Ice Road Truckers And UPS Feeders

[anonymous6]

I love watching Ice Road Truckers. But I think they tend to exaggerate the danger to enhance ratings. But it is still entertaining.

We have about 60-80 drivers ( just quessing ) that go over Donner Pass ( ele 7800 feet ) everyday and night from Reno to Sacramento and points west and it can get pretty downright dangerous on winter storm nights.

There are a lot more truckers killed on this pass every year than in the whole history of the ice road up near Yellowknife . ( i checked , not quessing)

I like talking to drivers from other companies and one night I stopped for coffee and there were about 5-6 drivers standing outside the store BSing so i got my coffee and joined them for a minute.

They got around to talking about chain nights and snowstorms ,etc, and one of the drivers said "Everyone knows you UPS drivers are the "Kings of This Hill". ( when it comes to chaining and handling dangerous conditions)

kind of made me feel good.

I think a lot of us could handle "Ice Road Trucking "

 

[BLACKBOX]

Gotta hand it to that Lisa Kelly I.R.T. that girl is fearless and downright gorgeous...hamana hamana hamana.

 

[City Driver]

yea they definitely exagerrate it, like every other show of its kind

 

[rocket man]

The show shows 4 to 5 drivers max out about 6o loads there are thousands of loads that go to end of the line its over rated.

 

[Highwayman]

If the Roller Coaster is so steep how do they make it back south with empty trailers?
Love the show.

 

[kingOFchester]

The show stinks in my book. Lisa makes it worth a flip to every now and again...... Give Deadliest Catch. Sig is the man!!! Allthough he seems to be heading towards a nervous break down.

 

[rocket man]

ID Rather try the ice road befor crab fishing/. I get seasick in the bay.

 

[Mike23]

I'd say 20-40 years ago this would be an awesome show because we didn't have the tech to figure out the ice. Now they're just a bunch of sissies going, 'oooooh scary, the ice makes noise!'

Granted it isn't the safest job out there but now they can determine when the ice is still safe and when not. Not to mention I'm sure they have a helicopter on standby for any driver stupid enough to get stranded and unable to get his vehicle working and almost freezing to death.

 

[rod]

As an avid ice fisherman I have many years of experience driving vehicals on the ice. My number one rule is --- never be the first one of the season to do it.. I always wait at least a week after they start driving on it.-- usually by then the crazys have stopped falling through. 32 degree water isn't great for smimming in. The time to really start worrying is when the ice don't make noise when you drive in it. Soft ice is weak ice. Good ice is amazingly strong. I've seen 9 inches of good ice support a one ton 4X4 Ford dually pulling a car trailer with a 10' X 16' fullyequiped fishhouse on it 2 miles out onto the lake. (although I wouldn't ever tell someone that is safe to do).

 

[anonymous6]

I almost went up to Alaska in the 1970's when they were building the pipeline. guys were coming back and boasting a $1000 a week!!! which was real good back then. I was making about $200 a week.

I also heard that the cost of living was outrageous and eating up everyone's paycheck. Some guys did send home a lot of money to the wives though.

Alex and Hugh are making about $1300 a load but I'm not sure if that is roundtrip as the backhaul is usually an empty. If so that is about the same as us. They can do a trip in 10 hrs or 16 hrs or more depending on conditions.

I wouldn't go up there for the money but for the adventure and saying that i did it. I think it's a young man's game. those drivers that have been doing it for years look 10 years older than they really are.