How much money do they make?

Road Truckers Salary Revealed


If you were going to risk your life driving a truck on thin ice, what would your
salary have to be to make it worthwhile.


For the men who star in the History Channel's Ice Road Truckers, the answer is
simple: as much as $38,000 total salary for 8-10 weeks work. That is a
salary of $4,750 a week if they work 8 weeks total.


But here's the catch. The Ice Road Truckers don't all get paid that. Their salaries
vary from trucker to trucker, due in part to how big their loads are.


That salary of about $38,000 for the season is what the top guy is making
of the six of them. The salary for the lowest paid Ice Road Trucker is
about $2,500 for 8 weeks.


Would you risk your life trucking supplies across 350 miles of frozen lakes to Canada's
remote diamond mines for the salaries these Ice Road Truckers are making?

Dangerous road trip in India

Seasoned drivers Lisa Kelly, Rick Yemm and Alex Debogorski are headed from Alaska to the Himalayas and the ancient highways of India, where there is a casualty on the roads every 4.5 minutes.
From the crowded streets of Delhi to treacherously steep, narrow and congested roads blasted into mountainsides, they're about to embark on an exhilarating, exhausting and terrifying adventure.
India's Himalayan roadways are among the oldest on the planet. Dating back to 206 B.C., the Himalayas were an integral part of the famous Silk Routes, connecting Central Asia with South Asia, and creating a bridge between the culturally and religiously diverse countries of India, China, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

This season, the drivers will cover two main routes, each with its share of difficulties and dangers: the NH21 and NH22.



Starting out on NH22 in Shimla, the "highway" heads northeast through the town of Rampur, onto the villages of Tapri, Karcham, Kuppa,and Kalpa. Cut somewhat haphazardly out of mountain cliff-sides, parts of NH22 have earned fear-inducing nicknames like "Freefall Freeway," "The Cutouts," "Breakaway Bend," "The Ledge" and "Angry Mountain."



In many places along "the Cutouts," only enough rock has been blasted out of the mountains to allow one vehicle to pass at a time. The drivers have to both be aware of the 1,000-foot cliff they're driving along and scraping the top of their truck on the rock ceiling. "Breakaway Bend" challenges drivers to dangers of the unnatural kind--too much blasting has weakened the mountain from below, leading to not only potholes, but, in some places, total roadway failure. The road could give away from under the wheels of the truck at any moment.


On NH21, things only get worse. From Shimla, the drivers head north, straight into the heart of the Himalayas, toward Manali and onto Keylong. The real troubles aren't in the towns though, it's between them, as drivers are forced to cross the Rohtang Pass. Whether it's dodging landslides, rain or heavy snow; all-day traffic jams and weeks-long road closures, sometimes getting anywhere at all is too much to ask.

Deadliest roads

 IRT: Deadliest Roads, is both interesting and exciting. Three of the regular drivers have headed to India for two months to drive in the Himalayas during spring and early summer. It’s clear from the start that Alex Debogorski, Lisa Kelly, and Rick Yemm have no idea what they are getting into with this job. At a trucking company in Delhi, each driver is assigned a truck and a spotter, who helps with everything from navigating city streets to guiding the trucks along narrow mountain roads. The trucks themselves are underpowered and unprotected, with less than 50% of the horsepower of North American trucks and simple wooden frames. Driving on the left side of the road with a steering wheel on the right side of the cab provide two more challenges for the veteran truckers. Oh, and the temperatures at ground level soar to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a far cry from the below zero temperatures they know best.

The three truckers are assigned to deliver cement to in-progress dam projects high in the Himalayas. Their first problem is just getting out of Delhi, with its busy streets and careless pedestrians and drivers. Each driver has a different problem, with Rick’s stress level especially soaring on the treacherous mountain roads up to the town of Shimla. His truck’s weak engine forces him to crawl up the roads at 20 miles per hour. All the while, cars and buses speed around to pass him, heading into oncoming traffic. The shots of all this dangerous driving make it clear that it really is as bad as Rick thinks. We haven’t seen him since Season Two of Ice Road Truckers, as he was left behind in Canada when the show moved to Alaska. During those seasons, he often came across as a mixture of whiny and overconfident, a petulant man who was difficult to like. In India, outside of his comfort zone, his frustration and fear are completely understandable.

The second day of driving brings new challenges. The road gets more perilous heading through “The Cutouts,” areas where a narrow strip was literally blasted out of the side of mountains and clearance is difficult for taller vehicles. Buses whiz by, coming amazingly close to crashing into the trucks. A bridge, over a thousand feet high, is barely able to support the weight of the trucks. The spotters have to get out and direct the drivers to crawl across it, looking for the patches where the aging steel is strong enough to hold.


Deadliest Roads creates a palpable sense of white-knuckle fear that’s mostly absent from the original Ice Road Truckers. Despite being experienced drivers, the North Americans face numerous obstacles in India, including the language barrier. While this isn’t good news for the drivers themselves, it makes for very good television.

'Ice Road Truckers' Star Lisa Kelly Talks Danger and Earning Respect

Posted on the Internet today, October 3, 2010:
If you thought the ice roads of Alaska were tough-trucking, you ain't seen nothing yet.


Lisa Kelly, Rick Yemm and Alex Debogorski of The History Channel's 'Ice Road Truckers' fame are leaving the frozen tundra of the Dalton Highway for the out-of-this-world trucking action of the Himalayan Mountains on a new spinoff, 'IRT: Deadliest Roads' (premiering Sun., Oct. 3 at 10PM ET).
Look for the guys and gal to navigate the crowded streets of Delhi -- locals aren't very attentive to traffic signals over there -- and the Himalayan roadways, which date back to 206 B.C. The Himalayan route, first built for yaks, has historically connected Central Asia with South Asia and provided a bridge among the cultures of India, China, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan.
TV Squad spoke with Kelly, who calls Wasilla, Alaska home, about her trip to the Himalayas and the challenges of being the only gal featured on 'Ice Road Truckers.' (And no, the married 29-year old has never met Wasilla's most famous resident, Sarah Palin.)
Q:  It's my understanding that India has a big trucking culture. Is that true based on your experiences?
A:  Trucking is big anywhere because you have to get stuff from one place to another, but it is different just because it was so wildly different. I don't know how to start to tell you.
Q:  Folks don't pay as much attention to traffic signs and signals there as compared to here?
A:  Ah, yeah! There's rules but they aren't enforced, so no one really follows them [And] there's no law on how much you can weight the trucks. Right before you break the frame, I guess. So they overload them and underpower them.

Q:  It sounds like you're glad you're not a trucker there?
A:  I am very thankful for where we live and how things are set up and the size of our trucks.
Q:  What's more dangerous, trucking in the places that you truck on 'Ice Road Truckers' or the Himalayas?
A:  It's definitely far more dangerous over there.
Q:  On 'Ice Road Truckers,' you once hit a moose. Did you hit any creatures over there?
A:  I hit lots of cars and rocks, but no creatures.
Q:  You hit some cars there, though, right?
A:  Oh, it's so unavoidable. Everybody smashes into something.
Q:  It sounds like a demolition derby.
A:  Pretty much. It's like, "Wait a minute, rules don't apply here. We can do whatever we want in these trucks -- watch out, here we come!"

Q:  How do you feel you've been portrayed on 'Ice Road Truckers'? Does the Lisa Kelly that we watch jibe with how you really are in real life?
A:  It's really hard to put out every aspect of my personality on TV in few minutes but for the most part I'm as real as I can be. I'm not faking anything. What comes across is the edited version, but more or less, yes.

Q:  You fixed an air valve on your truck this season. It sounded like it was a big explosion in the engine and you got out and you fixed that.
A:  That was kind of cool because it seems like I know how fix stuff a little bit here and there, not everything. But it seemed like every time something happened wrong on the camera, it would be something I didn't know how to fix. I'm like "Why can't something happen that I know how to fix?'' So it was nice to have something happen I could fix.
Q:  In the last two seasons, 'Ice Road Truckers' has portrayed you as the new trucker who's trying to earn respect.
A:  I've already proved myself to the guys in Alaska because I've been driving for six or seven years. They already know I can drive, but when the cameras are on, I have to reprove it to the world. It's a story. You can't just drive down a road, driving, so you build on a story. I would like the respect of the guys up there, but not to extent that I sometimes play, because I'm trying to make an interesting story. I do want their respect but I mostly already have it. I'm proving myself to the camera. But when the cameras aren't there, I just truck. I don't worry too much about it.

Q:  Has the show altered your relationships? Are some guys jealous that you get so much attention?
A:  I thought we'd stick together and be a good family, but it's just not that way, I guess. It just brings out the funny side of people. It's been a cool experience because I have discovered who my real friends are and who turns tail and runs at the first sign of a problem.

Q:  Were you taken aback by the negative comments about you on the CB radio from the truckers during the June 13 episode ('The Polar Bear Returns')?
A:  I was disappointed. The guys must think I live behind a screen and I'm not out there trucking with them. It's disappointing when you find out somebody doesn't like you but that's all right. Life goes on. I can get over it.

Ice truckers on TV

The History Channel had a series on Ice Trucking in May of this year. Here are some of the highlights.

Truckers have battled nearly a month of 24 hour operations in temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. They've hauled more than 100,000 tons of supplies to isolated mining camps. But accidents and strict safety regulations have sent many drivers packing. The ice road is testing the limits of man and machine and one trucker is about to fall through the ice. Brutal temperatures of -40 degrees take their toll on the truckers. Often drivers encounter thick patches of ice fog. It's threatening enough that they turn to prayer to make it through. However, ice fog may be only the beginning...severe arctic storms cause white out conditions and force road closures.

Ice Road Map

The truckers on the ice road must travel over two hundred miles to reach some of the diamond mines. Carrying tons of machinery over frozen lakes and a twisting landscape at up to sixty degrees below zero is never easy. This map should give you a good example of the length, terrain, and isolation that the truckers deal with for work.

What is an Ice Road?

Key to operating a mine in Canada’s remote wilderness is the ice road, built by a Joint Venture of mining companies operating in the area, and shared by many other users from exploration companies to tourism outfitters and aboriginal hunters.
In operation for over 20 years, the seasonal road must be constructed annually to service several mines in the Barren Lands. The road typically opens early in February and closes early in April. It crosses lakes wherever possible to save costs, and of the 350 kilometre length to the Diavik mine, 75% is ice, built over frozen lakes.
Travel time on the ice road to Diavik is generally about 15 hours, but can be as high as 19 hours for very heavy loads. Speeds are carefully controlled to protect the ice.
Companies transport a variety of materials including fuel, construction materials, cement, explosives, and staples such as tires to their sites. Diesel fuel is the single largest commodity brought to the Diavik site.
During operations, Diavik transports approximately 2,500 truckloads of supplies to the site annually.

Frozen lakes don't bring fear

The truckers who haul 70-ton rigs hundreds of miles across Canada's frozen lakes aren't afraid of much — except warm weather. In the picture above: loaded with diesel for diamond mines, tankers on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road wait their turn to cross a frozen lake in Canada's Northwest Territories. Last winter, for the first time, the ice didn't thicken to the consistent 40 in. required to support the heaviest rigs.

Interview with an Ice Road Trucker

It was a defining moment for a young trucker who'd been long-hauling for less than a year. T.J. Tilcox, 21, still remembers the moment he first eased his 18-wheeler off the terra firma just outside Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on to the ice road he would follow to the Ekati diamond mine - 300 kilometres over frozen rivers and lakes deep enough to swallow him like the Titanic if his big rig fell through. "I put the window down because I was sweating," he recalls. "That was when I heard the cracking. I figured, 'I'm going straight to the bottom.' It's a pretty gut-wrenching feeling." The window went back up.

The History channel followed a group of road warriors as they cajole, ease and rev their rigs from Yellowknife to the three diamond mines that depend on them for their annual supplies of everything from diesel to replacement parts. The truckers have 50 or 60 days to move about 10,000 loads. They face -50C temperatures, steep hills, tight curves and, of course, the ever-present danger of plunging through. "I had a guy go through right in front of me this year," said veteran ice-roader Hugh Rowland."If you're not scared, you're crazy."

Driving on ice isn't like driving on asphalt, truckers say. Speeds must be kept down to about 30 kilometres an hour or a pressure wave builds in the water under the ice that can burst right through. And if a driver uses the brakes in his truck rather than his trailer, he's likely to jackknife and land in the ditch or the drink.

What draws drivers to what may be North America's toughest run? Money, for one thing. Rowland said a trucker with his own rig can take home $25,000 for eight weeks work if he does about 30 trips. Some call the ice road season the "Dash for Cash." Adventure, for another. "I thought it was going to be a hell of an experience," said Tilcox, who drove through a whiteout so dense he couldn't see past the hood of his truck and still sounds awed when he describes leaving the trees behind and heading out into open tundra. "All of a sudden you hit wide open and it's blowing ... oh my Jesus."Says Rowland: "It's a new adventure every day. It's like four-wheel driving with a truck."

What is an Ice Road Trucker?

Whatever you do for a living, it has to be more pleasant than the job chosen by the people in Ice Road Truckers. To bring heavy equipment and supplies to diamond mines in Canada's Northwest Territories, truck drivers have to guide their massive machines hundreds of miles over roads made of snow and ice. The ice roads are only usable in the winter, obviously, so the truckers work in temperatures that can reach -50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even in the Canadian north, where the ice can freeze several feet thick on some lakes, the ice roads can only support so much weight. When your cargo is several tons, you have to be extremely careful - not just because of the risk of sinking through the ice, but because of "blowouts" caused when truckers drive too quickly, creating waves of pressure that can burst through the ice and render the road impassable. Even when you're not driving over frozen water, the roads can be treacherous, and it's not uncommon for jackknifed vehicles to block the road and bring the traffic, such as it is, to a complete standstill for hours at a time.
So why would anyone do this? Money, of course - a skilled driver can make around $70,000.00 for a couple of months' work. But the work is lonely, tiresome and often very dull, and it's not uncommon for would-be drivers to drop out after a few days.