The documentary series examining the lucrative but highly dangerous job of driving trucks on Canada’s ice highways continues. In the third episode, a huge storm hits the Arctic coast, forcing authorities to close the ice road. As the drivers hurry to reach safety, Alex risks being caught in a whiteout, and another trucker finds himself in a ditch. Elsewhere, Drew is given his first truckload to drive while Rick faces further delays.
The truckers and engineers of the Inuvik- Tuktoyaktuk route are on edge this week as a major storm is forecast for the region. With strong winds and snow approaching, the drivers scramble to complete one more run before the road is put out of action. Hugh Rowland delivers a vacuum tank he fixed himself to a gas drilling station in Aput, while Alex Deborgorski sets off to pick up a load from the same destination – after first seeing to a flat tyre.
In Inuvik, Drew Sherwood has finally been given the chance to drive a rig of his own, after spending time out as a forklift truck driver. Drew’s first run is monitored by ice-road veteran Kelly Brown – who has a rather low opinion of the drivers from the southern Yellowknife roads. “Operators that run their equipment down south just aren’t prepared for stuff like this,” he says. “It’s probably best that they stay down south, to be quite honest.” Drew does little to change Kelly’s mind when he is forced to give up driving a short way into the trip, blaming the flu, and the veteran takes over.
With the storm blowing in, the ice-road engineers are concerned about the possibility of ‘white ice’. This condition occurs when snow lands on the ice and warms it up, leading to cracks. Safety officer Monte Gibb is also worried that some drivers may not have their protective winter gear. “My biggest fear is one of our drivers running out of fuel and not having the proper gear to survive for a few hours till we get to them,” he says.
By 2pm visibility is falling and 50mph winds are gusting across the frozen Mackenzie River. Safety supervisor Rob Carss declares the ice road closed. “It’s too dangerous to travel,” he says. As truckers head for the nearest haven, Drew, Kelly and Hugh arrive in Inuvik. Alex, meanwhile, has yet to complete a 99-mile trip from Aput to Tuk with a 99-ton pump house. The weight of his load means that Alex can only drive at 15mph – and he is only minutes ahead of the storm. “It’s getting pretty white,” he says with his usual aplomb. In the event, Alex arrives in Tuk just ten minutes before the blizzard hits.
All the drivers should now be off the road, but word comes in that one truck is stuck in a ditch. Rescue crews risk their own lives to dig the rig out of the drifts. Back at base, the idle truckers must keep their engines running to prevent them from freezing. The exception is Rick Yemm, who is still languishing in Tuk waiting for the oil panel on his rig to be fixed. “You’re here to make money. There’s no money being made today,” he reflects ruefully. Things are much busier in the garage, where downtime on the road means the mechanics can do some essential truck maintenance. “When the storm comes in, I know I’ll be busy,” says welder Andre Bourgeois.
Company boss Kurt Wainman is the only person on the road – patrolling for lost vehicles. If a trucker is stranded on the ice, they will need to endure the harsh conditions while they wait for help. “You sit there and lose your marbles, I guess you’re a dead man,” says Kurt. “You sit there and you’re calm, cool and react quickly, you have a chance of living.” When dawn arrives, the storm has cleared and the ploughs set to work clearing the road. Once the highway is opened, the truckers get on the move – desperate to make up for lost time and earnings.
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