Ice road truckers feel the economic freeze

This winter, I will be hauling 135,000 up and down a road that is pretty similar to the dalton highway shown in that show. It is 100 miles from the Trans-Canada highway to here. No big pass but plenty of hills on an under travelled road. I don't see them haul anything over 100,000

 

I too am an OTR and an IRT, and as far as being an "elite people". I say any person who is willing to get behind the wheel day in and day out no matter the industry, we as professional drivers are all "elite people".

 

When the History Channel first started airing "Ice Road Truckers" (or, at least when I started watching it), I would watch these brave drivers, like Hugh Rowland ("The Polar Bear") and Alex Debagorski (Hugh's rival) truck up and down the open roads of northwestern Canada without fear or remorse; then, they moved on to the Dalton Highway between Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, surviving and Conquering the notorious hills and curves, with names like the "F-Curve", the "Beaver Slide", "Rollercoaster Hill" and the nefarious Attigun Pass.
Then, Alex, along with fellow(?) I.R.T. drivers Rick Yamm and Lisa Kelly, got the opportunity of a lifetime for their genre:Conquering the narrow, dangerous roads of INdia on "I.R.T.Deadliest Roads". Now, these drivers would never turn down a challenge (dare?) like this, so the trio departed for Dehli.
On the very first day, the threesome had their quirks:Rick didn't like the way people in India drive (especially the Bus drivers), and Lisa had to overcome a fear of heights, because the mountains in India were much higher than attigun. (Lisa:"I wanna go home to the Dalton, where it's safe.")
But Alex, known as the "Polish Icebreaker", had the roughest breaks; first, he rear-ended another car just outside the lot. Then, he hit another car that turned into his truck's path, angering the other driver, but slipping by the law, who gave him a fortunate break.
Unfortunately, Alex never made it out of Dehli's suburbs. The crowded , disorganized roads and insane drivers literally drove him out of India (no pun intended) on his first day.But even though Alex failed, he considered it as a "win", just because he had the experience of driving in a completely different part of the world, saying "I've got my stories to tell.."
Well, it was back to the "Great White North" for Alex, and good luck next season on the Dalton. But next time, you should research the region you're going to, so you'll know what to expect; and maybe, just maybe, you won't lose your nerves next time.
Happy motoring, Alex.

 

I watched that too, my hats off to them for being that brave to go there. I vactioned in Thailand last year, seeing the traffic in Delhi just reminded me of Bangkok. If half the things i saw over there happened over here on a regular basis there would be a lot more fatalities do to road rage. Unbeleavible
good luck Alex

 

I have seen some of the out takes from that, trucking on those roads is just well... STUPID

I have really no intrest in the series in india either. I can see stupid traffic like that in north Chicago any time I want. Just minus the big mountains and killer drops of course.

 

"Ice Road Truckers" has piqued my interest, kind of; I went to T.D.I. in Sanford, Florida in July 2008, just before I discovered I.R.T. and wanted to become a driver just so I would have an income; unfortunately, they said my driving was "too dangerous" (and that was my first time in the drivers' seat of an 18-wheeler!). Then, I watch these brave men and women trudging up and down the roads of America's last frontier, the most dangerous (!) roads in North America, and they (usually) make it look effortless!
Now, I wish I had the cojones to finish T.D.I., get some experience with Werner, save some money, and head north, where the rewards certainly equal the risks. The work may not be for long every year, but I hear the pay is good (especially if you haul the most loads).
And the snow and ice? It doesn't bother me, I'm from New York.

 

Put it to you this way if the Idiots in India had Freeways can you imaigne the Carnage over there. Hard to believe that there are over 1 Billion people in that place and they are alive somehow.

 

Personaly I think there nuts for driving in wooden trucks.

 

Mudflap77, What month where you in Thailand and did you just stay in Bangkok or did you venture out and about?

 

I met a guy that goes on trips to 3rd world countries and he showed me some of his video of his bus rides. Stupidcrazy I called it being in a bus driving on a 1 lane road in two way traffic 40+ mph.