..yes yes, I know. 😆

However, why do they all seem to drive ‘normal’ trucks. It seems for many of the routes, something like this would be more appropriate.

I haven’t watched it ages but I doubt the Scania would haul some of the loads they move.

They hate cabovers cause the ride is harsh and Tractor length is no longer restricted so much? (Well in the US anyway, maybe canadia is similar.)

They look like they don’t have microwaves for Eric Pork Chop Racoon Hog Roast Chappy

Those proper off road type trucks would come into their own when they get off road but cost lots more to buy & are more specialised,also they’re not much use when the Ice road season’s over whereas the regular trucks can run all year round.
That Scania would haul those loads no problem,it just wouldn’t be as fast on the tarmac,plus it would weigh more so would ‘weigh out’sooner.

Bonneted trucks are easier to work on you lift the bonnet for access to engine etc, and youre not restricted to vehicle length as required in the uk, the trucks above are obviously militry design and build options, produced in small numbers and at huge cost.

Whats required is power, ease of maintance, and driveability. Along with a supply of spare parts.

lisa.

That is all.

Hmm, fair points, and most of the roads are smooth ice…

There is something about Lisa.

My mate has just moved to the Yukon, it’s -37 at the moment!
He’s keeping a close eye out for Lisa’s truck 🙂

They look like they don’t have microwaves for Eric Pork Chop Racoon Hog Roast Chappy

This and Lisa

they’re not much use when the Ice road season’s over whereas the regular trucks can run all year round.

There are about 4 roads in the North west territories. When the Mackenzie is frozen you can drive it, when it melts you’ve got the Demster and that is about it. I’m not sure how much the trucks get used in summer unless they head elsewhere?

Pics of Lisa?

Bustaspoke and Project are basically right.

The top pic is a US Army M983 HEMTT Tractor (or Light Equipment Transporter). I don’t know if they meet DOT standards so may not be for sale commercially, either. Not rare, it says that there are 13,000 in service; probably most with the US Army.

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/oshkosh-hemtt/

http://oshkoshdefense.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/HEMTTA4_LET_SS_6-13-11.pdf

Interesting (or not) fact, those huge US trucks gross up to 36t, whereas our puny little cabovers can do 44t.

Totally inappropriate footwear for icy conditions…

Never in history has there been such a dramatic show, with jerky camera work and edge of the seat music. All that’s missing is for something to actually occur…
How they’ve managed to string out so many shows about virtually the same thing NEARLY happening is beyond me…
Still, clearly some like it… 🙂

Me too… 😳

If they film long enough, eventually they’ll catch one going through. That’s the point right?

They had something a bit different on it the other week.Some bloke with a blade shovel towing a heavy load,doing it ‘Old School’style

Is it even still about the ‘ice road’? Last episodes I watched was a more normal mountain road, with some pretty mental gradients (the roller coaster perhaps?).

That was on the Dalton Highway, they’ve moved on from there. In fact the show’s location moves quite a bit.

My dad watches it, apparently last night the last truck out of three nearly broke through the ice, it took the other two to drag it out. I did see a bit where a truck had Jack-knifed, and one bloke went out to get the thing off the road, running back and forth with a wire hawser straining between the two; I had visions of the cable snapping and slicing him in two as he ran between them.
A bit hairy, that, and even he seemed to think he was pushing his luck.
Oh, and Lisa…
Mmmmmm.

That bird up there ? is a trucker?

I think I’m in love. What’s her fanclub address?

I love Ice Road Truckers and how brilliant is Lisa!! Yep, we have the King of Obsolete sporting beardage to make you guys weep with envy, his apprentice is so hard that he goes around in a shirt with rolled up sleeves. 😯

Amazing scenery, can’t believe some communities are actually ‘cut off’ when the ice roads melt.

That bird up there ? is a trucker?

I think I’m in love. What’s her fanclub address?

Yes to everything, Google “Lisa Kelly”. In my mind she has he same kind of appeal as Abby from ER. She’s not in any particular standard lady category, but has some kind of appeal you can’t put your finger on.

ICR is my guilty TV secret.
I watch very little TV, but this one is on every Friday, even making us late out most Fridays!
No, I can’t understand why it is addictive either.

I thought the series in India was excellent – the bit where one of the drivers says “I’m slowing down, this is dangerous”,
The local guy then says “dont worry, we have Ganesh on the dashboard so we wont crash”
“Well, what about those crashed trucks at the bottom of the ravine?”
“oh, they didnt have Ganesh in their truck”

You need to see Lisa on an MX’er, doing a huge jump. 😯

kayak23 – Member
Never in history has there been such a dramatic show, with jerky camera work and edge of the seat music. All that’s missing is for something to actually occur…

We fatbikers just stare at the screen and drool with envy at all their snow and ice…

Oh, and Lisa. 🙂

I’m not sure how much the trucks get used in summer unless they head elsewhere?

Apparently they supply the offshore oil fields in the summer.

During the summer months our trucks return to the oil fields and the drivers are kept busy delivering crude oil.

http://www.vpexpressinc.com/

Its the dramatic music that gets me. Love IRT 🙂

IRT. Utter crap TV addiction in our house. Love it!
As for the trucks, if you keep listening, they’re all knackered 1.5million mile jobs. Who’d take a new truck up there to ruin? This is why they break down so much.
King of Obsolete is a nutter.

That King of Obsolete bloke has his own website;
http://kingofobsolete.ca/

Thanks Bustaspoke for that link, now added to my favourites. 8)

I think McMoonters been out gnarrrred…

moving a window Canadian style!!!

Mrs SC is from north Ontario. She can’t watch IRT because it makes her homesick!

And when step-sister inlaw moved from the north Yukon to the NWT they had to make a many-thousand mile detour because the ice-bridge had melted ?!
(They moved from the Yukon because the 500-mile trip to the nearest small town to buy groceries or service the truck was starting to get to them)

No Tesco obviously! How do people who move to these regions actually adjust to the temperature/minimal facilities/vast distances etc? Do find it all fascinating, as you can probably tell. 😀

I read a bit more about it earlier.
The ‘ice road’ season is generally up to 8 weeks long, so not long really. This year (or maybe last year?), the season was 4 weeks long, and a lot of the locals in the North are struggling for supplies, so much so that they are appealing to the Government to do air drops to get supplies in.

What I don’t understand about those American style big bonnet trucks is why they dont’ make them more aerodynamic? They are shaped like bricks with loads of things sticking out of them, and their speed limit is the same 75mph as the cars. They must lose a horrendous amount of fuel to air resistance – a few fibreglass fairings would surely save a ton of money, and a decent design way more.

Some are rather aero:

And a lot of trailers are getting aero skirting underneath, and more of these collapsable rear fairings are starting to appear:

Edit – and don’t forget that fuel prices are cheaper over here. In Pittsburgh, regular gasoline is about $2.08 per gallon, and diesel is $2.99 per http://www.pittsburghgasprices.com/index.aspx?fuel=D