The documentary series examining the lucrative but highly dangerous job of driving trucks on Canada’s ice highways continues. In this episode, the truckers have to be on guard as a polar bear stalks the ice. An ice-road legend goes down after more than 25 years on the job. Rick’s run of bad luck continues, forcing him to consider his future on the ice road.
This week, as the ice-road season reaches the halfway point, the big rig move from Aput to Langley continues apace. So far, the truckers have been plagued with storms, mechanical failures and accidents – and things are about to get even worse. With some $20million at stake, Jerry Dusdal needs all of his men at the top of their game. “We’ve still got a lot of loads to haul,” he explains. But veteran driver Alex Debogorski is not well.
Keen to make up for getting lost on the ice two days ago, Alex ignores pains in his chest and sets off to Langley, complete with a 17-ton load. After just a few miles, he suffers a coughing fit. “It seems to be par for the course now,” he says. “Everybody seems to be getting sick from something, but everybody just keeps working.” However, after making it to Langley and setting off back to base, Alex’s health takes a turn for the worse. While chatting with an old friend over the radio, Alex reports that he needs medical attention after suffering another coughing fit. “I really need to see a doctor,” he says. “I’ve got a lung down and out.”
When he finally arrives at the medical centre, Alex is coughing up blood and must undergo an ECG to get to the root of his problem. The doctor is very worried about her patient. “There may be a blood clot on your lungs,” she says. In need of specialist care, Alex must immediately fly back to Yellowknife where he can have further tests. “If I can survive my way back to Yellowknife then they’ll have me there for a night,” he says. “If not, they’ll put me in the morgue.” Could this spell the end for a titan of the ice road?
Back in Inuvik, Hugh Rowland makes a few last- minute adjustments to his truck before hitting the road. “Driving on the highway is very different to driving on the ice,” he explains. “One thing you don’t want to do is panic and hit your brakes. You hit your brakes on the ice and you’re gone!” However, the temptation to bring the truck to a sudden halt becomes great when some alarming news comes in over the radio. A giant polar bear has been spotted prowling the road, just a few miles from the drilling site at Langley.
Construction manager Ron Krinke knows only too well the dangers posed by a wandering polar bear. “Over the years, there have been several people killed,” he explains. Luckily for Ron, he will not have to deal with the beast on this occasion, since a local wildlife expert has been called in to take control of the situation. “They have better survival skills than most of us,” says Ron of the Inuvik locals.
Over in Tuk, Rick Yemm’s bad luck continues. So far this season, he has spent much of his time out of action, having damaged his truck. Then, when he finally did make it back onto the ice, he was given the unenviable task of transporting rubbish back and forth. This week, Rick is in the middle of a tiresome safety meeting when his boss drops a bombshell on him – he is to be sent south to Fort Nelson. The trip takes five days, with most of the driving taking place on regular roads. “I’m not going south,” says a disappointed Rick. “I did not sign up to be a f****** highway trucker.” Having suffered what he considers to be another slap in the face, Rick must think long and hard about his future in the industry. “If I go south, I’m going all the way south – to home,” he says.
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