Original subtitles

Narrator: Now...

Lisa: Oh my God!

[Clang]

Narrator: On "Ice Road Truckers."

Darrell: Hammer down!

Come on! Come on!

Narrator: It's a tug of war on the winter roads.

Mike: Damn it!

Narrator: As some pull through...

[Ice cracking]

Art: We're going to go through the [bleep] ice here, b'y.

Narrator: And others slip through the cracks.

Art: No! No! No!

♪♪♪♪♪

♪♪♪♪♪

Narrator: All season,

[Truck honks]

a war has raged between a trucking Goliath...

Mark: It's taken years for me to get to the top,

I'm not gonna let anybody stand in my way.

Narrator: And a team of renegades.

Are you ready to do this, Lisa?

I'm ready! Let's do this!

Narrator: While Polar landed the most coveted hauls in the industry -

Todd: Woo! Biggest load in history across this ice right here

I'm hauling right now.

Narrator: Darryl and Lisa took on jobs no one else would touch.

Darrell: We're definitely walking across pretty thin ice out here.

Nobody's on this road for a reason.

Lisa: This is crazy! Whaa-hoo!

Narrator: But last week, the new business owners

scored a potential game changer.

This will put us on the map.

Cool.

Narrator: Snagging the biggest contract of the season.

An overnight delivery of two transformers for Deer Lake.

Darrell: We have to get those transformers there

no matter what that road's like.

I'm game.

Narrator: Urgently needed to upgrade the town's energy supply.

Lisa: If we don't get this convoy moving

and get these transformers to Deer Lake on time,

they're going to be without power.

Narrator: But now, the upstart company is facing a worst case scenario

as warming temperatures have forced a closure of an ice bridge

on the only trail into Deer Lake,

bringing the mission to a sudden halt.

Darrell: I've got two transformers on this trailer

that need to be to Deer Lake

so they can get their power restored.

Snow crossing's not letting us get this job done.

Lisa: It's starting to get a little late now,

and uh, they're repairing this ice bridge,

and they can't let us cross until it freezes up.

We've got some warm temperatures,

and water doesn't freeze in warm temperatures very well.

[Whirring]

Darrell: This is the biggest contract we've had

for this company, this year.

We need to get it done.

Sittin' here ain't doin' it.

Narrator: The ice bridge won't officially be reopened until dawn.

But with each passing minute, the town's survival,

and the fate of the business are at stake.

[Engine hums]

Darrell: I'm going crazy sittin' here.

We can't sit here all night. I don't know what to do.

Copy, Lisa?

Yeah go ahead, Darrell.

We need to get these transformers to Deer Lake.

Yeah, copy that.

Are you ready to do this thing?

Copy that. I'm grabbing a gear right behind ya.

Lisa: Then good to go.

Well, we're gonna go for it.

[Shifting gears]

Narrator: The freshly frozen bridge has yet to be tested,

Narrator: Now...

Lisa: Oh my God!

[Clang]

Narrator: On "Ice Road Truckers."

Darrell: Hammer down!

Come on! Come on!

Narrator: It's a tug of war on the winter roads.

Mike: Damn it!

Narrator: As some pull through...

[Ice cracking]

Art: We're going to go through the [bleep] ice here, b'y.

Narrator: And others slip through the cracks.

♪♪♪♪♪

Narrator: All season,

[Truck honks]

a war has raged between a trucking Goliath...

Mark: It's taken years for me to get to the top,

I'm not gonna let anybody stand in my way.

Narrator: And a team of renegades.

Are you ready to do this, Lisa?

Narrator: While Polar landed the most coveted hauls in the industry -

Todd: Woo! Biggest load in history across this ice right here

I'm hauling right now.

Narrator: Darryl and Lisa took on jobs no one else would touch.

Darrell: We're definitely walking across pretty thin ice out here.

Nobody's on this road for a reason.

Narrator: But last week, the new business owners

scored a potential game changer.

This will put us on the map.

Cool.

Narrator: Snagging the biggest contract of the season.

An overnight delivery of two transformers for Deer Lake.

Darrell: We have to get those transformers there

no matter what that road's like.

I'm game.

Narrator: Urgently needed to upgrade the town's energy supply.

Lisa: If we don't get this convoy moving

and get these transformers to Deer Lake on time,

Narrator: But now, the upstart company is facing a worst case scenario

as warming temperatures have forced a closure of an ice bridge

on the only trail into Deer Lake,

bringing the mission to a sudden halt.

Darrell: I've got two transformers on this trailer

that need to be to Deer Lake

so they can get their power restored.

Snow crossing's not letting us get this job done.

Lisa: It's starting to get a little late now,

and uh, they're repairing this ice bridge,

and they can't let us cross until it freezes up.

We've got some warm temperatures,

and water doesn't freeze in warm temperatures very well.

[Whirring]

Darrell: This is the biggest contract we've had

for this company, this year.

Narrator: The ice bridge won't officially be reopened until dawn.

But with each passing minute, the town's survival,

and the fate of the business are at stake.

Darrell: I'm going crazy sittin' here.

Copy, Lisa?

Yeah go ahead, Darrell.

Yeah, copy that.

Are you ready to do this thing?

Copy that. I'm grabbing a gear right behind ya.

Lisa: Then good to go.

Well, we're gonna go for it.

Narrator: The freshly frozen bridge has yet to be tested,

and the heavy loads from the big rigs

How's things feelin' out there, Lisa?

[Tires crunch on the snow]

♪♪♪♪♪

♪♪♪♪♪

I hope I didn't damage it at all.

[Engine hums]

Narrator: One truck's made it to the other side.

Darell: Yeah, let's rock 'n roll.

Narrator: But there's still 24 tonnes of transformers yet to go.

We're going to ease up here and ease on to it,

and see what happens.

A little farther.

[Engine hums]

I'm in.

Yeah, I'm over the hump, I'm right behind ya.

Lisa: Alrighty.

Darrell: All right, hopefully that's our last obstacle

between here and Deer Lake.

Lisa: There's nothing we can do, just keep going.

Narrator: With no time to waste, the team drives through the night.

[Tires crunch on the snow]

[Engine hums]

Lisa: Almost to Deer Lake.

Narrator: Finally the town of Deer Lake appears on the horizon.

Parking.

[Airbrakes hiss]

Darrell: This is the place!

[Door shuts]

Narrator: And Darrell and Lisa come through.

Man: Hi! Nice to see ya. Darrell: Darrell.

Man: Yeah. Lisa: Hi, Lisa.

Jim: Jim, Jim, hi, nice to meet ya, Lisa.

Really glad you guys made it in.

Narrator: Delivering a vital haul for a community in need.

Kim: Those new transformers you just brought in,

we will put them into service immediately,

and restore power as soon as possible.

Darrell: This was a huge score for our company,

and it made a great relationship with that community,

them knowing that we brought them power.

Again, I really appreciate your efforts,

and thank you very much for...

Lisa: Thank you very much. Jim: ...making the trip.

Darrell: Absolutely, meant a lot to us.

Jim: Meant a lot to us, too.

Lisa: It's great that we made it on time.

I was beginning to wonder with all the obstacles,

so I'm really glad that we made it.

We were able to pull through for people

and not let them down.

Darrell: We have the power. Lisa: We have the power.

Darrell: We do! We have the power!

This company's tough competition,

so you'd better brace yourself, Mark,

because we're coming!

Narrator: Back in Winnipeg, at Polar headquarters,

the competition's top dog is reporting for duty.

Time to get back on the ice roads

and start doing some truckin'.

Go see what old Mark has to say.

Narrator: Last week...

[Loud crash] Holy [bleep]!

Blades just slid right off.

Narrator: A load of grader blades for a government contract

fell off Todd's trailer.

[Door shuts]

Todd: Oh, this sucks!

Narrator: And to make sure Polar made good on the delivery,

he picked up the entire haul by hand.

[Knocks] Hey, hey, hey!

What's up?

Todd: Mark! Mark: What's goin' on?

Oh, I had a long run.

Everything went pretty good.

I pushed pretty hard through there.

I only had one little problem -

I went around a corner and all them [bleep]

son of a bitch's blades come off.

But I got it all, you know I hand-loaded them all back on,

restrapped them back down, retied them,

got 'em there, got 'em delivered, and got out. So...

So you, you delivered everything?

Everything got, oh yeah,

I mean, I got 'em all picked up,

and I even dug through the snow

and made sure they were all there.

Yeah, yeah, hold on. Did you count everything?

Well, I didn't count 'em.

Well, how do you know you delivered everything?

Because according to this right here,

three missing blades for Tadoule Lake.

Oh you're [bleep] me.

No, I'm serious. Three missing blades.

No, no [bleep] way.

And they weren't even where you were telling me.

They were at the start of the winter road,

and they found 'em. They're in Lynn Lake.

The highways guys in Lynn Lake have 'em.

So you dropped them at the start of the winter road,

and then at the end.

You know what, Todd, I can't have this.

This is-this is an important contract for me.

This is a government contract I'm vying for,

they've got three missing blades,

we've gotta fix this.

It's not a phone call anybody ever wants to get,

when a driver loses freight on the road.

I was mortified. I didn't want to get that call.

I mean, Todd, under normal circumstances

I'd probably send you in a half-tonne truck

to go deliver them on your own dime, and on your own time.

But, you know lucky for you,

I've got another load that's got to go to Tadoule,

but I need you to make this right.

I need you to pick up those blades in Lynn Lake

and get those blades as fast as you can,

and get 'em up there.

Oh, I'm going to make it right, believe me.

All right, bud.

Mark: The one run that I really needed for him to get done,

he loses some freight.

Totally not like Todd, but nonetheless, uh...

driver responsibility, driver error.

Todd: It is my responsibility to take care of this situation.

Narrator: Because of Todd's mistake, Polar could lose the government

as a new customer.

And with hundreds of miles ahead,

he's got a long way to go to keep the contract on track.

Todd: I felt like I let Mark down

because he had stressed to me on how important

this government contract was.

I was disappointed in myself.

Locked and loaded!

Look out Tadoule Lake, here we come again!

Who knows what's gonna happen this time.

Narrator: Deep in Manitoba...

[Engine hums]

Right now I just wanna get into Lynn Lake,

I'm damn near there.

Mark is, you know of course he's all over me.

[Engine hums]

Narrator: Todd Dewey's on a mission for redemption.

Picking up cargo he lost from a crucial assignment.

So I'm gonna do it first, getting into Lynn Lake,

find them grader blades, get a visual on 'em.

All right, at the fuel dock in Lynn Lake.

This is where they said they were gonna drop off these blades.

Yeah, son of a bitch, that's those right there.

[Airbrakes hiss, door shuts]

This is it, just three little plates.

This is what fell off, can you frickin' believe it?

I can't believe it.

Those ain't coming out of there.

Rock 'n roll.

Narrator: The stray blades are loaded up,

but Todd's day is far from over.

It's still another 200 miles to Tadoule Lake

before the job is complete.

Leaving Lynn Lake, on our way to Tadoule Lake.

Grader blades are picked up,

everybody can leave me alone about these dumb ass grader blades.

Narrator: As Todd looks to keep a government contract alive for Polar...

back at headquarters,

[Backing up beeps]

Art: Surprise, surprise!

Narrator: The company's wild card is getting back on the road.

Art: We'll have to watch out for this.

[Crash]

Whoa!

Narrator: Last week...

What the [bleep] is goin' on now?

Narrator: An oil leak abruptly ended Art's run.

Art: How you doin', Mark?

We're sittin' on the side of the road up here, boy.

The oil light keeps coming on.

Narrator: He missed out on a big paycheque.

Art: How the [bleep] am I supposed to make any money like this?

[Knocks] Mark: Hey!

Art: How you doin', Mark, boy? Mark: What's happenin'?

Narrator: Now his truck's fixed.

Mark: So, I told you the beginning of the year

I want you to step up your game.

Okay.

Mark: Here's another opportunity for you to do so.

Narrator: Just in time for one of Polar's

most important missions of the season.

I just landed a new community, Sachigo in Ontario.

It's the first time we're gonna be going in there.

It's a new contract for us.

I'm trusting you with this. Let's get this done right.

Yeah.

It's a big deal for us.

Uh, we wanna get in their good books.

They got a lot of loads they move.

It's an important contract for us.

Narrator: Every new community is a valuable opportunity

for the company that lands it.

And Sachigo Lake could be a goldmine for Polar.

But, with the melt hitting weeks earlier than expected,

getting there is a risky proposition.

Mark: These lakes, I don't know how much longer

they're gonna hold out for.

The thaw's comin', big time. Art: Big time, yeah.

Mark: You know, and if something doesn't look right to you, please call.

Safety first, okay?

Art: We got 'er, buddy. Mark: Okay, bud.

Art: Is this it? Mark: There you go.

Art: Right on, my friend. Mark: Off you go.

Art: See ya when we get back.

Mark: Be safe, man. Please check in, okay.

Art: Yeah, you know it. Mark: Thanks. Art: Take care.

Narrator: Art will be blazing a trail to the distant village,

over 500 miles away

and into the midst of rapidly melting roads.

We're off for Sachigo Lake.

Got a load of building supplies to take up there.

Never been up there before.

First load for Polar.

The roads are starting to melt.

[Loud thud]

[Loud clang]

Art: It's not that late in the year.

Hang on here maybe.

[Loud clangs]

[Loud clang] Whoa!

[Loud clang]

And then in we go, man.

[Engine hums]

Narrator: Rising temperatures are turning the path into slush and mud.

[Engine hums]

Increasing the likelihood of getting stuck.

Art: I drag this stuff all the way up here,

and I'd like to get in, get it off,

give it to the people that want it, and get out of there.

Narrator: And with each passing hour, the trail melts even more.

[Loud clang]

So Art will have to hustle to get the load in and out

before the road's shut down for the season,

or he and his truck could become stranded

hundreds of miles from Winnipeg.

[Bleep] mud is coming up through this, and everything.

[Bleep] It's gettin' warmer by the minute,

but I know this is not, we're a long ways from out of this yet.

[Truck rattles]

We got an ice crossing right away, here.

[Engine roars, airbrakes hiss]

Narrator: Now, under the high noon sun,

Art's got to tackle an ice crossing

that's melting right before his eyes.

Art: We were supposed to have a cold snap.

I don't know where the [bleep] it went. It never came here.

Can't have an ice road [bleep] when it's thawing out.

And away we go!

[Shifting gears]

And well, well, well, well, well.

This might be a real [bleep] show, b'y.

Narrator: On a 5 mile ice crossing...

Art: This might be a real [bleep] show, b'y.

Narrator: Art Burke's trying to blaze a trail for Polar.

[Ice cracking]

Some nifty cracks in this one, I'll tell ya.

They're open about that wide.

This is not good.

Narrator: The temperatures are rising by the minute...

[Water bubbles]

[Ice cracking]

Narrator: rapidly melting the ice below.

[Chains clink, tires crunch]

Art: The water underneath must be murky.

'Cause it's pushing up through the cracks

and freezing on the top

and making these mushroom-y lumps all over the place

that are brown, eh.

[Ice cracking]

[Tires crunch on ice]

The water's comin' up through, everywhere.

Narrator: All around him, water's breaking through new cracks

and engulfing the ice,

Adding additional weight on top of the compromised crossing.

It's getting' warmer.

The temperature's already gone up

one and a half degrees in an hour or so,

so if it goes up a half a degree an hour,

I'll be stuck in here today,

and I don't want that to happen.

[Ice cracking]

Brown in one spot, and it's black in another spot.

White in another spot. It's all different colors.

It's all broke to hell.

The water's coming up through it and everything else.

A [bleep] pressure point, that big bulge.

Got to stay in the middle, that's where it's thickest.

[Engine hums]

This white [bleep] [bleep] here, that's snow ice,

This is not worth a [bleep].

This looks like it ends right over there, b'y.

I can't say that I'm not happy to get off of this.

[Shifting gears]

[Engine roars]

Okay, we're back on land again, b'y.

Narrator: The ice holds up... this time.

Art: The ice crossing wasn't fit for a goat.

Narrator: And on the other side of the crossing,

Art makes it to the tiny village of Sachigo Lake.

Art: We're here in Sachigo, and I found the lumber yard.

Narrator: Helping Polar get a foothold in a new territory,

coming through big for the company and community.

Art: I want to get this off and get out of here, like yesterday,

before it gets warm.

The load to Sachigo Lake is complete.

All this stuff here,

and that over there,

I brought it to them, and that makes me happy.

They got it, eh.

Well, I'm into the truck, and I'm outta here.

Narrator: While Art's on a hot streak in warming temperatures...

[Truck honks]

Few inches of snow we got last night

are kind of creating some invisible bumps.

[Chains clink, tires crunch]

Oh [bleep]!

Narrator: Polar's rookie is battling weather on the other extreme.

Hopefully it'll smooth up a little bit.

Narrator: Hauling 30 tonnes of cement

over the snow-covered road to Shamattawa.

Mike: Polar's got some serious competition

from Darrell and Lisa this year.

I was brought in to give Mark an edge.

I'm gonna pick up the pace a little

and try to make some good time today.

Narrator: For the past two weeks...

Mike: Now we're talkin'.

Narrator: Mike Simmons has gotten a crash course on the winter roads.

[Bleep] [Bleep] Agh! Woo!

Narrator: Fighting through challenge, after challenge.

Mike: Come on, baby.

Yes!

If you're betting against me,

may the diesel gods forgive you.

[Crashing] Whoa!

Whoa! [bleep] that hurt!

Ah!

Narrator: But now, he's facing his toughest test yet...

as the wet roller coaster trail

is wreaking havoc on truck and driver.

Mike: This road is truly, truly ridiculous.

[Crashing] Sh...

Road conditions are very healthy and bumpy.

Bumps are hidden, so you can't see them until you're in them.

[Crashing] Whoa!

This is like being in a car crash for eight hours.

[Crashing] Whoa!

[bleep] that came out of nowhere.

[Truck whines]

Oh!

Hang on, man. [bleep] Hang on!

♪♪♪♪♪

[Loud clank, Airbrakes hiss]

[Revving]

[Wheels spinning]

Narrator: Deep in the Canadian wilderness...

The slick road to Shamattawa has proven too much

for Polar rookie Mike Simmons.

[Truck whines]

Oh!

Hang on, man!

[Creaking]

[Loud clang, airbrakes hiss]

[Revving, tires spinning]

Damn it!

This ain't lookin' good.

She's in deep.

I just slid right off the road.

I'm gonna have to throw on another set of tire chains.

Narrator: The chains are Mike's only hope to gain enough traction

to break free from the snow bank.

Mike: I slid sideways off a hummock,

got stuck in the ditch. I'm [bleep].

Come on, baby!

[Tires spinning]

[Tires spinning]

Damn it!

Narrator: Buried deep, 50 miles from town.

Mike: This is a nightmare.

Narrator: The winter road's greenhorn may be tasting defeat

for the first time.

Mike: I doubt I'm gonna be able to get out of this without a tow.

[Door shuts]

[Tires spinning]

Narrator: As each attempt fails,

Mike digs himself in deeper and deeper.

[Revving]

Erasing any chance he has to escape on his own.

[Wind howls]

[Engine hums]

But up ahead, a stroke of luck.

Mike: Oh, we've got someone here, might be able to give us a tow.

Narrator: As a passing trucker provides a potential lifeline.

I slid off the road here on this super slick road.

Perfect. Thanks, buddy.

Hopefully this works.

[Door shuts]

This is the moment of truth.

Okay, man, I'll put my foot into her and you walk on it.

Man: Yeah.

♪♪♪♪♪

[Tires spinning]

Couple more tugs like that, and we'll get 'er.

[Truck engine roars]

Here we go!

[Truck engine roars]

Walk on 'er bud, walk on 'er!

♪♪♪♪♪

We got 'er, we got 'er.

Come on! Come on!

Come on! Come on!

We got 'er.

We got 'er, we got 'er! We got 'er! We got 'er!

We got 'er!

We got 'er, we got 'er! Come on!

[Claps, laughs]

And that is how you get unstuck in the bush.

Man: [Over radio] Got him out.

Mike: Good Samaritans like this guy.

You're awesome.

Thank you very much.

I'm gonna, I'm gonna return the favour to the next guy.

Absolutely. Thank you very much, sir.

Friends of the road.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

Narrator: With help from the veteran trucker,

Mike's back in business.

Let's hit the road.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty scared at some point.

[Engine hums]

But hey, fear sometimes is a good kick in the pants.

Narrator: To make up for lost time...

the rookie hammers down the last 50 miles.

Mike: Well, we're in Shamattawa.

Narrator: Dodging a bullet, and coming through once again.

Mike: Made it.

The Shamattawa road is a hell of a challenge.

I felt pretty stupid with sliding off the road.

These roads out here are not what I expected.

They are treacherous.

They will beat you, they will exhaust you,

they will hurt you and run you down.

[Door shuts]

Narrator: As Mike turns and burns...

on the road out of Deer Lake,

the competition's still riding high.

Well I'm glad we got the big contract to the people.

Power's back on. Good job, team!

Darrell: Yeah. Power's back on.

I really appreciate your efforts and thank you for -

Lisa: Thank you very much. Jim: ...for making the trip.

Narrator: After making good on the most important contract

in the history of their young company...

[Laughing] We have the power!

Yeah, that was a good one, wasn't it?

Money in the bank for us, huh?

Narrator: Darrell and Lisa are on their way back to Winnipeg,

stronger than ever.

Darrell: Watch out for the bumps.

Narrator: And Lisa's even scored a bonus back haul of scrap metal.

Lisa: One up. More than we thought we were gonna get.

[Air hissing sound]

What the [bleep] is with that?

Hear it?

I don't know what it is, it's a new noise.

I've got a little funny noise in my truck,

and I don't know what it is.

[Warning beeps]

Whoa.

The truck just says I got high coolant temp now

and it just shut me down.

[Warning beeps]

Having some problems here.

I don't know what's going on for sure.

Narrator: But as they near the end of the winter road...

Are you pulling right over or just stopping right here or...?

Darrell: Well, I don't have much of a place to pull over here.

[Airbrakes hiss]

What a pain in the ass.

What the hell?

Narrator: The diagnosis? A busted fan belt.

Darrell: Supposed to turn around and round,

and it went to [bleep].

And so when it went to [bleep], it ate my fan belt.

There's no water circulating, you know.

Narrator: And with the engine overheating,

getting the rig home over the last 100 miles is a long shot.

I know I can't leave it sitting out here on the road.

So we might have to call a tow truck then, huh?

Darrell: Another tow truck.

Narrator: But for a small company without an infrastructure,

getting towed this far would cost a fortune.

Darrell: Huh. Ain't nothin' I can do about it.

I don't have the parts to fix it.

Narrator: On the road home from Deer Lake...

There's no water circulating.

Narrator: A busted fan belt has Darrell's engine overheating.

Ain't nothin' I can do about it.

I don't have the parts to fix it.

I don't have a idler pulley.

Lisa: I guess try to get it up to some place.

Darrell: Some place off the road, anyway.

Lisa: I'm good.

Narrator: Darrell will attempt to limp to the nearest pullout,

and the team will have to absorb a massive tow bill

to the closest mechanic,

wiping away a hefty chunk of their new profits.

The idler pulley broke, and so the fan belt shredded,

and now he can't cool his truck,

so he can only drive until it gets hot.

Yeah, the engine's gotta cool

or it's going to overheat and seize.

How's your temperature holding?

Yeah it's right touching red.

The light hasn't come on yet, but it's going to.

I'm in neutral rolling.

Lisa: As soon as it hits the red, it's going to shut down.

I gotta find a place to get it off the road,

some place where I can get it worked on or get a tow truck.

[Warning beeps]

There it goes.

I have no power, I have no throttle,

I'm in neutral, the engine is running,

but it's at an idle.

Lisa! My truck just died.

She ain't going to make it home at this rate.

Yeah, I'd love to push ya.

Keep coming and push.

Narrator: Push trucking is a way for two trucks to use the power of one

by using the power of the bumper of the truck in back

to push the dead one up front.

But it's a dangerous manoeuvre

as the rear truck must lock with its convoy partner,

and the truck up front must steer for both of them.

Lisa: I need a nice smooth landing,

which involves me using my brake and my throttle

at the same time.

It's like this moving target.

Narrator: It ain't for rookies.

It takes a seasoned hand, and most of all,

trust between the two partners.

Don't hit him hard!

Oh my god!

I can't even see the back of this trailer at all,

like there I can see the taillights.

[Loud clang]

Oof! That was harder than I wanted.

Darrell: That's all right, it wasn't bad.

I think I came off of here.

Yeah, I think you did. I'm on the brakes a little bit.

Lisa: All right, I'll come back up to ya.

[Loud clang] Darrell: Whoa!

I knew that was too hard.

Good thing we got that bumper put on your truck, Lisa.

[Loud clang]

Darrell: Hammer down, hammer down.

Lisa: So I'm trying to be smooth

I don't want to bend the bars of my radiator.

[Loud clang]

Darrell: Keep it tight. Hammer down!

Lisa's on my ass pushing, and we're going down the highway.

Lisa: So I'm kind of fighting with the steering wheel,

I don't know why.

You don't need to steer.

As long as I'm connected to Darrell,

he's telling my tires where to go.

So I have to trust that he is gonna steer me in good places,

and not got too fast around corners.

And that he's not gonna put me in another lane,

he's not going to put me in a snow bank.

Darrell: I don't know how far we're gonna have to go like this.

I guess we'll see what we've got.

Lisa: We're doing fine, so we may as well just roll with it for now.

[Chuckles]

Narrator: For the next 70 miles,

the team skilfully pushes their way down the road.

Until finally...

Lisa: Now we're just pulling into this truck stop.

We're off the road and we're in a pullout now.

That was a crazy long ways to go and find a pullout.

The next town.

Narrator: They arrive at a service station,

and they're able to avoid a huge financial hit.

So by the time we were done,

Lisa pushed me for 120 kilometres

to get me back to the nearest town

where I could get some repair work done on my truck.

You know, when you're locked to the back of me like that,

you're pretty much at the mercy of me driving.

Yeah, I trust you.

[Laughing] I wouldn't have wanted anybody else

pushing me 120 kilometres at 80 kilometres an hour.

[Laughing]

Narrator: As night falls...

Todd: You know, it's about 11:00 at night.

I'm just about to Tadoule Lake, now.

Narrator: Todd Dewey's closing in on his final offload,

trying hard to make up for a key mistake.

I'm gonna be honest,

I am beat to the core after what I had to do today.

This is like a two to three day run,

and I'm basically doing it in about one day,

in about 18 or 19 hours straight,

just pushing as hard as I can to get these loads delivered.

I can't get dumped until you know, in the morning.

I'm tired, I'm worn out.

So, I'm going to pull over here,

just build a little fire

and just have myself a warm can of soup.

Narrator: The life of an ice road trucker

means eating and sleeping on the trail.

Okay.

Narrator: And tonight...

Todd: I'm just going to grab this log.

Narrator: It's dinner on the roadside.

[Grunts] Good old firewood laying in the bush,

nice and dry.

Get ourselves a little fire going.

[Pouring lighter fluid]

Watch out.

Come on, baby, get goin'!

[Fire crackles] Ha ha!

[Flames whoosh]

Oh, that feels good, baby.

That's what I'm talkin' about.

Set a little can of stew on there.

Be eatin' good tonight.

Get something warm for my belly,

enjoy a little hot fire and kind of warm up my soul a little bit.

Enjoy a little bit of what God gave us

down here to enjoy on earth,

and why not make a few memories up here

while a guy is working his ass off, you know.

Couldn't ask for a better way to end a long day on the ice roads.

As dawn breaks on the ice roads...:

Todd: Well, we're up and rolling this morning.

Narrator: Todd Dewey's made it to his destination.

That's the town, the big town of Tadoule Lake.

Narrator: And the missing blades, and load of lumber,

are safely delivered.

Todd: You know what, I got down the road, fought hard,

got to the airport, got the grader blades delivered.

Mark was happy, I was happy, the airport was happy,

my mission was accomplished, and I was good.

Narrator: With the government contract fulfilled for Polar...

Todd: That's it! That's a wrap!

Narrator: The company top dog may be out of the doghouse for good.

Todd: Woo!

Narrator: 400 miles to the southeast,

in the rapidly melting Tundra,

[Bleep]

a Polar team-mate's trying to get home.

Art: Grey out here. Everything is all melted to hell,

it's all mud.

The road is rough. It's a bastard.

Narrator: Art Burke's taken an alternative route

out of distant Sachigo Lake.

We get this [bleep] and over with

make our way to [bleep] Winnipeg, b'y.

Narrator: Looking for a trial that hasn't been destroyed by the warming weather.

The weather's getting pretty warm, b'y.

When things are going well, this is a fantastic job,

but when it's not, it's a [bleep] terrible job.

Okay, now what?

Now what?

Well, I don't know.

We're at a V in the road here.

I'm not real positive,

but I'm pretty [bleep] sure we go this way.

So this is the way we're going.

I hope [bleep] I made the right decision here.

I got a 50 percent chance of getting this right.

Out here in the middle of nowhere,

like there is these roads going everywheres, eh.

You gotta be awful careful

because there's so many of them,

that it's hard to keep track, eh?

But I'm pretty sure that this is the right way to go here.

This is the way I'm going.

And if I arss'd up, Well, it's too late now,

I gotta go right to the end of this

because there's no place to turn around, b'y.

Off we go, down the bouncy ice road.

[Laughs] And hope for the best!

Narrator: But the path has a surprise for him.

An unmarked ice crossing that's getting cooked...

under the hot sun.

Art: I mean it's gotta be the right [bleep] way.

Narrator: And it looks more like a river than a road.

They wouldn't make an ice road like this for nothin'.

Narrator: At a wheel and a prayer...

[Shifting gears]

Art goes for it.

Okay, b'y, we're going to get out on the ice road here.

So with all this warm weather,

we're just gonna hold our breath and make it across this.

There's a lot of water here.

[Ice cracking]

This is weird looking ice.

Check this out, man, talk about smashed, look at this!

I've never seen it that beat up before. Look!

[Bleep] getting warmer all the time.

Hopefully we're gonna be able to pull this off, eh?

[Ice cracking]

There is miles and miles and miles of tracks

on this water, b'y.

It's a big friggin' lake.

We'll get over here, in the middle a little more.

Kind of holding my breath for this.

[Water bubbles]

Usually you see cracks,

but that was totally shattered, eh.

We definitely got some rough ice here,

and this is in the middle of the [bleep] ice.

[Bleep] mind you...

♪♪♪♪♪

What the [bleep]?!

[Water bubbles]

I can't go forward and I can't go back.

Get your [bleep] door open, buddy.

We're gonna go through the [bleep] ice here, b'y.

No! No! No!

Narrator: Next time on "Ice Road Truckers..."

Alex: Hang on to your shorts.

Narrator: The thaw turns the roads into chaos.

Alex: This is just impossible.

Lisa: Flinging mud everywhere!

Narrator: And has the drivers....

Lisa: Uh oh! Uh oh!

Art: Come on, baby! Come on, baby!

Narrator: Fighting for survival.

Art: If we go through this thing you'll never see us again.