Episode four begins as we rejoin the danger crew of Hugh and Rick as they attempt to cross a frozen lake. Signs on the shore line warn that the maximum weight cannot exceed 40 tons which is a problem as each truck in the convoy is at least three tons overweight. Decisions, decisions. They decide to go for it after the boss blazes the path with his Ford Raptor. Vlad is the first truck to cross the ice. We are treated to some very cool shots of a truck passing overhead with visible cracks in the ice becoming larger and larger. This doesn’t bother Vlad who took the job because of the excitement and challenge. This kind of mindset seems to be required for ice road trucking. Rick and Hugh follow Vlad on to the ice making sure to leave plenty of room between each truck. Hugh informs us the ice actually drops a foot when the truck begins to cross. Soon the convoy nears the final destination after three days of hard travel. Arriving after dark Vlad does not notice a low hanging power line. A brilliant blue flash lights the night and we catch a split second shot of a 33,000 volt power pole as it is torn in half. Welcome to town! Lots of standing around follows as power crews remove the downed line. Once again, Hugh is too cool for the danger “Isn’t that something” he mutters as Rick hangs from his door. “Vlad the Impaler” says Rick. After many miles and plenty of trouble the modular buildings are on site. Rick reflects of his struggles and hopes to do better next time. All are impressed with their work and rightfully so. That evening they relax with the most Canadian of all sports, curling.
We join Alex as he is ready to head back south with a load of recycling. Word has spread of the mishap caused by the Hugh/Rick/Vlad convoy. Alex says he is not surprised as Hugh and Rick are not patient fellows and that leads to trouble. Patient or not trouble is never far on the ice road. Rounding a blind corner Alex encounters a disabled vehicle, forcing him to swing wide. His trailer begins to drift and attempts to jackknife but Alex is able to keep control. Typical to his style he laughs it off and says a quick prayer of thanks. Later that night Alex reflects on the day’s events and realizes he has pretty much seen it all on the road. Well, almost everything, he has still to see a sasquatch or a UFO. During his speech something goes wrong with the trailer, pulling over to investigate Alex finds the trailer is no longer connected to the 5th wheel! The root cause is so determined to be ice and snow build up between the jaws of the 5th wheel that prevented a sold hold on the trailer king pin. Another prayer is said as is it simply amazing the trailer didn’t come flying off.
We find that Lisa is back to push trucking following the success she enjoyed last year. More modular buildings are on the move. This time they weigh 120 ton and are 12 foot wide, a big challenge for the Dalton. All is well for many miles but with push trucking the shifting is crucial, miss shifts are not allowed. Unfortunately Lisa loses a gear and falls of. Fellow push trucker Scott has to do some fancy footwork and drop three gears to keep moving. Everyone survives and Lisa is eventually able to catch up.
On a cold 30 below night we find our friend Dave attempting to start his truck. Surprise, surprise it won’t start. He heads back to the dispatch office and is told to grab a heater and battery jumpers. You get the feeling he was hoping to get a whole new truck. Plenty of grumbling takes place in which Dave seems extremely paranoid. He thinks people are messing with truck because he is the new guy. Of course 30 below weather played no part with a diesel not wanting to turn over. The mechanics get the truck running after 30 minutes of warmth from a portable heater. Chomping at the bit Dave hooks up to his load and is ready to go only to find that his trailer has been red tagged because of a dead marker light. Paranoia raises its ugly head again. A visit to the trailer shops fixes the light. Ready to go now…nope, now the air hose holder is hitting the load of shipping containers on his flatbed. The saboteur has struck again! A hammer quickly fixes the problem. Alright, ready to go…nope, seat belt doesn’t work now. The meter is full. Dave takes a hammer to the belt and renders it useless except for show. More gripes about substandard equipment and Hugh’s big belly breaking the belt. Dave appears to have a real ax to grind with Hugh. As far as I can tell they have never met.
Maya was a no show this episode but shows up in the previews for next week. Another entertaining episode in the books. Can’t wait to see what is in store next week.