should slip him 20 Canadian.

How about 20 Canadian?

[laughs]

All right, Rookie.

NARRATOR: Phil returns from Carlile with missing paperwork

for Hugh's trailer.

HUGH ROWLAND: I tried to bribe him.

PHIL KROM: You can't bribe these guys, man.

So it's $200 fine, $10 surcharge.

There are three points assessed to your license.

And you're out of service. You can't drive.

NARRATOR: 270 miles up the road, Lisa and Jack have also

hit a road block--

[bleating]

--of the four-legged kind.

LISA KELLY: [giggles] He's just crossing the road.

He's going to jump the guardrail.

Look at him go.

[bleating]

They're running around the truck.

Where's another one?

There's just two.

He looked at me and goes, hm, I think I'll go around.

They ran right next to me.

It was awesome.

[horn honking]

JACK JESSE: Well, you know, the animals up here,

you do your best not to hit them.

Nobody wants to run over anything up here, because it

could be bad for one.

Two, it could potentially break your truck.

Dall sheep are one of only a few mammals

that have adapted to life in the Arctic.

They survive because their thick hair is hollow

and serves as insulation against the frigid cold.

JACK JESSE: I'm trying [inaudible]..

Move over.

Little sheepies, I'm bigger.

I'm bigger.

Look at the sheep run right by.

Beautiful little animals.

Keep going, you little sheep.

Go catch up with mama.

NARRATOR: After dodging today's lively obstacles,

Jack maneuvers his 50,000-pound rig of diesel fuel through

the last stretch.

JACK JESSE: You want to be on your game

when you're hauling fuel, you know.

They don't give fuel to, like, the new guys.

Because if you do mess up, it can be extremely

expensive to clean this up.

And you just can't come through and clean that up

with a loader.

Then you start getting into all kinds of environmental issues.

You know, you're dumping diesel fuel on the ground.

NARRATOR: And this has been a season of tanker disasters

on the Dalton.

Last week, a tanker nearly went off a cliff on Atigun Pass.

And today on the south end of the Dalton, a call comes in.

There's another accident on the ice road.

Recovery specialist Ben Krakowski races to the scene.

I just got a call that truck--

tires are off in a ditch.

I don't know if it's a trailer tires or not.

I haven't met any southbounders yet, and I should have by now.

That tells me something's going on up here somewhere.

NARRATOR: He hopes to get there before a logjam of trucks

backs up on the ice.

BEN KRAKOWSKI: When the Dalton Highway's blocked,

all the drivers that are held up there, they're--

they don't get paid for sitting.

They get paid for driving.

So the whole time it's blocked, they're

basically not making any money.

NARRATOR: 16 miles up the Dalton,

recovery specialist Ben Krakowski

arrives at the scene of the road's latest bad accident.

A tanker caught the edge of the road and wrecked in the ditch.

If you look back this way here,

you can see where they got the road plowed.

Once you get them tires in that loose snow,

you're not going to bring it out.

I mean it just sucks you in there.

NARRATOR: Fortunately, the driver escaped injury.

BEN KRAKOWSKI: The truck wasn't all the way over on its side.

The tires were still on the ground.

NARRATOR: Another crew attempted to pump out some of the fuel

through holes punched in the tanker.

Now with the road blocked and traffic starting to pile up,

the pressure is on Ben to get the wreck cleared.

BEN KRAKOWSKI: I try to get them opened up as quick as I can,

so everyone can get back doing their job.

OK.

We're ready.

NARRATOR: After dragging it to the edge,

Ben finally wrestles the 30-ton rig out of the ditch.

And they're going to pull up alongside and finish pumping it

off now.

They said there was maybe 1,000 gallons left in it.

NARRATOR: While workers transfer the remaining fuel,

Ben and his crew clean up the spilled diesel, which

has seeped out of the tanker.

How much fuel you got here?

That looks pretty clean right underneath there though.

I can smell fuel on it.

NARRATOR: The method of finding the diesel is

primitive but effective in protecting the tundra.

If there's diesel in it or anything in it,

you can smell it.

[sniffing] Well, that's good.

No fuel.

We don't know if there is hidden damage underneath this thing

after being in a ditch like that,

so we're just going to haul it back and get her in their shop

where they can thaw it out.

NARRATOR: 50 miles outside of Deadhorse, Alex

is getting his first chance to take the lead.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Hopefully, I'll be as quick as George.

Hopefully, I'm not too slow for him.

[chuckles]

All my experience with the variety of roads I've driven on

helped to drive on this road.

Driving on the ice roads, of course,

are helpful for all these icy sections,

because it is quite slippery.

And I have to be gentle on the throttle,

and don't change direction.

You're slamming on the brakes, because things

can go awry and go around in a circle

and end up tying the truck up in a knot.

NARRATOR: Up ahead, a woman in a pickup truck

signals she wants to pass.

You want to go by, the little red pickup,

just give me a second here.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Yeah.

Don't get excited.

Just take it easy.

You're welcome.

She pulled out and stepped on it.

Give herself a start.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, the pickup comes to a halt

to let an oncoming truck pass.

Don't [bleep] stop.

NARRATOR: And now, Alex is bearing down on her in his

60,000-pound rig.

Sheesh.

This woman's insane.

NARRATOR: As he skids towards a collision,

the pickup starts moving again, pulling away just in time.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: Of course, she gave me no warning

that she was going to stop.

It was really icy in that spot there.

I would have just run her over.

NARRATOR: A few miles north, Alex catches sight

of his destination.

ALEX DEBOGORSKI: I am coming into Prudhoe Bay, Carlile's

yard and drop off this load.

NARRATOR: With Hugh sidelined, Alex

hopes to seize the opportunity and turn and burn

with another load.

Well, let's go get a bite to eat.

So you planning on spending the night here?

Well, Alex, I figure it's already 7:00.

It'll be 8:00 by the time we eat.

9:00 by the time we get out trailers

switched around and fueled up.

I figured I-- that's what I was planning on.

Well, I suppose [inaudible] stay.

I'd rather go myself.

Oh.

This old guy goes to bed every night, man.

I don't drive like that at all.

NARRATOR: George has the final word.

Alex isn't going anywhere tonight.

Across town, Jack Jesse has arrived,

and he's racing to unload his tanker of fuel.

There we go.

We made it over to Colville.

We got the fuel offloaded.

It only actually took about 30 minutes.

Pretty fast. I came over.

Got something to eat.

Just waiting on Lisa to get done with her stuff.

NARRATOR: Over at the Carlile terminal, Lisa is now the one

trying to keep up.

Is it OK if I park this trailer right here?

MAN (ON RADIO): That's fine.

I'm hurrying so I don't get left by Jack.

[horn honking]

Let's get moving.

Do I need paperwork?

I will do a trip for you.

It's going to bobtail you there.

And then you'll pick up the paperwork in the guard shack

there. - They're open 24 hours a day?

MAN: Yep. - OK.

It's ready.

Got to go to the bathroom.

[beeping]

He says go.

I want to go.

I'm game.

[horn honking]

NARRATOR: They made this run in record time.

And with clear skies still on the horizon,

Jack and Lisa push south once again

through the Alaskan wilderness, hoping their luck will hold.

JACK JESSE: We're going to run back together.

It's always better to go with somebody.

NARRATOR: After nine weeks on Alaska's ice road,

Lisa Kelly's push to run with the big boys is paying off.

While Hugh Rowland's citation has cost him precious time

and potentially his lead on Alex Debogorski.

At the courthouse in Fairbanks, Hugh

has to pay up to get back on the road.

I see you met our famous troopers.

[laughs] I think they've been picking on me.

All right.

Is that true?

Is that your citation?

Yep.

I'd got a lot more if I'd known everybody

was that good-looking.

No contest.

Have a great day.

Thanks for coming in.

Thank you.

I just went and paid my fine for my half hour mistake on my log.

I'm going to head back up the road in the morning

there and get back at her.

Well, at least, she was good-looking.