Tuesday 9th February 8.00pm
The documentary series examining the dangerous job of driving trucks on Alaska’s Dalton Highway continues. This week, Hugh and Phil tackle another run up the Dalton. Alex travels the toughest part of the road with a flat tyre. Lisa transports 80ft pipes to an offshore platform. And rookie Tim struggles to keep his rig on the road.
In Fairbanks, Hugh Rowland is desperate to begin his next trip on the Dalton Highway – but his mentor, Phil Kromm, is late. It transpires that safety officer Phil has accidentally backed into a truck, damaging his bumper. Phil faces the embarrassment of having to write a report on himself. “It’s a $1,000 mistake – plus I get to hear about this for probably the next ten years,” he says ruefully.
The delay allows Hugh’s rival Alex Debogorski to get a head start on him. Hugh admits that he enjoys tricking his fellow Canadian into believing the gap between them is closer than it really is. “Me and Alex have always had a friendly little rivalry... I always lie to him,” Hugh says. “If I had 20 loads, I’d tell him I had 15!” Hugh has hauled two more loads than his rival so far this season.
For his part, Alex has been plagued by breakdowns and mechanical failures. Having struggled on his first two trips, Alex is pleased to encounter fewer difficulties third time around. He even has time to reflect on the Alaskan truckers’ attitudes to the Canadian drivers. “There’s a few of them that are grumpy about Hughie and me being here,” he says. “They’re not happy to see Canada’s national treasures on this road with them!”
Alex’s luck changes for the worse when he discovers he has a flat tyre. With no spares available, he must journey the rest of the way to Deadhorse on a flat, which will inevitably slow him down and pile pressure on his other wheels. Worse still, Alex’s tribulations enable Hugh to overtake him. “Well, Hugh’s gone ahead. I guess everything is going fine for him!” Alex says.
Lisa Kelly is about to leave Fairbanks with the longest load of her career to date. She has to deliver huge 80ft pipes to an oil platform in the Arctic Ocean. The trip, which will take her over the ocean ice, is another milestone on her quest to becoming an elite driver. “I know she wants the challenge,” says dispatcher Tim. “She’d like to be the first heavyhaul woman that we’ve got here at Carlile.”
Lisa must depart the Carlile yard before 4pm because no wide loads are allowed in town during rush hour. Unfortunately, her brakes have frozen, and the delay could cost her half a day. After crawling under her trailer to hammer away at the ice, Lisa finally gets the cab moving – with seconds to spare. “Bend me over and spank me!” she cries. No sooner is Lisa on the move than she realises the enormity of her task. “Holy crap, this thing is long! Our problem is gonna be corners.” Can Lisa make it all the way to the Arctic Ocean in one piece?
Elsewhere, rookie Tim Freeman retrieves his broken-down truck from the side of the road. He is dismayed to discover that some cheeky thief has stolen the chains for his wheels. “Somebody helped themselves!” he cries. Without chains, Tim has to make a terrifying journey ‘barefoot’ back to Fairbanks, with his rig sliding around on the ice.
More bad news is in store when the greenhorn learns his cab has a starter problem. Tim and his mentor George Spears spend an anxious couple of hours in the garage before the problem is resolved. Later that day, they find themselves driving into 30mph winds, which have left the road looking like polished glass. On the two-mile slope known as the Beaver Slide, Tim’s truck begins to ski downhill. “I don’t think I have it in me,” the rookie says. Is his trip about to come to a sudden end?
