Sunday, October 30, 2011

Scary Stuff

new Deadliest Roads

 http://www.nmevideo.com/ice-road-truckers-deadliest-roads-dvd-trailer-1

The Ice Road Truckers are back, and this time they're trading the frozen freeways of the far north for the perilous highways of India.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Tonight's episode

In Alaska, Lisa and Maya help a stranded driver get back on the road. Tony gets a surprise from Carlile while Dave continues his descent into isolation. In Canada, Hugh and Rick keep up their load count with backhauls. Alex has to deal with unstable freight but also scores a backhaul, keeping the race with his rival close.


Maya

Friday, August 5, 2011

from Vancouver Sun July 30, 2011

Is Ice Road Truckers coming back for another season, or was IRT Deadliest Roads the very last season?

- Rose Adami, Red Deer, Alta.


Deadliest Roads was a spinoff of Ice Road Truckers, but not the series' swan song. The show returns to History Television and to Canada on Aug. 31 with a new season.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Meltdown

Premiere Date: 07/24/2011

As the season reaches the halfway point, drivers are desperate to pull ahead in the dash for the cash. Hugh, Rick, and Alex, struggled to make deliveries to the remote villages of northern Manitoba, but now, the return trip over 880 miles of Canadian wilderness will push them past the breaking point. In Alaska, the biggest storm of the season descends on the Dalton--forcing every driver to face a brutal whiteout or risk falling behind in the load count. Lisa Kelly deals with the fallout of driving her oversize load into the ditch.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Some Dangers in Ice Road Trucking

- Skids

Naturally skids are quite common. Ice does not provide a lot of traction and trucks weigh a lot. A simple mistake in breaking can send a truck sliding long distances over the road or ice. They may end up either in the roadside ditch, overturned, or in worst cases, going over the edge of a precipice. Truckers attempt to prevent these occurrences by using very careful and purposeful braking techniques.
- Whiteout
Whiteouts occur when there is so much snow that a trucker can barely see the road ahead. The entire surroundings like a single white field. It would be nice if the trucker could stop and wait out the storm, but in most cases that is not even an option. Temperatures would fall presenting hypothermia risks, the goods would take too long to deliver, and if a trucker left the engine on they could run out of fuel. A trucker simply has to keep going through the whiteout to get to safer territory. Reflective markers on the sides of roads give some assistance, but it is still quite easy for a trucker to drive off the road during a whiteout if they aren't careful.

- Cracking Ice
When trucks are driving over frozen lakes, ice can crack under the vehicle, causing skids, overturns, accidents with other trucks, and even actual submergence in the cold winter water. This is, to say the least, a dangerous situation.
- Frostbite
Frostbite, or a less serious form of it called frost nip, can occur due to the cold temperatures of ice road trucking regions. As truckers get out to make adjustments or fuel up, they may forget how cold the air is and stay out too long or neglect to put on protective clothing. This can result in their getting frost nip of frost bite.  (See pic of Snow Beard.)

- Flying Rocks
Since ice road trucking takes place in extreme northern climates, the roads are often not as well kept up as in some other areas. Rocks may be on the surfaces of roads and these can be hit bit trucks and sent flying into the windshields of other oncoming trucks.

- Animals
Animals such as bears (even polar bears), moose, and deer are plentiful in these northern regions. While seeing them is one of the perks of the job, they can also be dangerous if they suddenly run into the path of a truck.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Under the Hammer

http://www.history.com/shows/ice-road-truckers/videos/playlists/season-5-full-episodes#ice-road-truckers-5-under-the-hammer

Ice Road Truckers 5: Under the Hammer (45:00)



Ice road veterans are put to the test when sparks fly during a massive haul, leaving one trucker in a dangerous situation. Meanwhile, Lisa helps out a fellow trucker in need of roadside assistance. Will she keep up her reputation as a push-truck pro?

Comparing dangerous roads in Alaska and India

Monday, June 27, 2011

10 Worst Jobs in US - Ice Road Truckers didn't make it

Looking for work? You may want to take a look at the list below. According to Forbes, these are the positions with the gloomiest outlook for 2011. 
The jobs listed below offer a combination of abysmal pay, high risk of physical injury, stressful conditions, or other undesirable working conditions.

Without further ado, The Ten Worst Jobs in the US are:
Roustabout – Main job duties include routine maintenance and labor on oil rigs and pipelines. The pay is low and the risk for injury is high.

Iron Worker – These guys raise steel structures to create buildings and bridges. It is another highly physical job with relatively low pay.

Lumberjack – Job duties include felling, cutting, and transporting lumber to be utilized for various purposes. This job is not only extremely dangerous physically, it also ranks high for stress.

Roofer – Whether they’re installing new roofs, repairing existing roofs, or replacing old ones, this job is not for the faint of heart. Dangerous work environments and high physical demands combine to make roofing a physically stressful and demanding career choice.

Taxi Driver – Responsible for transporting travelers to and from various destinations, taxi drivers must know their area well and be prepared for a variety of situations. Taxi drivers experience hazardous road conditions, inclement weather, and difficult clientele on a daily basis.

Emergency Medical Technician – EMTs tend to emergent medical situations that run the spectrum from car accidents to gunshot wounds. This job is fast-paced, high stress, and physically demanding.

Welder – Welders repair and bond metal surfaces. Dangerous tools, high temperatures, and ever changing surfaces make this physically demanding career dangerous.

Painter – A bit surprising to see this on the list, but painters have extremely high physical demands in addition to potentially dangerous working conditions. Scaffolding, dangerous chemicals, and perilous reaches put this position on the list.

Meter Reader – Long days, physical demands, and not a lot of room for advancement make meter reading one of the worst jobs in America. Add in a not so great hiring outlook and disgruntled neighborhood pets, and you can see why this job is not a favorite.

Construction Worker – This generic term covers anyone assisting in construction trade work. Often physically demanding and dangerous, these workers do a lot for little in return.

High physical demands, stress, and low pay combine to create the list above.

Monday, June 20, 2011

So You Want an Ice Road Trucker Job?



Many of you who've been wanting to take up the career of truck driving are probably familiar with the popular TV series about working on the ice roads of Canada's far north. The show is called "Ice Road Truckers" and it's all about the men and women who brave the transporting of goods across the northern regions that only have access roads for part of the year.
This is because the 'roadways' are only made of ice that stretch for many miles across nothing but open, frozen lakes! The supplies and materials that these truckers bring to these barely-accessible areas are always essential to the functioning of these areas. Whether it's oil, food and medical supplies or building materials and essential machinery such as furnaces and oil boilers for industry, the supplies need to get through...and these brave (and well paid) drivers get the job done.


Driving on the ice roads isn't a job that every truck driver can do though. It takes nerves of steel and more than a little craziness to get out there and travel - usually in a convoy - across miles and miles of frozen nothingness. Most drivers who give this sort of work a try turn around at the first sound of the ice cracking under the tremendous weight of their rigs. Others make it across the frozen ice to their destination but decide the stress for them isn't worth the money. And the money is great! Most ice road drivers make their entire year's salary in three months of practically non-stop transporting of materials and supplies. This pace is required because the ice roads are only useable for 3-4 months of the year. After that, they become unstable as the ice thickness begins to deteriorate in spots.
One of the most disheartening sights an ice road trucker can see on his journey across the emptiness of the ice road is the front end of a big rig, half submerged in the ice and frozen in place, a testament to the dangers of trying to get across the ice road too quickly or at the wrong time of the season.
No One Goes it Alone


The ice roads are carefully monitored and controlled by companies assigned to make sure the loads get through. The thickness of the ice is carefully monitored throughout the ice road season and no truck is allowed to go across the ice roads on its own. Convoys of trucks are assigned slots and each driver must maintain a steady speed and space between the trucks ahead of and behind them. This is to ensure that the ice under the extreme weight of the trucks doesn't begin to flex and create a swell of water that will push ahead of the convoy and crack the ice. Physics and careful planning are required to ensure that each and every truck gets to the other side of the frozen lakes without causing cracks in the ice that become a danger to other truckers and themselves.
For those of you who think you have what it takes to drive across the frozen north with nothing but a few feet of ice under your wheels, give ice road trucking a try. The industry is always looking for careful and skilled drivers who have the guts to get their loads to these remote areas. If you can follow specific rules including setting and maintaining speed limits, keeping your cool under pressure and being able to drive within a convoy, then ice road trucking is the high-paying truck driving career you've been looking for.











Saturday, June 18, 2011

Grizzly, Moose, & Caribou

Grizzly bear, moose, caribou, and other residents of Alaska adapt to the cold weather. Some hibernate during the long, cruel winter, and some drive trucks!








 



Friday, June 10, 2011

Watch this episode: Ice Road Rage

http://www.history.com/shows/ice-road-truckers/videos/ice-road-truckers-5-ice-road-rage

Tempers flare on the ice roads when Dave reaches his boiling point with Tony and Maya gets a taste of Alaskan driving. Meanwhile, Lisa goes on a rescue mission and Hugh and Rick roll deeper into the heart of the Canadian wilderness.

Watch this episode: Pushing the Edge

http://www.history.com/shows/ice-road-truckers/videos/ice-road-truckers-5-pushing-the-edge

The ice road truckers are back and in full throttle as they hit the Alaskan roads. With two rookie drivers joining the convoy, anything can happen as the Dash for the Cash is officially on.

Pushing the Edge/Ice Road Rage

The Ice Road Truckers are back in action, and the roads are more dangerous than ever. Lisa's first run of the season goes south in a hurry. Two rookie drivers raise the stakes in the "Dash for the Cash." And old pros Hugh and Alex, along with wildcard Rick Yemm, leave Alaska behind to take on some of the most remote and deadliest roads on the planet. Then, Hugh and Rick roll deeper into the Canadian outback, while a dangerous overflow may leave Alex stranded in the wilderness. Dave's training run with Tony reaches the boiling point. Lisa Kelly goes on a rescue mission. And Maya's first look at the Haul Road may be enough to send this rookie back to the big city.