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Highway Thru Hell - Season 14 - Episode 11: Coming Undone
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00:05this time on highway through hell a split semi hold on hold on hold on has reliable in a trailer
00:15slam down boom hang on team aggressive stands back don't go under that pipe under a touchy
00:23low and a perilous storm has al how are you doing tonight sending off an old friend he's off into
00:33the sunset
00:42on british columbia's coquihola highway
00:52freezing conditions create havoc on the roads choking off access to the town of merit
01:15minutes out and reliable's heaviest record tonight we're going on highway five is lead operator
01:23andy cullum i try to bring professionalism to the reliable team and teach these guys that are
01:30up-and-comers to think before they do
01:36i was pretty backed up here rolling up to the scene we got a tractor facing the wrong way in
01:44the ditch
01:45and a very heavy trailer blocking with the slow lane so we need to get this out of the way
01:53we gotta get traffic control here
01:57heading downhill into merit the semi changed lanes jackknifing around and detaching at the kingpin
02:07when it hit the shoulder that's ugly the 50 000 pound trailer is crammed full of cardboard
02:18biggest hazard here there's live traffic coming down that hill there's really little room to work
02:24around why is that still in there which tractor also on scene with a one ton
02:32so i actually pull it out can i try the son of reliable towing's owners aiden mange
02:39andy has recognized that we need to bring up new people into the heavy world pull it out but however
02:45you think you can get it so i think this is aiden's opportunity to learn in a safe manner
02:52we're using it as a chance to teach aiden what his truck can really do andy's a pretty good coach
02:58yeah i'm up for the challenge with a strap to the rear wheel it's the 19 year old's biggest wreck
03:06with his medium duty one ton i have a little bit of doubt on the weight of my truck
03:13but i don't have a doubt on the pulling power of it so see how it goes
03:22pretty heavy
03:26aiden's truck is under load here
03:29level yourself a little lean is okay and a lot of lean isn't
03:35too heavy for me
03:37hold on hold on hold on
04:00on the coquihalla seven kilometers outside merit
04:07yeah i uh i don't slow it down traffic is squeezed down to one lane
04:13too heavy for me
04:15as aiden fights for leverage
04:18it's a light duty truck with a medium duty record
04:22put it down put it down
04:24but it's still a one ton
04:27so it's a little complicated
04:29freewheel it and get your truck more this way
04:33acting on andy's advice
04:35aiden repositions
04:39run the snatch walk through this
04:44aiden's gonna learn a little more of what his truck can do today
04:47can you get your right line in
04:50hopefully he uses that to his advantage
04:54boom up
04:56boom up some
04:57and with an added line to its front wheel
05:00a little more
05:01a little more
05:02yeah
05:02you have to work your winches
05:07keep it steady
05:08aiden starts to get it
05:10keep going if you can
05:12if you get a chance to train young guys how to do things
05:16hopefully
05:17they pass that knowledge on
05:19there it comes
05:23okay hold on
05:24he's gonna have to re-hook
05:29he needs to make space between wreck and wrecker
05:37but as he tries again
05:39pull it the rest of the way out
05:41let's go
05:42aiden and his medium duty one ton
05:45you do have a fight
05:46being in a small truck
05:49may not be enough
05:51you just gotta make up with it with leverage
05:55for the 20,000 pound tractor
06:02keep going
06:05it's pulling me back
06:08it's definitely pushing my truck
06:12it's not good
06:14it's great
06:18hey aiden watch your live lane eh
06:21you're sliding into it
06:23you're almost out of room
06:42190 kilometers southwest
06:47on the road to the abbotsford airport
06:49that will crush a car
06:51let alone a person
06:53constable scott mcclure
06:55with the abbotsford police
06:58this could have been a fatal accident waiting to happen
07:01attends a semi
07:02with a load of leaning pipes
07:05that are threatening to let go
07:08when these guys hit this roundabout
07:10everything started to shift
07:12essentially caused this guy to tip
07:15a little bit sticking out
07:17the fact that he recognized that his load had shifted
07:20and pulled the side of the road
07:21potentially could have saved somebody's life
07:26called to the scene
07:27a 50 ton aggressive rotator
07:30coming in hot
07:31with chris mervin
07:33this is not raining
07:34and jayden dick
07:35no
07:37definitely a public safety aspect of it
07:40there's a lot of foot traffic
07:41and with this load leaning towards the sidewalk
07:43it's obviously a hazard
07:48that's going to weigh a lot
07:51arriving on site
07:55merv and jayden stand back
07:57from the 15,000 pound pipes
08:00it's leaning pretty good
08:03that's probably not something you want to get hit by
08:05or walk under for sure
08:06i'll turn you into a human pancake real quick
08:09let's watch these trucks dude
08:13the traffic's still moving
08:15you can have pipe roll away
08:17and injure somebody
08:18some works of art are leaning
08:20like the leaning tower of pizza
08:21this is the leaning tower of pizza
08:25if we do it here
08:26we're going to shut it down
08:26taking charge of traffic
08:28is sergeant paul walker
08:31if it's the safest thing
08:32then we do it
08:34we're closing off the road
08:35because of safety
08:36you know i have confidence
08:37in merv's ability
08:38i have confidence in the first responders here
08:40but as you can see
08:41we have a large steel pipe
08:43i mean if that breaks free
08:45we're going to have a disaster in our hands
08:50with his workspace cleared
08:54merv takes advantage
08:57of a vacant driveway
09:00you're going to pull forward nice and slow
09:03and calls on the driver
09:05to line up
09:06nice and gentle
09:08watch this pull
09:13right under his rotator's boom
09:19just start slowly nudging the load back to where it was
09:23and then reset everything
09:24jump up there jayden
09:27the tail end of the 40 foot pipes
09:30is secured down with chains
09:35so we'll go
09:37between the first and the second layer
09:38yeah
09:39so jayden
09:40that's going to be the scary part
09:42can reach in with the rigging
09:45pretty dangerous
09:46we don't want to get crushed
09:47working around it
09:48so we've got to be careful
09:49of what the pipe's doing
09:50and how it's reacting
09:52hold that strap tight
09:53so it can't pull through
09:57with the strap threaded between the rows
10:00the rotator will lift and shift the top pipes
10:04until they're squared with the bottom
10:10i'll pick up a little bit here jayden
10:15if i'm shifting the front of the load
10:17sorry tighten it
10:20i don't want the back to shift in the opposite direction
10:25it'll put us all in danger at that point
10:29don't go under that pipe
10:37the road is closed
10:39in the fraser valley
10:41don't go under that pipe
10:44team aggressive performs a balancing act
10:48at the heavy left
10:49with a load
10:54of precarious pipes
10:57check those back four straps
11:00and you got these big pipes
11:01and they're leaning off the side of the trailer
11:05it's a dangerous place to be
11:06make sure they stay under tension the whole time
11:10beauty
11:14at 15 000 pounds apiece
11:17can you jump up
11:18we'll see if we can get that dunnage out
11:19the pipes have already crushed their wooden supports
11:23well this dunnage turned into toothpicks
11:26so it's no longer useful for holding up the load
11:30okay
11:33while merv lifts to center the front end
11:36hey grab that good dunnage jade
11:38jaden inserts fresh beams to bolster the load
11:42we'll chain this in place before i let it go then
11:5050 so far
11:51merv
11:52yeah i'm gonna set it down
11:54releases his hold
11:56to move on to the rear
12:00you kind of tense up
12:06it's unsupported so don't go underneath it
12:08and you just hope nothing moves
12:12the driver must now pull ahead
12:14to align the rear with the boom
12:16lower it into your right a bit
12:20careful not to disturb the unstable load
12:25there is a point in there where
12:26you definitely are holding your breath
12:31yeah you're good
12:34jaden climbs up to re-thread the strap on the rear
12:38beauty buddy
12:44gotta get that dunnage out
12:46as the last of the broken wood is removed
12:49and merv
12:52delicately pulls the pipes back over
12:54pay attention
12:57keep your wits about you
12:59go slow
13:01hey if you stop there i should be able to get dunnage in that midsection
13:05let's do it
13:06jaden slides in his new supports
13:09you're good
13:11and the pipes
13:16fall into place
13:19okay let's snug up them straps on that side
13:24better than it was
13:28yeah buddy
13:30ain't going nowhere now
13:32definitely impressed with how this load shift went
13:35merv did really good on the controls
13:37tomorrow they'll have the opportunity to properly secure them in place
13:41and then get this driver back on his way to alberta
13:44i mean it looks a hundred times better now
13:47i always love getting the job done
13:49getting the road back open is a big priority
13:52and doing it safely is just as big also
13:55all done buddy
13:56yay
13:58merv signs off with the abbotsford police
14:01they gotta shove the bottom stack over a bit
14:03but i don't want to start messing with that here
14:05no
14:05no we'll let them do that in the yard
14:07yeah that's what i figure
14:08yeah
14:08as first responders we rely on our tow truck drivers heavily
14:14merv he knows what he's doing
14:16and he's done most of this before
14:18with the load balanced
14:20there we go
14:22the driver can get off the road
14:25traffic is flowing we saved the day
14:28yeah
14:29and the busy route to the airport
14:31is back open
14:33thanks for coming out
14:34it's always a good time
14:39team aggressive for the win again
14:42until next time
14:43yeah
14:48two hours to the northeast
14:51aiden's heavy recovery lesson
14:56look how deep i'm dug
14:58with an undersized record
15:03hey aiden watch your live lane hey you're sliding into it
15:06is going sideways
15:08you definitely got to be dialed
15:11and definitely have to listen to others
15:14spades up full ahead do it again quickly
15:17one more
15:18you got her
15:20andy has aiden steer away from moving traffic
15:24right there
15:26and coaches him to make full use of his one ton's winching power
15:32short high pulls
15:34get this done with his record
15:36he's gonna have to pull the right way
15:40to help guide it out
15:46there it comes
15:48under his mentor's watchful eye
15:53almost there
15:55keep going
15:56aiden
15:57hey you're good you got help
15:59passes the test
16:01that's awesome
16:02pretty happy with it
16:04i mean these trucks can do a lot
16:06good rig good rig
16:09when you're learning
16:13the best way is to do it
16:15and once aiden gets that inner confidence
16:19he can do anything
16:21i think we did a good job with this one
16:23i've learned a lot
16:24and gained some more skills
16:28i'd like to get in the heavy eventually
16:29but for now
16:31i'm enjoying the light duty
16:34we gotta get this way off the roof
16:36but the big job
16:38goes to the man in charge
16:40aiden did good pulling out this tractor
16:42time to deal with the trailer
16:45let me go further off the roof
16:50this trailer is really heavy
16:52the wall's already tearing
16:54the torn open trailer
16:56will need to have its cardboard unloaded
16:59before it can be removed
17:03see here if we can get on that line
17:06it's clear of his lane
17:07so we're gonna get it
17:08into the ditch for now
17:11maybe go through the hole
17:14helping to speed things along
17:17reliable's merit manager
17:18nishan mahal
17:19we're just trying to open up another lane of traffic
17:22we need to get this highway open
17:24it's such a vital route
17:26you're down to one lane there for a while
17:30with a single line to the trailer's rear
17:33andy starts winching
17:37still got another five feet
17:39the icy surface is hopefully going to help here
17:42by letting the trailer slide
17:43into the ditch a little easier
17:45it's going in slowly
17:47but trailers are like pop cans
17:51but if you put weight on it
17:52it'll crash super easy
17:55you got four inches
17:57the trailer finally clears the lane
18:00i think it's as good as it's gonna get
18:05it will be left here
18:07for the offload crew in the morning
18:10we got this as far off the road
18:12as i can get it for tonight
18:13a little more
18:15there you go
18:16we're gonna take the tractor
18:17and get out of here
18:19and deal with it tomorrow
18:21yeah you're good
18:26this is going to the merit yard
18:28for now
18:29the reopening of highway 5 into merit
18:33kinda nice to be moving
18:35counts as a win
18:37real proud of the team tonight
18:39we all came together
18:39as team reliable
18:41now we're gonna call tonight
18:44plans their return
18:46in the daylight
18:48there's still one in the ditch
18:51oh yeah
18:55it'll be an exciting day there boys
18:58on highway 5 heading into merit
19:01yeah lots of guys working
19:03a crew starts a massive offload
19:07on a trailer filled with cardboard
19:10left behind from last night's recovery
19:14they're still working away
19:20hours later
19:23the reliable 50 ton heavy
19:26hornet
19:27rolls in
19:28and he's too tired
19:29he had a long day yesterday
19:32with operator dalen golish behind the wheel
19:36it's my turn for the trailer
19:38i've heard it's pretty compromised
19:41job now is just to get the trailer on its wheels
19:43and get it to merit
19:46oh my
19:47what a mess
19:50after 8 hours of unloading
19:52that's a lot of cardboard
19:54hi bill
19:56hey
19:56there you are
19:57bill bremner's salvage team
20:00have the trailer empty
20:03go go go
20:05all done
20:06cardboard's done
20:09watch your step
20:13yesterday
20:14the icy conditions
20:16caused the trailer
20:17to break loose
20:18tipping and tearing open
20:21as it crashed
20:25so we got significant damage
20:27to the trailer
20:27front wall is tore up
20:29the roof is tore off
20:31they can kind of cut the trailer
20:33just ahead of center
20:34dalen and his flat deck driver
20:37have a plan
20:38and then work our way through this
20:40hard wood floor
20:41yeah
20:42to remove the trailer
20:44in pieces
20:45looks like oak or something right
20:47yeah
20:49we got that chop saw then
20:50yeah
20:52because the trailer is so compromised
20:53we have to cut off a portion of it
20:56and get it all the other way
20:59but in order to break the unit down
21:02i gotta go up on this
21:03top wall here
21:05dalen will need to climb up
21:07onto the flimsy structure
21:09it's kind of like a house of cards
21:12when you blow on it
21:13and it all falls over
21:15this is the house of cards
21:17it's up we go
21:18and he'll have to cut the deck
21:21all right
21:21thank you
21:23squishy up here
21:24standing eight and a half feet
21:26above frozen ground
21:32running a chop saw
21:34to cut the trailer
21:37there's a risk for sure
21:43okay back to the bottom
21:45let me cut this last frame here
21:51we're gonna score the floor with a saw
21:56let the machine break it in half
21:59here he comes
22:04perfect
22:06bill and his eight-ton salvage excavator
22:11watch nothing snaps back at you
22:13have had their share
22:15yeah bring her down buddy
22:17of breaking down tractor trailers
22:19on the side of the highway
22:25the front section we gotta fold up our house of cards
22:28where's the cut mark
22:31right there
22:32okay
22:33stand clear
22:37with dalen's cuts in place
22:41you get to have all the fun bill
22:42yeah
22:44the walls
22:47come falling down
22:49you've done this before
22:51once or twice
22:58i think break the floor
23:05hang on
23:06but tonight
23:08the mini excavator
23:10is meeting its match
23:12it's not letting go
23:14no
23:14in the 53 foot hardwood floor
23:18i'll set up to roll it
23:21dalen shifts gears
23:27just pick that end up
23:29and then just kind of gift wrap it
23:32okay coming out
23:36with its boom over the top
23:38and a strap tradling the bottom
23:41the 50 ton will reverse roll the trailer
23:45back onto its wheels
23:47making it easier for the excavator
23:50to dismantle
23:53she should lift right up for us
23:57i'm hoping it comes up on its wheels
24:02our space is limited
24:03there's a steep bank
24:05with a real short ditch
24:06and an actively in the traffic
24:09there's not a lot of room to work with
24:15we're going for it
24:22it's either going to come up on its wheels
24:24or it's going to fold over
24:27the last thing we want to do
24:28is have debris fly into the active lane of traffic
24:33come on
24:35the trailer
24:39i'll take that
24:41lands on its wheels
24:43you know what it came over pretty good
24:47so you want him to go ahead and hook up
24:49yeah
24:49you see where the chain is on the bumper there
24:51yeah you bet
24:52but he needs to tug it a few more feet
24:55okay
24:57you want to be pretty well even with it
25:00yeah so it swings more than pulls right
25:02yeah
25:04without it falling back over
25:08there we go
25:13hey
25:14nice
25:14good work
25:15so we've got it on flat ground
25:18now we've got to get that front end tore up
25:24she said fold up nice now
25:26so with the trailer on its wheels
25:28hopefully when the excavator pushes down
25:31it'll break much easier
25:38come on
25:41there it goes
25:44the vinyl wall collapses
25:46nice
25:47yeah
25:48that's beauty
25:51all that remains
25:52is the last floor piece
26:01there we go
26:02that might do her
26:07the freaking wood
26:10oftentimes the machine can just break the wood
26:13it's got a problem there's nothing left
26:17but even with the upright leverage
26:20i don't know why it's doing what it's doing
26:23usually it breaks real easy
26:25the hard oak floor
26:27refuses to submit
26:30keep an eye here
26:32come on
26:33look at this
26:36doesn't even seem to be folding there
26:38house of cards are strong
26:43unbelievable
26:46they're just cleaning up the metal
26:48five minutes south of merit
26:50just the bending is unbelievable
26:52reliable
26:53is locked in an arm wrestle
26:57that should have broke man
26:59yeah
27:00with a trailer
27:01that won't bend
27:04it's thick
27:05hard wood
27:06bill's having trouble breaking it in half
27:09i'm going in there with a chop suck
27:11in a last ditch effort
27:13we're going to jump up
27:15and score one more time
27:18Dalen saws back into the floor
27:21get the line a little deeper
27:25it should help
27:26for a little excavator out
27:28okay off we go
27:35well it's more flexible
27:40should be the final pull here
27:41just now
27:42hopefully
27:43taking the end for maximum leverage
27:48it's creaking
27:49the excavator
27:51there it is
27:55finally wins the match
28:00success
28:01yeah
28:03trailer's broken in half
28:06so now we can get everything packaged up
28:09and sent away
28:11the broken sections
28:13okay
28:15are taken away by the flat tech
28:17beautiful
28:19i'm going to give this a rotation
28:21but the remainder of the trailer
28:24but the remainder of the trailer
28:25is still towable
28:26having the mini excavator there
28:28it's a really capable tool
28:30yeah maybe leave it there bill
28:32one more assist from bill's machine
28:37and hornet backs in to bring it home
28:44looks like we're there
28:46another recovery in the books
28:48are you good to go
28:49i'm ready
28:50it's always a team effort
28:51i couldn't do it without dispatchers and helpers and swampers
28:54well bill it was good working with you
28:56appreciate the help
28:57you too
28:57i hope we do it again soon
29:00one of the things you hear about a lot now
29:02is that people don't really want to work hard
29:03and
29:04some people are built to be working hard
29:08our whole crew is like that
29:10they all want to work together
29:11so that we can meet any challenge that comes our way
29:16what a day
29:19you know reliable
29:41what's your word on the coke
29:43the next day
29:45we're getting lots of snow
29:4860 kilometers south
29:50yeah there's one coming in
29:51at the summit of the coquihalla
29:54yeah it's pretty big
29:58some clouds are going down here
30:00crews prepare for a severe winter storm
30:06we're expecting to see 15 centimeters of snow
30:09battle ready at the zoptius brake check
30:12and potentially another 15 centimeters into the evening
30:16ministry of transport road manager
30:19tom agar
30:22it's wet
30:23it's foggy
30:24it's in the air
30:25it's coming
30:26snow shed protocol's in effect
30:28we'll see what happens
30:30protocol was activated
30:32by our highway maintenance contractor
30:36and i'm here for when the madness takes place
30:40snow shed protocol
30:42calls for all highway partners
30:45to be equipped
30:46and on hand
30:48it's in real bad shape out there
30:50including veteran tow operator
30:53al quiring
30:54when they see the big clouds coming in off the pacific ocean
30:58and cold weather coming from alaska
31:01they are prepared with extra plows
31:04you know the tow truck is there
31:05the cbsc is there to enforce the chain up area
31:13coming up to lead the operation
31:16if you don't love snow then you don't want to come up yet
31:19highways maintenance supervisor
31:21curtis brown
31:23how we prepare for a protocol is by bringing an extra crew
31:27getting our trucks graders loaders blowers ready
31:32i've been working on the highway for 14 years
31:35i've gone through a lot of really good times and hard times up here
31:39and worked with some amazing people
31:44tonight's protocol
31:46ah it's definitely sad
31:48will be curtis's last
31:50i'm leaving my position
31:53as a superintendent for the cocahalla
31:58time for
31:59a change of pace in life
32:02but it's going to be hard
32:07at the top of the hill
32:10we keep those headlights clean in case we get called into action
32:14al and his green 50 ton are ready to roll
32:19i'm ready to go in like four different directions at any time
32:23should the need arise
32:26i'm sharing uh curtis's last shift with him
32:30so i'm hoping uh goodwill for curtis tonight
32:33i've been working with al up here
32:35since my first storm and now my last storm
32:39al's uh been there
32:41every time i've needed him
32:43as dust falls
32:46the weather worsens
32:48and the brothers in arms
32:52have one last check-in before battle
32:57curtis
32:57yeah
32:59how are you doing tonight
33:00how are you
33:01very good
33:01what's the forecast
33:03uh 15 centimeters uh mainly before midnight
33:07then it'll slow down
33:08yeah and it's your last shift so hopefully
33:11yep
33:11hopefully it's calm
33:13wouldn't mind a little action for the last one you know
33:16something to go home with
33:19yep
33:21it's hard because unless you've chewed through those tough storms and dangerous situations together
33:28you'll never understand the camaraderie that goes with that right
33:33i'll let you do your patrols and if i don't see you later i hope you don't lose my number
33:38never will
33:39and he's going to be gone from that now
33:43he's off into the sunset
33:46but curtis's last shift of protocol
33:49oh yeah it's coming down real good guys
33:53is just getting started
33:56it's going to be super busy up here
33:59it's like having a war against the snowfall event
34:03we want to do the best job we can out there
34:06and we're trying to beat it
34:09and sometimes it beats us
34:12to be perfectly
34:12yeah that's going to get away
34:15and we're in for a long time
34:16and we're in for a long time
34:20we got a convoy of snowplows going up
34:22On the Coquihalla Highway, a storm slams the notorious Snowshed Hill, and Curtis, charges
34:49into his final shift.
34:51On a day like this on the Coquihalla, there's a lot of little things you need to know or
35:01else things go wrong.
35:04As midnight draws near, the snowfall is unrelenting.
35:11If we don't do anything about that, we'll have accidents, we'll have issues out there.
35:17Hey Tom, it doesn't look like it's going to let up, but I'll get the lights on right
35:20now.
35:21Curtis.
35:23Yeah, I'd probably guess that'd be a good idea here, Curtis.
35:27Pulls the trigger on a mandatory slowdown for truck drivers.
35:33Chain-up lights are on.
35:35Commercial drivers that see that the chain-up lights are on and choose not to chain up.
35:39Put some jewelry on.
35:43They'll spin out and have to get towed, or it might cause us further issues on the hill.
35:49But halfway up the hill...
35:51Yeah, he's definitely struggling.
35:54...a transport has snuck through on bare tires.
35:59Now he's spinning out.
36:00...weighed down by 100,000 pounds of plywood.
36:04Hey, bud.
36:06When I cross, there's no sign of the chain.
36:08Yeah, the lights came on probably right after you passed it.
36:11I am now putting the chain.
36:12OK, sounds good.
36:14This guy's going to throw some chains on, Tom.
36:16Oh, yeah.
36:18Curtis' flashing lights will help warn drivers coming up the hill.
36:23We're just kind of protecting him here and watching.
36:27But until the truck can get going...
36:30...that we don't have any further issues while he chains up.
36:33Maintenance teams can't clear the granny lane from the heavy snowfall.
36:38You're not even plowing it or sanding it or doing anything?
36:42They can't get by with the truck?
36:45I remember the days that used to be exciting and there'd be like...
36:48...spinout after spinout and the hill getting blocked.
36:52They were fun.
36:55You're getting pulled up!
36:56Over the past decade...
36:58...dumping in a plow and do what I can to help get things cleaned up.
37:03Curtis' stewardship of the coquihola...
37:05Absolutely insane.
37:07...and dedication to driver safety...
37:10I'm sick in here till these truckers are out.
37:12...has left an impact on the highway...
37:15There's hundreds and hundreds of people out here working.
37:18...that will last long after he's gone.
37:26This job's been demanding and it's gonna be a nice change of pace.
37:32A lot less stress, a lot more family time.
37:36Hopefully a whole bunch of fishing.
37:39But tonight, his last night...
37:42...Curtis must focus on what's in front of him.
37:45I don't think this driver's having the best night.
37:48Hopefully he's able to get going here soon.
37:54Until the sound of tires spinning from behind...
37:58...catches his ear.
38:00Can we stop traffic down at Box Canyon?
38:04...and sparks him into action.
38:06I got a trucker blocking the middle fast lane here.
38:11As soon as you stop traffic...
38:14...it takes an enormous amount of effort...
38:17...to clear and get traffic moving.
38:19Stop blocking it now.
38:22Hey Al, can I get you back and down here?
38:24I'll pull up and go back down for that one.
38:27This being my last protocol...
38:29...you know, the conditions are just deteriorating.
38:32So the last thing we want is for the hill to be blocked.
38:35Most eventful night we've had so far this year.
38:39That's a danger zone to drive on right now, driver.
38:45Got the full circus up there tonight.
38:49Minutes from the Coquihalla Summit...
38:51I got a truck blocking...
38:54...where I'm sitting behind the one that's been spun out for a while.
38:57...two spun-out semis...
38:58Can we, uh, stop traffic down at Box Canyon?
39:03...are blocking Snowshed Hill.
39:05It's just here, backlog of traffic.
39:10Hey, bud.
39:12What's going on?
39:14Okay.
39:15It ain't going.
39:17Curtis's last shift risks falling into chaos.
39:22He's fully chained up, just not enough traction.
39:25Keeping the highway open.
39:27That's what the goal is.
39:29There's a tow truck that's going to be down here in a few minutes.
39:31If you can't get going, then we'll give you a tug-up out of the way.
39:36There we go.
39:37Calling in Big Green.
39:40Everybody watch that road clear.
39:42I'm not going to waste time.
39:44Curtis...
39:45It's this guy here.
39:47...pulls out the ace up his sleeve.
39:49I'll take you right to the top.
39:51At least a little excitement for the last night.
39:53Glad character.
39:56Once again, Al saving the day.
39:59Anyways, we're just going to get off the road here.
40:01It's not a good spot.
40:03Al Quiring is a machine.
40:05We have been through everything together.
40:08And, uh, he is one of the most dedicated people to the Coquihalla.
40:13Okay, let's go.
40:16I'm going to get traffic moving down to Box Canyon right away.
40:21Give us about three minutes and then you can let the passenger vehicles go and then start letting semis go
40:27again.
40:27On the hook of his 50-ton Vulcan V1 record, Al pulls the Super B up the hill.
40:36The snow never ends.
40:40I am sorry to see Curtis go and move on.
40:45I've seen a lot of people get chewed up and spit out by that mountain.
40:49And he's made it out of that place alive.
40:52Curtis is doing a good job.
40:54Seen just about everything up there over the years.
40:58We've got some good memories together, so I won't forget Curtis by any means.
41:05Still keeping an eye out for the first driver.
41:08He's kind of struggling a little bit.
41:12Curtis ensures that the truck is fully chained.
41:16Is he out?
41:19Before finally making its way up the hill.
41:22He might have a chance at making it now.
41:24I'll follow him up and make sure.
41:27He's no longer struggling.
41:30That was very quick.
41:33Al was able to get down here within two minutes and five minutes later we got traffic moving.
41:41At the top, Curtis is paid a visit by another comrade on the coke.
41:47Thanks, man.
41:48Tom Agar.
41:49You did a good job.
41:53Me and Tom started out here the first winter together.
41:57There's going to be some really big shoes to fill.
42:00Yeah, I'm going to miss the guy.
42:02Everything's just kind of working like clockwork.
42:05This last protocol was like a last battle with mother nature.
42:11Working with my operators, working with Al, other tow truck drivers and CVSE.
42:18It was very successful.
42:23With his final shift in the rear view, Curtis is leaving the highway in better, safer shape
42:32than when he started.
42:33To get the opportunity to maintain the cocahela.
42:37It was traumatizing and exciting and it's one of those things that you'll never forget.
42:45Thank you for being out here.
42:49Next time on Highway Through Hell.
42:52Tough job.
42:53A Herculean lift.
42:55Keep going.
42:55Quick, quick.
42:56As Jamie and Jazz.
42:58One of the bags is out.
42:59Airing up.
43:00Oh.
43:02A logging crew's hopes hang on Rob's hook.
43:07That's not good.
43:08Whoa.
43:09And a trailblazing rescue.
43:12Whoa.
43:13Tank's reliable.
43:15We're on the rock.
43:16Way off road.
43:18Whoa.
43:45Shoulders.
43:46Hmm.
43:46Hmm.
43:47Hmm.
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