Ice Road Truckers

Ice Road Truckers
Genre Reality
Starring
  • Current drivers
  • Alex Debogorski
    (Season 1 – present)
  • Lisa Kelly
    (Season 3 – 5, 7 – present)
  • Darrell Ward
    (Season 6 – 10)
  • Art Burke
    (Season 7 – present)
  • Todd Dewey
    (Season 7 – present)
  • Steph Custance
    (Season 10 – present)
  • Former drivers
  • Hugh Rowland
    (Season 1 – 8)
  • Rick Yemm
    (Season 1 – 2, season 5 – 6)
  • Jay Westgard
    (Season 1)
  • T.J. Tilcox
    (Season 1)
  • Drew Sherwood
    (Season 1 – 2)
  • Eric Dufresne
    (Season 2)
  • Bear Swensen
    (Season 2)
  • Jack Jessee
    (Season 3 – 4, season 6)
  • George Spears
    (Season 3)
  • Tim Freeman
    (Season 3)
  • Carey Hall
    (Season 3 – 6)
  • Greg Boadwine
    (Season 4)
  • Ray Veilleux
    (Season 4, season 6)
  • Dave Redmon
    (Season 5)
  • Tony Molesky
    (Season 5)
  • Maya Sieber
    (Season 5)
  • Austin Wheeler
    (Season 6)
  • Ronald "Porkchop" Mangum
    (Season 6)
  • Joey Barnes
    (Season 7 – 9)
  • Reno Ward
    (Season 8)
  • Mike Simmons
    (Season 9)
Narrated by Thom Beers
Tom Cotcher (UK)
Theme music composer Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Mark Hudson
Opening theme "Livin' on the Edge" by Aerosmith (Seasons 1  4 only)
Country of origin Canada
United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 10
No. of episodes 128 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) David McKillop
Dolores Gavin
Thom Beers
Philip Segal
Dawn Fitzgerald
Adam Martin
Aron Plucinski
Running time 45  48 minutes
Production company(s) Original Productions
Prospero Media (season 8)
Shaw Media (season 8)
Distributor A+E Networks
Release
Original network History
Original release June 17, 2007 (2007-06-17) – present
External links
Website

Ice Road Truckers (commercially abbreviated IRT) is a reality television series that premiered on History, on June 17, 2007. It features the activities of drivers who operate trucks on seasonal routes crossing frozen lakes and rivers, in remote Arctic territories in Canada and Alaska. Later series focused on Alaska's improved but still remote Dalton Highway, which is mainly snow-covered solid ground. The newest seasons are based on Manitoba's winter roads.

History

In 2000, History aired a 46-minute episode titled "Ice Road Truckers" as part of the Suicide Missions (later Dangerous Missions) series. Based on Edith Iglauer's book Denison's Ice Road, the episode details the treacherous job of driving trucks over frozen lakes, also known as ice roads, in Canada's Northwest Territories. After 2000, reruns of the documentary were aired as an episode of the series Modern Marvels instead. Under this banner, the Ice Road Truckers show garnered very good ratings.

In 2006, The History Channel hired Thom Beers, owner of Original Productions and executive producer of Deadliest Catch, to create a series based on the Ice Road book. Shot in high definition (although the season ended before History HD was launched in the US), the show "charts two months in the lives of six extraordinary men who haul vital supplies to diamond mines and other remote locations over frozen lakes that double as roads".[1]

Airings

During the finale of the show's first season of 10 episodes, The History Channel aired a promo for season 2 which began airing on June 8, 2008.[2]

Season 1 of Ice Road Truckers was shown on the British national commercial channel Channel Five in February/March 2008. In Australia it aired on Austar and Foxtel in early 2008 and from June 18 it also began being shown on Network Ten. In autumn 2008 season one aired on RTL 7 in the Netherlands.

The second season premiered on June 8, 2008 in the US; October 9, 2008 on History in the UK and in Australia; November 12, 2008 in New Zealand; and January 7, 2009 on Channel 5 in the UK. The first season was not aired in Canada until March 4, 2009 on History Television.

The third season premiered on May 31, 2009 in the US; September 10 in the UK. Channel Five debuted series 3 on January 5, 2010.

Reception

The series' premiere was seen by 3.4 million viewers to become the most-watched original telecast in the History Channel's 12-year history at that time.[3] Among critics, Adam Buckman of the New York Post said, "Everything about 'Ice Road Truckers' is astonishing".[4] Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times said, "Watching these guys ... make their runs, it’s hard not to share in their cold, fatigue and horrible highway hypnosis, that existential recognition behind the wheel late at night that the pull of sleep and the pull of death are one and the same. ... [I]t gets right exactly what Deadliest Catch got right, namely that the leave-nothing-but-your-footprints, green kind of eco-travelers are too mellow and conscientious to be interesting to watch. Instead, the burly, bearded, swearing men who blow methyl hydrate into their own transmissions and welcome storms as breaks from boredom ... are much better television."[5] During 2007 the series was shown in the United Kingdom, Australia and various countries in Africa.

The show opening features a truck falling through the ice. While real accidents with fatal outcomes might be mentioned, the show has never featured them and indeed, the show opening is a miniature model filmed inside a studio. A season 1 rumor that the sequence was staged using a real truck and dynamite caused discontent among the drivers.[2]

Episodes

Truckers

Trucker Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Alex Debogorski Main
Hugh Rowland Main
Rick Yemm Main Main
Drew Sherwood Main
Jay Westgard Main
T.J. Tilcox Main
Bear Swensen Main
Eric Dufresne Main
Lisa Kelly Main Main
Jack Jessee Main Main
George Spears Main
Tim Freeman Jr. Main
Greg Boadwine Main
Ray Veilleux Main Recurring
Dave Redmon Main
Tony Molesky Main
Maya Sieber Main
Darrell Ward Ϯ Aug 28th, 2016 Main
Austin Wheeler Main
Ronald Mangum Main
Art Burke Main
Todd Dewey Main
Joey Barnes Main Recurring
Mike Simmons Main
Steph Custance Main

Season 1

The mining companies that owned the road where the first season was filmed felt the show portrayed the road in a negative fashion. They believed the show depicted drivers as cowboys making a mad dash for money and taking excessive risks to do so. Also, the companies felt the cameras and filming created distractions for the drivers. As a result, the owners decided not to participate in future seasons of the show, and a new rule for the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Roads was enacted for the 2008 season, prohibiting commercial, media, video, or rolling film cameras either inside or attached to the outside of vehicles. In response, the show's producers located an alternate ice road for season 2.[6][7][8]

There were several differences in style among Seasons 1, 2, and 3:

Episodes

At the top of the world, there's an outpost like no other... and a job only a few would dare. The mission: To haul critical supplies across 350 miles of frozen lakes to Canada's remote billion-dollar diamond mines. The challenge: to transport 10,000 loads in 60 days—before the road disappears. The rewards are great; the risks even greater. These are the men who make their living on thin ice.
Thom Beers, opening of the show, season 1

The series premiered on June 17, 2007. Six ice road truckers are introduced, and are described as men driving eighteen wheelers who haul equipment and supplies from Yellowknife, Canada, across a temporary road composed of portages and frozen lakes, to one of three diamond mines northeast of Yellowknife. The final episode in season one premiered on August 19, 2007.

The season has been of the most successful so far, with 10,922 loads totaling 331,000 tonnes (730 million pounds, or 365,000 U.S. tons) delivered. (Note: The total shown on screen is 662,000,000 pounds, corresponding to 331,000 US tons.)

The beginning of the Ingraham Trail leading to the winter road Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Ice road load count
The count Rowland Debogorski Westgard Tilcox Yemm
(resigned)
Sherwood
(resigned)
Tons 722 648 542 374 369 363
Estimated cash 58.4K 57.0K 57.5K 37.0K 28.0K 19.0K
Loads 37 36 35 23 19 13

Specials

Three additional one-hour specials ran in the weeks following "The Final Run". Then and Now premiered on August 26, 2007 and provided a look into the development and future of Canada's ice roads. Clips from season 1 were featured, as well as further commentary from Rowland, Debogorski, and road pioneer John Denison. Off the Ice premiered on September 2, 2007, bringing all six truckers together for a chance to express their thoughts about the job and each other. On the Edge premiered on September 9, 2007, continuing the discussion and exploring the truckers' lives during the off season.

A fourth special, The Road to Season 2, aired on June 1, 2008. This hour presented highlights from the first season and gave a preview of things to come in the second one.

Drivers

During the course of Season 1, all three of Rowland's hired drivers end up prematurely leaving the ice road. White was banished for excessive speeding, Yemm left following heated disagreements about the working condition of Rowland's trucks, and Sherwood left after several vehicle breakdowns.

Rowland's truck is called "The Crow's Nest" and is kept in good condition, as was Yemm's truck, besides the heater. The trucks driven by Sherwood and White had a multitude of mechanical problems. After Sherwood's departure, Rowland hired a fourth driver named Danny Reese. In the final episode of the first season, Rowland's luck finally ran out when his truck was sideswiped by another trucker on the ice road, knocking a driving axle off the chassis. He ended up finishing the season in the truck originally driven by Yemm.

Rick Yemm at Truckfest at Haydock Park Racecourse, England, September 12, 2009.

During Season 1, the floor heater in his truck was malfunctioning. This was a major source of tension between Rowland, the truck's owner, and Yemm, who expected Rowland to take care of the problem so that he could continue hauling loads without risking severe frostbite. Yemm ultimately quit and returned home, feeling his friend was not fulfilling his responsibilities to maintain the trucks.

Yemm is known for being hard on the trucks by constantly beating on them. In one episode, Yemm is seen bouncing up and down, pumping the accelerator pedal up and down, and messing with the steering wheel, all the while facing the camera and saying "yee-haw motha fucker!"

Alex Debogorski at Truckfest South West UK 2011

In Season 2, Debogorski had to leave early because of illness (a pulmonary embolism).

After the accident Tilcox is injured while tying down a load, and several days later experiences severe abdominal pain which becomes so bad that he has to be flown out to receive medical care. Tilcox is able to return to the ice roads after being treated for his injuries. The expense of his treatment is highlighted on the show as a cause of concern for Tilcox. Despite his ordeals, Tilcox gains respect for the job and the people who do it, as well as self-satisfaction for having completed the entire season— a rare feat for a rookie. He leaves with the respect and admiration of his fellow ice road veterans.

Sherwood's hard luck, unfortunately, did not stop there, and he was plagued with a frustrating amount of mechanical problems. For starters, he loses his battery box and batteries (resulting in two days lost while a replacement box is fabricated on the spot), suffers a flat tire, and then experiences problems with his truck’s on-board computer that forces him to abandon a load on the roadside. Sherwood ends up driving the truck of expelled driver Todd White just to pick up where he left off, yet ends up suffering through problems in that truck, as well. Hugh Rowland, the truck's owner, and Lee Parkinson, Rowland's mechanic, blamed many of these mechanical problems squarely on Sherwood. Sherwood ultimately decides enough is enough and leaves the ice roads to return home.

Support personnel

Route and destinations

Snap Lake Diamond Mine portal, 40-ton haul truck exiting, winter.

Season 2

Season 2 premiered on June 8, 2008, following the drivers on the Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road, a 194 km (121 mi) extension of the Dempster Highway between Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk in Canada's Northwest Territories. Rowland, Debogorski, Sherwood, and Yemm take part as "highway maggots" (rookies on this road), working alongside the more experienced drivers.

Episodes

At the top of the world, there's an outpost like no other…and a job only a few would dare. The ice men return: two titans of the southern ice roads, and two contenders. Last season they drove loaded semis on frozen lakes…this year, the Arctic Ocean. Deeper into the deep freeze. Further out on thinner ice. The new mission: to haul the heavy metal of natural gas drilling rigs up a frozen river and across ice-choked seas. Ice road truckers have come to the edge of the earth. These are the men who make their living on thin ice.
Thom Beers, opening of the show, season 2

The season premiere aired on June 8, 2008. As the ice road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk is completed, drivers converge on Inuvik for the start of the year's transport season. Debogorski, Rowland, Yemm, and Sherwood find themselves lumped in with the other "highway maggots" - the local drivers' term for rookies on this road - and must adapt to new rules and conditions. The road takes them up the Mackenzie River and over parts of the Arctic Ocean, visiting Aput and Later Langley rigs with long stretches in which drivers are out of radio contact. The final regular episode premiered on September 7, 2008.

The Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road.

Final load counts for the season were:

Off the ice

Premiered on September 21, 2008. This episode provides a look back at the events of the season, with additional commentary from the truckers and support personnel. Topics covered include:

Drivers

Debogorski, Rowland, Sherwood, and Yemm take part in this season as "highway maggots"—rookies on the ice road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk. The following experienced truckers are also profiled.

Support personnel

Doug Saunders: Saunders is the operations manager for E. Gruben's Transport, the company that hires Debogorski and Yemm. He considers Yemm to be one of his more "high-maintenance" drivers, in terms of Yemm's rough handling of the trucks and frequent complaints about the work environment.

Shaun Lundrigan: The chief mechanic at the Gruben's freight yard in Tuktoyaktuk, he finds himself repairing Yemm's trucks several times during the season. As a result, his opinion of Yemm as a trucker steadily deteriorates from week to week.

Jerry Dusdal: The "truck push" for Mullen Transportation, he takes responsibility for the truckers' safety and delivery of their loads. He states in the season premiere that he will never send someone else to do a job that he is not willing to do himself. When an entire drilling operation must be moved from one site to another, he deals with the logistics and equipment dismantling, as well as the delay caused by a winter storm that strikes the area.

Davey Lennie: A foreman on the Northwind ice road construction crew, he looks after the trucks when the road is closed, and also stands ready to respond to any distress calls that come in. In the season premiere, he describes an incident from the previous year in which his truck broke through the ice. Oversized loads, such as a survival shack hauled by Dufresne, sometimes require his help to get from the edge of town to the freight yard. His cousin Isaac drives with Rowland to get some road experience before taking the written exam for his truck driver's license.

Kelly Brown: A veteran driver in Inuvik, Kelly works for Matco Transportation, the second company that hires Sherwood shortly after the season begins. He rides with Sherwood on a training run to help him get used to driving the Arctic ice roads. Brown grew up in Montreal and began driving trucks in 1983; he has worked the ice roads since 1993.

Jordan Fedosoff: The manager of Matco's Inuvik branch office, Fedosoff was raised in Alberta and began working as a truck driver in 1979. He has driven and worked in Inuvik since 1989.

Devon Neff: A rookie driver on the ice roads who works for Mullen, Neff is called in to help move equipment off the Langley site late in the season. Due to the poor condition of the road at this time, he must contend with hazards such as breaks in the surface and water overflows from beneath the ice.

Route and destinations

The Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk.

Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road

Season 3

Synopsis

Season 3 of Ice Road Truckers covers the Dalton Highway, which connects Fairbanks, Alaska, Coldfoot, Alaska, and Deadhorse, Alaska near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, as well as ice roads constructed over the Arctic Ocean in the Prudhoe Bay area. The tagline for the season is: "In the Dark Heart of Alaska, there's a road where hell has frozen over". In this season the 2009 Mount Redoubt eruptive activity caused complications; the truckers had to carry many loads which were intended for flight, but the planes could not fly because of volcanic ash in the air.

Episodes

At the top of the world, there's a job only a few would dare. Last season, the dash for the cash was fought on the smooth playing field of Canada's Arctic ice. This season, two old pros join four of America's bravest truckers to tackle the tundra's deadliest ice passage. Just when you thought extreme trucking couldn't get more dangerous, ice road truckers take on Alaska. These are the truckers who make their living on thin ice.
Thom Beers, opening of the show, season 3

The season premiered on May 31, 2009. The Dalton Highway (Alaska Route 11) serves as only road link between Alaska's populated areas down south and the oil rigs of the arctic north, to bring supplies nearly 500 mi (800 km) from Fairbanks to the Prudhoe Bay Oil Fields and offshore rigs. However, the combination of avalanches, strong Arctic winds leading to whiteouts, and unforgiving terrain has led to hundreds of accidents in past years. Six thousand loads must be moved up the road within 12 weeks, before the ice melts on the Arctic Ocean.

The season finale aired on August 23, 2009.

Truck traffic on the Dalton Highway in 2004.

Final load counts:

Drivers

Rowland and Debogorski take part in this season as newcomers to the Dalton Highway in Alaska, working alongside the following local drivers at Carlile Transportation.

Route and destinations

The E. L. Patton Yukon River Bridge carries the Dalton Highway over the Yukon River

Dalton Highway:

Season 4

Season 4 of Ice Road Truckers premiered on June 6, 2010 and returned to the Dalton Highway in Alaska. In addition to the destinations from season 3 (Fairbanks, Coldfoot, Deadhorse, and oilfields of Prudhoe Bay), the destinations of Bettles, Alaska and Nuiqsut, Alaska are added which can only be reached by driving over frozen rivers and swamps.

Drivers

Debogorski, Rowland, Jessee, and Kelly continue driving the Dalton Highway in this season, and Hall appears in two episodes to help the other truckers bring exceptionally heavy loads up from Anchorage. Debogorski had a good season, stopping to help drivers in trouble on multiple occasions. Rowland spent the season trying to avoid the Department of Transport (DOT) checkpoint. Jessee was assigned some of the toughest loads, to be taken over some of the roughest roads. Kelly started out the season with goals to achieve; she wanted to try hauling heavier, bigger loads and have a go at push-truck driving; she also aimed to save enough money to buy back her horse. Both goals she eventually achieved. Two new truckers are also featured.[14]

Route and destinations

Final load counts

Season 5

The focus of this season is split between two locations. One group - Lisa Kelly, veteran Tony Molesky, and rookies Dave Redmon and Maya Sieber - drives the Dalton Highway, moving freight between Fairbanks and Prudhoe with occasional side trips to Nuiqsut and Anchorage, Alaska. Meanwhile, a second group - Hugh Rowland, Alex Debogorski, and Rick Yemm - returns to Canada to transport loads between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and several remote communities.

Episodes

This season follows drivers on two roads. Rowland, Yemm, and Debogorski return to Canada to drive in Manitoba, delivering supplies to isolated communities that will be cut off once the ice melts. Meanwhile, Kelly and veteran Tony Molesky transport loads on the Dalton Highway, along with newcomers Dave Redmon and Maya Sieber.

Drivers

Debogorski, Rowland, and Yemm (from seasons 1 and 2) return to Canada for this season to drive the ice roads in Manitoba. Kelly and three other truckers haul freight on the Dalton, and Hall appears in two episodes to deliver heavy loads. Kromm also returns to train rookie drivers, notably Redmon and Sieber; Kromm has a hand in advising Lane to fire Redmon.

Route and destinations

Dalton Highway/Manitoba: This is the first season to focus on two different roads. Truckers in Alaska drive the Dalton, making stops at Fairbanks, Coldfoot, and Deadhorse as before. A second group hauls freight on the ice roads in Manitoba to re-supply isolated communities that have no other way to bring in materials.

Season 6

The focus of this season is split among three locations: Canada's Dempster Highway (connecting the Yukon and Northwest Territories), Manitoba, and the Dalton Highway in Alaska.

Returning drivers

Debogorski, Rowland, and Yemm continue driving in Canada for this season, moving cargo along the Dempster Highway (Debogorski) and Manitoba's winter roads (Rowland and Yemm). Jessee (seasons 3 and 4) returns to drive the Dalton along with three newcomers, and Hall appears in one episode to help move a modular building up from Fairbanks. Near the end of the season, Veilleux (season 4) is called in to help transport the last loads up to Prudhoe Bay. Molesky and Kromm are involved in training drivers new to driving on the Dalton highway for Carlile Transport' additionally, both Molesky and Kromm independently monitor other drivers' standards and behaviour, and advise the HR manager, Lane, if there are issues like those that led to "Porkchop"'s being fired.

New drivers

Season 7

The focus of this season is Manitoba's winter roads.

Returning drivers

Debogorski, Kelly, and Ward relocate to Manitoba for this season and begin driving for Polar Industries. Rowland returns as well, to start his own trucking company, VP Express. Three new drivers are also featured.

New drivers

Season 8

This season all drivers from season 7 return to Manitoba, and the same companies, Polar and VP Express, are shown. This is also the first season in which the program is a US / Canadian co-production, with Prospero Media and Shaw Media (owners of the Canadian History franchise) producing the show with Original Productions and the History channel.

Returning drivers

Darrell Ward, Art Burke, and Lisa Kelly work for Polar this season. Todd Dewey switches over to Polar to work this season.[17] Alex Debogorski will work for Hugh Rowland's VP Express this season.[18] Season 8 premiered on July 7, 2014. Ward quits Polar in Episode 5, frustrated with repeated truck breakdowns and how few loads he has taken, and goes into business for himself. He hires his son Reno to work for him in Episode 9. Joey Barnes appears in Episode 10 to escort Burke on a delivery run through the Manitoba wilderness, after Burke avoided being sacked after jack-knifing his truck in the previous trip. On episode 5, Burke is fined $490 and "shut down" (suspended from driving) for three days, due to multiple log-book infringements and over-working, from being stuck in the snowstorm on the previous round trip. On episode 12, Kelly, Burke, Dewey, Ward, and Reno all make it to Fort Severn, while Kelly decides to support Ward and help him go further into Peawanuck. Kelly was not censured by Mark for her actions, as it was "a morally and ethically right thing to do", and she was offered a job by Ward for the next season; she was undecided on switching sides.

Season 8 Load Count

Season 9

On July 21, 2015, History announced season 9 would premier August 2, 2015, at 9/8c.

Returning drivers

The season features all the truckers from the prior season with the exception of Hugh Rowland. Polar Industries is shown, along with Darrell Ward's new company. Alex Debogorski, Todd Dewey, and Art Burke work for Polar, while Ward and Lisa Kelly work for their own company.[19][20] Joey Barnes appears for one episode to help Burke haul a load of fuel, and one new trucker joins the cast.

New drivers

Season X (10)

Per the History Channel Website, Season 10 (which the site calls Season X or "IRT X") premiered on August 4, 2016 at 10/9c.[21] Alex, Art, Todd, and Lisa continue driving for their respective companies, and one new driver is introduced. This is Ward's final season, as he was killed in a plane crash on August 28, 2016.[22]

New driver

IRT: Deadliest Roads

IRT:Deadliest Roads
Genre Reality
Documentary
Starring
  • Former Drivers
  • Hugh Rowland
    (Season 2)
  • Lisa Kelly
    (Season 1 - 2)
  • Rick Yemm
    (Season 1 - 2)
  • Dave Redmon
    (Season 1 - 2)
  • Augustin Rodriguez
    (Season 2)
  • Tim Zickuhr
    (Season 2)
  • Alex Debogorski
    (Season 1)
  • G.W. Boles
    (Season 2)
Narrated by Thom Beers
Tom Cotcher (UK)
Country of origin Canada
United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 23 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) David McKillop
Dolores Gavin
Thom Beers
Philip Segal
Dawn Fitzgerald
Adam Martin
Aron Plucinski
Location(s) India and South America
Running time 45  48 minutes
Production company(s) Original Productions
Distributor A+E Networks
Release
Original network History
Original release October 3, 2010 (2010-10-03) – December 18, 2011 (2011-12-18)
External links
Website

Season 1: Himalayas

On October 3, 2010, a spinoff series, titled IRT: Deadliest Roads, premiered immediately after the Season 4 finale. Rick Yemm, Alex Debogorski, and Lisa Kelly traveled to India and put their driving skills to the test on the narrow, treacherous mountain roads that lead from Delhi to Shimla, then up to the Karchan and Kuppa hydroelectric dam construction sites in the Himalayas. Debogorski quit in the first episode due to fear of angry mobs if he were involved in an accident, and was replaced by Alabama trucker Dave Redmon (who has since been featured in Season 5 of Ice Road Truckers). As the season continued, the drivers were dispatched to carry supplies over the stormy Rohtang Pass to the town of Keylong, which had been cut off for months due to the bad weather. The season finale aired on December 5, 2010, with the truckers' attempting to deliver loads of jet fuel for helicopter crews who were working to rescue people stranded in the mountains by the storms. Yemm and Redmon turned back, deciding that the conditions were too hazardous for the volatile cargo; the next day, Kelly hauled the entire shipment herself and delivered it to the crews, becoming the only North American trucker to complete the entire season.

The roads were often hacked out of vertical cliffs like a tunnel with one side open to the air, with rock overhangs overhead and drops of several hundred feet below. One part of the road was called "the Freefall Freeway".

Early promotional spots for the series listed the title as IRT: Himalayas.

Season 2: South America

The second season of IRT: Deadliest Roads premiered on September 25, 2011. Six North American drivers are sent to Bolivia to haul cargo along the Yungas Road, notorious for its extreme hazards. The drivers work in pairs - Hugh Rowland and Rick Yemm, Lisa Kelly and Dave Redmon, and newcomers Tim Zickuhr and Augustin "Tino" Rodriguez. Redmon and Yemm quit in Episode 2; Rowland continues driving alone, while Texas trucker G.W. Boles arrives to ride with Kelly in Episode 4. Starting with Episode 8, the truckers relocate to Peru and begin transporting loads to sites high in the Andes mountain range.

In episode 6, Kelly and Boles transport 32 breeding llamas across the Salar de Uyuni, the world's biggest salt flat, 12,000 ft (3,700 m) above sea level. On the way, their truck's radiator begins to leak; after they mend it, they must empty all their drinking water into the radiator to replace the loss. Abundant lithium deposits cause their magnetic compasses to read incorrectly, and for a time their GPS malfunctions.

Feature film

In 2008, 20th Century Fox acquired rights from the History Channel to create a scripted, theatrical action film based on the series.[23]

See also

References

  1. "About the Ice Road Truckers series". History.com.
  2. 1 2 Kaplan, Don, "BACK ON THE 'ICE ROAD'", New York Post, April 2, 2008
  3. "'Ice Road Truckers' debut sets The History Channel ratings records - Reality TV World - News, information, episode summaries, message boards, chat and games for unscripted television programs". Reality TV World. June 20, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "Slide Show: 'Ice Road Truckers' Take Thrilling Glide". New York Post. June 23, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. Heffernan, Virginia, "Honk? No, Pray if You Hear a Loud Crack", The New York Times, June 22, 2007
  6. "Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road 2008 orientation materials" (PDF). 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  7. "Producers find new ice road for TV series". Landline Magazine. Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  8. "Frozen Tundra Trucking: Popular trucking show not on thin ice". Today's Trucking: The Online Business Resource For Canada's Trucking Industry. Newcom Business Media, Inc. February 4, 2008. Retrieved March 10, 2008.
  9. "Working for Hugh". Hugh Rowland Official Site. Archived from the original on April 18, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  10. "About the Snap Lake Mine". 2008. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  11. "Diavik". Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  12. "Harry Winston buying Ekati mine for $500M US". November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  13. "Phil Kromm's testimony to Alaska Oil & Gas Association" (PDF). Alaska Oil & Gas Association. February 2011.
  14. "Season 4 Truckers — Ice Road Truckers —". History.com. April 18, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  15. "Todd Dewey - Ice Road Truckers Cast". History.com. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  16. "Joey Barnes - Ice Road Truckers Cast". History.com. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  17. "Todd Dewey". HISTORY.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  18. "Alex Debogorski". HISTORY.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  19. "'Ice Road Truckers' Season 9 to Premiere Sunday, August 2 & & New Series 'Power & Ice' to Premiere Thursday, August 27 on History". TVbytheNumbers. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  20. "Lisa Kelly". HISTORY.com. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  21. "Ice Road Truckers Full Episodes, Video & More - HISTORY".
  22. "'Ice Road Truckers' Star Darrell Ward Killed In Plane Crash".
  23. Fleming, Michael. "Fox drives 'Truckers' to bigscreen", Variety. February 12, 2008

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.