Throng

ice road truckers (3/10)

This fascinating series reveals the virtually unknown occupation of ice road trucking, one of the world’s most dangerous jobs. Tonight, veteran trucker Alex Debogorski drives his valuable load straight into an arctic storm. Hotshot driver Rick Yemm continues his competition with his boss to see who can pull the most loads; and rookie trucker Drew Sherwood runs into further trouble.

The small town of Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territory is home to the fascinating but little-known industry of ice trucking. Every year, engineers build ice roads on top of the region’s many frozen lakes to hold the weight of massive trucks, which deliver supplies to and from the territory’s diamond mines. The Canadian diamond industry is the third largest in the world and rakes in $1.9 billion a year – making the ice truckers an essential part of the country’s economy.

For these hardy truckers, plying the ice roads can be a lucrative profession – if they can cope with freezing temperatures, harsh weather and the everpresent threat of ice cracking under their wheels. They provide the only connection with remote settlements in virtually impenetrable terrain, putting their lives and the financial security of their families at risk in an exhilarating dash for cash.

Tonight’s episode picks up the action in the second week of the ice-road season, with brutal temperatures of –40 degrees already taking their toll. Veteran trucker Alex Debogorski is no stranger to the conditions, having plied the ice roads for the last 26 years. Hard-working family man Alex has 11 children and is a well-known figure in Yellowknife, with a sideline as a preacher and DJ on a local VHF radio channel.

Alex’s experience comes in handy when he is charged with hauling a 44,000-pound diamond ore crusher across 350 miles of ice to the BHP diamond mine. This one-of-a-kind piece of equipment is worth more than half a million dollars, so Alex is understandably nervous when he runs into a thick patch of fog on the road. With the help of a timely prayer, Alex makes it through the fog, only to realise that worse is yet to come. Up ahead, a severe arctic storm causes white-out conditions and forces a road closure.

Elsewhere, rookie driver TJ Tilcox is caught in his second storm of the season. On the ice road there are no street lights or highway signs, and at times he is driving blind – unsure of which way the road turns.

Meanwhile, Rick Yemm continues his competition with his boss, Hugh Rowland, to see who can pull the most loads. Rick is a relative newcomer to the ice fields, in only his second year on the job. By contrast, Hugh – a bear of a man who is appropriately nicknamed ‘the Polar Bear’ – has 21 years’ experience and stands as an example of what truckers can achieve if they persevere in this high-risk job. A self-made millionaire, Hugh often pulls the most loads each season and has built up his own business with a fleet of four trucks.

This year, Rick has put his wobbly first season behind him and is on a mission to make more money and beat Hugh at his own game. So far, Rick has carved out a lead over his boss, but this is threatened when he encounters mechanical problems with his suspension system. His truck goes into the shop at a loss of $1,000 a day, allowing Hugh to close the gap. When they get back on the road after the storm, Hugh has retaken the lead and is determined not to let his employee get ahead again.

Also this week, first-timer Drew Sherwood runs into further problems. In his mid-forties, Drew has years of experience as a truck driver but has never ventured onto the ice before. He is another of Hugh Rowland’s team of drivers, but his career got off to a poor start when he hit a ditch on his first trip. Drew’s bad luck continues when he loses his battery box on the road and is back in the shop with no power. Until his truck gets repaired, he is off the road and not making a penny.

The next episode can be seen on Friday.