Ice Road Truckers (2007) s09e05 Episode Script

Now on Ice Road Truckers This is fucking mission impossible.
Big toys Come on, move! Fuck! and big noise rock the winter roads.
Oh, this sucks! And for one team I'm hearin' some crackin'.
it could be their big break.
What in the world is happening right now? Ah! Every season, lakes and rivers freeze in the distant communities of the north.
Allowing ice road truckers a brief window of time to deliver their crucial supplies.
But this season, warming temperatures are coming weeks earlier than expected.
Melting trails, and thinning ice crossings are creating havoc on the winter roads.
And soon the drivers could be in a race to get out in time.
In Winnipeg I gotcha, two transformers to Deer Lake with a loader.
Cool.
Darrell and Lisa are trying to cash in as many hauls as they can while the roads are open, and they might have just hit the jackpot.
This'll, this might even, this'll put us on the map.
We'll get on it right now, and we'll be there shortly.
Okay thanks, bye.
Biggest contract yet.
Somebody else was supposed to haul them.
Evidently the power's down in the community and they need these right now.
We have to get those transformers there no matter what that road's like.
I'm game.
The power infrastructure of remote Deer Lake is failing.
So Darrell and Lisa must deliver two new 12-tonne transformers and loader to move them.
500 miles over a road that's falling apart under rising temperatures.
This is a very important haul for our company, but there's a lot of pressure on me to get these delivered there.
The power company is waiting, they're depeing on us.
All right, perfect.
And we're loaded.
If they fail to deliver, the town could be without electricity at the worst possible time.
No one will take it, so they're paying more for that, so it's pretty big for us.
And so it gave us the opportunity to take this load and so this might just be what pushes us over and makes it actually profitable and make it worthwhile to us.
Just need to winch it down.
Yay? - Yup.
- All right.
We've loaded everything up, I've just got to get out of here.
All right.
Let's get the fuck out of here.
The urgent load is needed by morning, and power to the community will be shut off when the new transformer is put in place.
Well, we're out of there.
Woo! Yeah, no doubt, right.
I can't believe somebody abandoning this load with what it pays.
It's the best contract we've had this year.
Yeah, I already thought about that.
I'm not sure what to expect.
The upstart company has been taking the loads no one else will, and if they pull this one off, it'll send a shockwave through the industry.
Well, it looks like maybe we've played our cards right.
Of course, we're not there yet, so keep on truckin' 'til we get there.
The job's not done until these transformers are put in place.
As Darrell a Lisa look to light it up back in Winnipeg, Polar's powering ahead, too.
Mark! What's goin' on, buddy? I'm ready to head back out.
As they've inked a new deal with a high level client.
So your next run, this is a big deal for me.
This is a government contract.
Okay.
And the boss is calling on his top dog to deliver.
It's a light load, not much on it, but it's important.
It's grader blades that have to get up to Tadoule Lake Airport.
To Tadoule Lake.
Oh, that's a long ways up there.
Yeah, it's the farthest one out there.
So right now we've gotta get you up there quick because they're waitin' on us, so we can make sure their equipment's running on the airport clearing runways.
There's Medivacs goin' in and out of there.
Oh wow.
I mean they're counting on us.
This is our foot in the door.
If we can prove ourselves on this, it's gonna open up a lot of opportunities for us.
I want to get in there with these guys.
Well yeah, no problem.
Honestly, this will be the smallest load you'll deliver, but it's probably the most important.
- All right.
- Alright? You've got the right guy, Mark, you know that, buddy.
- Okay.
- Okay.
See ya later, man.
The haul is pivotal for the remote airport, as the blades are needed to keep runways clear for all evac operations.
With the trail stretching nearly 800 miles, it's the farthest destination Polar is scheduled to go all season.
Here I go.
Headin' out to the big town of Tadoule Lake.
They can't get the planes to land until they get these grader blades to grade off these airport strips, so we've gotta get 'em up there, get 'em to them as fast as you can.
These emergency loads that Mark keeps handing me, you know, I know that Mark is really stressed out over this Darrell thing, and him stealing Lisa, and I keep pushing hard because I'm trying to get every load in for Mark I possibly can.
But the long path to Tadoule is rarely serviced by road crews, and is already disintegrating in the warming weather.
Well, it's treacherous, slow, slow going, so this is gonna be a long trip.
While Todd pushes on with a high profile haul 200 miles to the southeast We've got it all geared up, headin' for another load, b'y.
Polar's wild card is on a high stakes mission of his own.
We're getting' close.
Another hour and a half, we should be there.
Art Burke's on his way to Thompson to pick up a trailer load of medical supplies earmarked for Garden Hill, Okay.
Here we go.
This is really a bumpy day.
The haul's got a big price tag, and he'll have to earn every penny.
It's a good thing I've got a five gallon can full of pain killers or I'd be fucked.
Hopefully I won't be crippled by the time this is over with at the rate I'm goin'.
As the road's slowly melting Oh! And with no load to weigh him down, Art and his truck are feeling every bump on the trail.
Oh, that one's bad.
Soft spot here, must be a spring in the road, b'y.
Have to watch out for this.
Oh! That's a dandy.
What the fuck is goin' on now? It's the oil pressure light.
Fucking oil light's on here and it's just not getting enough pressure.
The fucking light keeps comin' on.
We're losing our oil pressure.
It never ends, man.
The oil might be pissin' out of this, so I'll have to have a fucking look.
Might be leaking out underneath, or something happened.
I don't know.
How the fuck are you supposed to make any money like this? Well that's it, the engine just shut the fuck down.
We're coastin' now.
That wonderful? It's a good way to start the fucking day, isn't it? Still an hour away from Thompson, Art steers the dead rig to the side of the road.
Knew that was gonna happen.
I don't really know what the fuck's gonna happen, buddy.
If I owned this fucking thing, I'd fucking burn it.
It shut the fuck down because it's losing its fucking oil pressure.
So I just want to fucking see here, make fucking sure Where the fuck oil all go into this fucking prick? I topped this off the other day, and this is how far we got.
I don't know if it's pissin' it out someplace or what the fuck.
This needs a fucking match, that's what this fucking needs.
And I'm not talkin' to light a candle neither.
With the severe oil leak, Art's high priced assignment is suddenly on hold.
And out of options, he's forced to call the boss.
How ya doin' Mark, buddy.
We're sittin' on the side of the road up here, b'y.
The oil light keeps coming on, on this motherfucker, eh? And then eventually it shut the truck down.
So we're on the side of the fucking road here.
I would say the oil pump's fucked b'y, but I don't know.
Okay, you just want me to wait here then? Okay buddy, thank you.
A tow truck is on the way, but with the rig headed to the shop, Art's big paycheque has slipped right out of his hands.
Stuck here on the side of the road.
We're talkin' bucks here.
Right off the fucking bat.
Deep in Manitoba I'm on the way to Shamattawa.
This load's heavy, and I'm gonna get 'er done.
Polar's newest driver, Mike Simmons, is hauling a monster over one of Manitoba's roughest roads.
This is my first trip out alone for Polar.
I'm in very unfamiliar territory, and just hope for the best.
Last week - Pleasure to be here.
- Right on.
Mark brought the seasoned heavy-hauler aboard to try and keep Polar ahead of the competition.
These are the toughest roads in all of Canada.
They're gonna beat the hell out of your truck, they're gonna beat the hell out of you.
I got this.
But the cocky newcomer was dealt a heavy dose of reality.
Oh, fuck me! As he took a beating on his first run.
Shit.
What the fuck? Ah! Woo! I've been haulin' over-dimensional super-sized loads for years now, but not on these kinds of roads.
Now he's on his first solo trip with a load that'll take an ice road trucker's expertise to make it to the finish line.
This trailer's a hydraulic double drop.
It's not designed for these roads because it has very little clearance.
I'm gonna scratch and claw my way every time I see large hummocks.
Fucking bumpy! Hummocks are natural mounds of earth found throughout the winter roads.
If the trailer fails to clear 'em, the load could bottom out and get stuck.
I've never been on any of these roads before, don't want to damage this equipment, I don't want to damage the trailer, but I still want to make good time, so We'll just see how she goes.
Polar's on the move, but 250 miles to the south On the remote trail to Deer Lake To be able to get a load like this that is mandatory to get moved and pays as well as it does is, is great for our business.
Darrell and Lisa are goin' for the gold.
Hauling the most important contract in the history of their young company.
This load's the one that's gonna make us the money.
Okay, that's that's good to know.
Two transformers are urgently needed to sustain the town's power supply, and they must be delivered by morning when they're scheduled to be put in place.
If the team fails, the distant town could be without power at a critical time of year.
You know this is the real deal right here.
So I don't know what we're into, I don't know why nobody else would take these loads.
Well, somebody's got to do it.
No? They need electricity one way or another.
Yeah, they do.
Saw that coming.
Watch out for that bump right there.
Thanks for the warning, but it didn't do much good.
The road's rapidly melting under the warming temperatures.
Yeah, we have some water here.
Still doing a number on my suspension.
All right, copy.
And if deteriorates further, the path to Deer Lake might be shut down.
Oh my gosh, it's just killing.
Go ahead.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Whoa! Oh wow, we've got a little water on the road, all right.
Now We've got an ice crossing here, Darrell.
Oh, copy.
They're hittin' the biggest challenge of the trail yet, the 7-mile ice crossing at North Spirit Lake, one of the longest in the winter roads system.
When we get up there to the crossings, I think that you probably ought to go first because you've got that loader on in case we've got problems.
Don't you remember a loader was what I was carrying last year when I went through the ice? I know, right? It's like deja vu.
The last time Darrell and Lisa convoyed across the ice Agh! Holy fuck, Darrell, I think I just went in! Lisa's rig broke through.
A lot of snow on it.
It looks pretty white out there, I can't see much.
I know, that's why I don't know where this ice crossing goes.
This time, conditions are even worse as heavy wet snow is already pressuring the melting ice.
And now, they've got to add Darrell, are you ready to do this thing? I'm ready.
All right, this is a long ice crossing.
I can't really even see where to go.
All white out here.
What you don't know can kill ya.
Lisa rolls ahead, testing the ice with a 20 tonne loader.
Well I'm on the ice.
Yeah, I'll watch you for a little while.
I'll see if you start makin' bubbles.
And this load is heavy.
I'm pretty sure I'm right at the weight limit.
Last time I hauled a loader, I fell through the ice, so I'm hoping this holds up.
I-- Did you hear that? How's things feelin' out there, Lisa? It's so hard to see, so I can't, it's really hard to see what the condition of the road is because it's just white.
Well, I think I'll ease down on the ice.
You're far enough out.
Okay, you guys, I'm comin' down on.
After waiting for Lisa to reach a distance of at least 100 yards, Darrell and the two transformers push the ice even more.
Can hardly see Lisa from here, and she's only 300 feet in front of me.
I think these transformers are pretty heavy.
Are they? Are they heavier than this loader? Yeah, I'm sure quite a bit.
They're pumped full of oil and copper winding.
I guess the key is not to stop, huh? Pretty much.
We've got 10 kilometres of not knowing what's under us.
The sooner we get off the ice, the better.
Somebody else was supposed to haul these transformers and they backed out on the load.
I don't know if it was because the ice condition this year.
Maybe they know something I don't know.
Ooh.
Something's going on here.
That felt kind of weird.
I'm hearing some crackin', too.
What in the world is happening right now? Ahh! On the 7-mile crossing at North Spirit Lake That felt kind of weird.
I'm hearing some crackin', too.
Darrell and Lisa's critical load of transformers could be on thin ice.
What in the world is happening right now? Ahh! I hit something rough.
What's next? It's bumpy right there.
Kind of makes me wonder if it broke through already once.
The valuable haul is desperately needed for Deer Lake's failing power supply.
But warming temperatures are compromising the ice, and now the team will have to pass over the crossing's edge, where ice is at its thinnest.
Just got a little bit farther to go.
Well, that's the end of the crossing.
D-Dub, I'm on the land.
Are you surviving? Copy that.
I'm right behind you.
I made it off the ice, Lisa.
Well, that's good, because I don't think I'd come back for ya.
Ha ha ha! The renegades may be off the crossing, but with a morning deadline looming, and over 100 miles still to go the team will have to push hard to make it there in time.
You know I know we haven't got it done yet, but I don't plan on stoppin' until it is.
Right, or until we can't go anymore.
Copy that.
I don't know how far I am out of Deer Lake, but keep on truckin' until I get there.
While Darrell and Lisa move ahead, 300 miles to the northwest Rival Art Burke's pinned down in Thompson.
My fucking truck is broke down, and I'm stuck in Thompson.
So, here we are in a bowling alley.
Got the whole place to myself, b'y.
Art's off the road until his rig gets repaired in town.
There's nobody else in here because everybody's workin' today because their truck works.
And he's missed out on a big paycheque.
I decided to come in and bowl a few fucking frames just to keep my fucking sanity.
You know when we first come here, Mark gave me this touch up to pick up my fucking game and all this kind of stuff this year because he had all these loads and everything.
Quite the fucking game we're playing here.
We're both fucking losin'.
His fucking truck, he's losin', I'm losin', everybody's fucking losin', man.
So we both pick up our fucking game.
I picked up my fucking game, he should have picked up his fucking game, too.
As Art stews over lost wages, back in Winnipeg All right guys, no, thank you.
Bye bye.
the boss may be losing faith.
So Art's truck's down in Thompson, we're getting it fixed up at our shop up there.
I've got a lot of loads I've gotta move this year.
I can't have a truck down.
Things do go wrong, but eventually you gotta stop blaming the truck and maybe look at the driver a little bit.
I haven't gotten any other calls from any other drivers.
600 miles to the north I've still got at least 5 or 6 hours before we make it to Tadoule Lake.
Polar's top dog's got his foot to the floor.
If everything goes smoothly.
That is a big if.
Todd Dewey's hauling a light load that's weighty in importance.
Fuck! Grader blades needed for government contract at the airport in Tadoule Lake.
The road is so bumpy.
But the 800 mile trail is one of the longest in Manitoba, and is rarely reached by road crews.
And now the rocky terrain is assaulting Todd's rig at every turn.
Nasty, nasty road.
So over the fucking bumps right now.
The deeper Todd goes, the rougher the path gets.
Oh! Oh, fuck.
The whole load shifted.
And the valuable blades are barely staying on board the trailer.
These grader blades are heavy pieces of metal, and they're real smooth.
When it gets this cold, metal just slides like a friggin' ice skating rink.
They're just sliding slowly but surely.
Hopefully she'll hold.
Holy fucking shit! Fucking things slid right off.
I ain't goin' anywhere now.
Oh.
Fucking nightmare right now, man.
Fuck.
Damn it! Oh, that sucks! On the long road to Tadoule Lake Fucking nightmare right now, man.
Polar's top dog could be in the doghouse.
Oh this is gonna be fucking exciting.
I have never lost a load, lost one piece of lumber, have a damaged load.
I have never had this, ever, happen to me.
Hauling a government contract, Todd's lost control of his load, and now the valuable metal grader blades are scattered all over the road.
Oh.
These blades are not exactly light.
They're fucking heavy.
Bitches weigh 60, There's one.
That's one.
Pick 'em up, one at a time! This is absolute bullshit.
Now I've got 'em all back on the trailer, I've got to stack 'em on the fucking palette now.
That sucked.
The blades are reloaded.
I'm not going to have them slide again.
But Todd's got to make sure the cargo stays in place.
Going for the old freezing trick.
So the veteran uses a little winter roads ingenuity.
Look at that, fucking freezes man, that is incredible.
See it crystallize? So they're on there, they're strapped, that should hold 'er in place.
Oh.
Let's get rollin'.
Went around the corner, and grader blades slid right off the trailer.
Both straps had come loose; they didn't look loose in my mirror, they looked like they were all tightened down and tight, and I went around the corner and they just slid right off.
But, can't leave them laying there on the side of the road.
That's my paycheque-- fell off the load, so it's got to go back on there and gotta be delivered or I don't get paid.
As Polar's top dog looks to get back on track 300 miles to the southeast, on the path to Shamattawa This is fucking mission impossible.
Shit I'm doin'.
Rookie Mike Simmons is looking to make his mark.
I've got like 90,000 pounds on this trailer.
That's a lot of weight.
Hauling a 40 tonne excavator on a trailer that rises only inches above the road.
I don't what they're thinking sending a trailer like this up there.
I'm doing my best to, to ensure I don't get hung up.
Oh! But steep hummocks are putting the newcomer to the test.
Shit.
As he tries to keep a steady pace without slamming into them with the bottom of the trailer.
Holy fuck.
Fucking roads.
Worst case scenario, I'm going to high centre, it's gonna lift back wheels clear off the ground, and I'm going to come to a screeching halt.
So, yeah.
Whoa, whoa! The tires are way off the ground, man, I can feel it.
That's a lot of weight and very little wheels on the ground.
Fuck.
Well um, I got high-centred on a hump here.
I've got all four wheels spinning.
I'm-I'm not moving.
On the rocky road to Shamattawa Shit.
Mike Simmons is looking to prove himself on his first solo run.
It's a lot of weight and very little wheels on the ground.
But, as he fails to clear a steep hummock the new Polar driver is stuck spinning his wheels.
Well um, I got high-centred on a hump here.
I'm not moving.
Fuck! Getting stranded miles from civilization is a new experience for the rookie.
And there's no veteran to rely on to help him get out of the jam.
The trailer has bottomed out on a hump, and it's lifting up on my drive tires, taking the weight of them so my tires are just spinning.
Even though I'm all chained up, I still can't get the traction to pull myself over this hump.
I'm kind of hooped here.
But it's not how many times you get stuck, it's how you get yourself out of it.
I'm going to have to huck this hoe to work.
I'm gonna extend the hoe back over the back of my trailer, dig my bucket in, extend my arm as I boom down, and push myself forward off this hummock.
The heavy load was what weighed him down.
But now Let's get 'er done.
He's going to use the massive by operating the giant arm and bucket to try to push his way to freedom.
Go! Go! Fuck.
When you're up there, hundreds of kilometres from anything, you can't rely on somebody else; it's all you.
If you get stuck, I mean you have no choice but to get yourself out of it.
Come on! Come on! Come on, roll! Oh yeah! Mike clears the hummock, but added rear weight from the extended arm is too much.
Whoaaa! And the trailer rolls right back into trouble.
Come on, baby! Yes! Think I got 'er.
I'm going to try to repair this road by hand best I can.
These guys spend a lot of time trying to prepare this road for the season; hopefully this hole will be okay.
We've got to stick together out here and ensure that we make each other's trips as best as possible for one another.
With the trailer off the hummock and the road repaired-- the young gun ain't out of the woods yet.
Let's see if this worked.
Here we go! He's still got 50 rugged miles to go before he reaches Shamattawa.
Woo! Yeah baby! These roads are terrible.
It's like driving on a motocross track in a semi-truck, hauling a load.
Look at that sign.
Shamattawa.
Oh! Fuck.
Diggity fucking doo! That's a hidden one.
This is definitely a slow and steady wins the race kind of day.
Oh! Yeah baby! Finally Well, we're in Shamattawa.
I'm going to go and offload.
Mike and the excavator make it to the destination.
The load made it just fine.
And on his very first solo run, the winter roads rookie shows what he's made of.
I think Mark really put me to the test hauling that large excavator on a super low trailer.
At this point my confidence is sky high.
I think everyone's gonna be pretty impressed.
Another one bites the dust.
After that trip, I'm pretty much ready to take on anything.
At the end of the long road to Tadoule Lake Mark's really counting on me to get this thing up there, and get this thing delivered in one piece.
Here I'm on the home stretch.
Put a lot of miles on.
Todd Dewey's making some noise Look at that, Tadoule Lake.
As he arrives at the emergency airport with the much needed grader blades.
I'm anxious to get in here, get them fucking things fucking off of here.
I know they're important, but man, what a pain in the ass.
Finally here.
Holy smokes, man.
With the government contract fulfilled, it opens up new possibilities for Polar.
Don't get 'em on your fingers! Boy, they're heavy.
They are! Ready? One, two, three! And further solidifies Todd as the company's top dog.
Perfect! Woo! Another fucking load delivered, another paycheque signed.
More loads to people.
That's what this is all about up here.
As daylight falls, over 400 miles away It's a long ways in here, Lisa.
What, are you in a hurry or something? We just need to get this load in and get it delivered.
The competition's driving through the night.
I'm hauling a loader, and it's to unload the transformers that Darrell has, to Deer Lake.
They're all waiting, so a lot of people have a lot invested into it.
Narrator Darrell and Lisa are hauling their biggest contract yet, trying to deliver transformers to the remote town of Deer Lake by morning.
You've gotta make a good reputation, make a good name for yourself.
This road right here is huge for our business.
Best paying contract we've had so far this year.
We just need to get 'em unloaded safe and on the ground, hooked up, get power back to Deer Lake, and then we're outta here.
What is goin' on here? Darrell, I just pulled up here.
I can't figure out what's going on.
There's a bunch of trucks stopped right here.
I see that.
Want to check it out? Yeah I suppose, there's a lot of people standing up there.
I don't know what's goin' on.
Yeah, we're on a tight schedule, so we've got to get this thing moving.
Yeah, copy that.
Ain't nothing we can do when they're blocking the road, though.
This looks like one of those little ice bridge things.
So what's goin' on? Bridge just had that dip in it.
Is it broken, like uncrossable type broken? No, it was just filled it in.
It would have been broken.
Filled it up, watered it down, freeze it back up.
Yeah, left in the end.
You don't have too many nights of freezin' left.
Is it good to go across, then, or? We're trying to get these transformers to where they're going.
With these warm temperatures we've been having, it's the only way to keep the road open, you know.
This bridge goes, not going anywhere, so.
All right, thanks.
If it ain't one thing, it's another, huh.
They're repairing this ice bridge thing, so they said there's a hole in it, and they gotta water it down.
They can't let us cross 'til it freezes up.
We've got some warm temperatures, and water doesn't freeze in warm temperatures very well.
The haul could be the highest price tag in the history of the new company.
But with the ice bridge shut down, and the transformers due in just a few hours, Darrell and Lisa's fortunes may have just melted away.
This is what kills the company, trucks not moving.
We can't sit here all night.
I don't know what to do.
Basically, we're fucked.
Next time There's your fire! on Ice Road Truckers Come on, come on! Damn it! The road starts to fall apart.
There you go! And for one driver We're going through the fucking ice here, buddy.
it could be too much to overcome.
No! No! No! No! No! No! No!