Ice Road Truckers Season One Guide

Season one of Ice Road Truckers brought us a look at the exciting world of six truck drivers who risk their lives driving over frozen lakes in Canada's Northwest Territories. The show is filmed as a reality series/ documentary, and has received consistently good reviews. This guide will take a look at the truck drivers and each of the episodes that made season one such a success.

Season One Drivers

Hugh Rowland is a fifty year old driver, who operates out of Kelowna, British Columbia. His colleagues have named him "the Polar Bear" for his stamina and gruff nature. Drew Sherwood is an experienced truck driver, but comes to Ice Road Truckers as a rookie ice driver. His confidence is tested as he encounters the complexities of the job that he underestimated.

T.J. Tilcox has been a truck driver since the age of sixteen, and has been working the ice-roads for twenty-one years. Tilcox faces an accident that leaves him injured in season one. Rick Yemm, who is also from Kelowna, is facing his second year as an ice trucker in this season. He suffers from the stresses of working in the freezing temperatures in a truck that is prone to malfunctioning.

Jay Westgard is the youngest ice road trucker, at only twenty-five years old. He is a highly respected driver though, and is tasked with some of the most difficult and dangerous hauls. Alex Deborgorski is the final trucker. He is a twenty-six year veteran of ice trucking, and he has eleven children and seven grandchildren. He faces medical difficulties in season one.

Season One Episodes

Ready to Roll: In the first episode of season one, the audience is introduced to the six cast members of the show. We learn that the ice truckers drive eighteen-wheelers to haul equipment from Yellowknife, Canada to the diamond mines that are in Northeast Yellowknife. The road that they travel is considered t be the most dangerous in the world, and traverses frozen lakes and permafrost. In this episode, Drew loses a tire in a snowbank, Alex has brake trouble, and T.J. makes his first haul in white-out conditions.

Destination: Diamond Mine: There is a traffic jam on the road. Hugh and Rick begin a friendly competition to see who can haul the most loads. Later, they both have mechanical problems with their trucks.

Dash for the Cash: A huge Arctic storm closes the road. Alex is counted on to deliver a 44,000 pound diamond ore-crusher to the mine.

The Big Chill: A fuel tanker flips over on the ice road. Jay hauls three water purifiers to one of the mines. Drew gets out of the garage. Rookie T.J. is freezing and tries to weatherproof his truck using duct tape. A potential fuel spillage threatens the Yellowknife River.

Midseason Mayhem: The season's goals are tallied, and at the halfway point the truckers have 4000 of the expected 10,000 loads. Several of the drivers are reprimanded for speeding. T.J. gets his new truck, but has an accident in it almost immediately. Drew is back in the shop for more repairs.

Driving on Thin Ice: Jay delivers a 95,000 pound piece of equipment to the De Beers mine. It was crucial for the mine to begin its fall operations on time. T.J.'s accident is investigated.

The Rookie Challenge: Alex is temporarily stranded when his truck loses traction while making a haul on a new ice road. Drew runs out of fuel, only to have his fuel lines refreeze, taking him out of commission for a while. His wife convinces him to keep trying, but when he does, he has problems with his trailer. Then his radiator begins to leak. Faced with too many obstacles, Drew decides to return home. Hugh gets a flat tire. T.J. needs medical care.

Into the Whiteout: Another Arctic storm bears down. The drivers get permission to add another truck to their convoy, and Cody is introduced to the show. T.J. oversleeps and is left at a rest stop. The storm blows in as the drivers reach the mines, forcing them to wait it out there. Three drivers go missing in the storm, but are later found safe. Hugh introduces his friend Danny to replace Drew, but he has problems with Drew's truck as well.

The Big Melt: Spring approaches and the season begins to wind down. Pressure is mounting to finish the number of hauls that are still outstanding. Jay goes on a special convoy to a remote village. Rick has a confrontation with Hugh, after which Rick resigns. Hugh overtakes Alex in cash earnings.

The Final Run: In the final episode, the ice continues to melt. Hugh is involved in an accident. Jay gets stuck, but a bulldozer is able to help him out. Some final hauls are made, and the road is closed for the season. The ice truckers have had one of their most successful hauling seasons ever.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief guide to Ice Road Truckers, season one. To learn more about Ice Road Truckers, visit the History Channel website.