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.

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.

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