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Highway Thru Hell - Season 14 - Episode 02: Shift Into Winter
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00:05This time, on Highway Through Hell.
00:09Oh, slickie-boo.
00:11Slippin' and slidin'.
00:13Woo-hoo!
00:15Reliable.
00:17In the danger zone.
00:18Quick, quick!
00:19Before this guy gets hit.
00:20Quiring.
00:21Rock slides and Sasquatch attacks.
00:23It's time to go!
00:24Works the hill.
00:25Could be anything that closes the road.
00:27Wow.
00:27And cuttin' loose.
00:29Holy crap, hold on.
00:31With auto.
00:3243 metric ton of wood on that truck.
00:38Anyone coming down from the summit there, tell me what the roads are like.
00:42On BC's Coquihalla Highway.
00:45If it's all just flowing, it'll be fine.
00:48The first snows of winter.
00:50But when you get somebody that's, like, really nervous, then, yeah.
00:54Have drivers on edge.
00:56It's gonna be an accident waiting now.
00:58It's gonna happen.
01:01Those road temperatures from the summit all the way north are, like, minus two, minus three.
01:06Patrolling the hill.
01:07So it will be heavy, wet snow.
01:10Highways maintenance supervisor, Curtis Brown, prepares for a month-long fight.
01:17Once the snow picks up, don't be afraid to use the sand with the larger crushed rock in it.
01:23We've focused closely on being proactive about storms, making sure that our key pieces of equipment are out there ready.
01:30After last year's mild winter...
01:33Tonight we're forecasted to get up to 25 centimeters of snowfall.
01:38This year is expected to be different.
01:42Experts are predicting we will need particularly warm jackets this winter because it will likely be colder and wetter than
01:49usual.
01:51The most common reason why the highway closes is due to blockages.
01:56Al is here.
01:58Okay.
01:58He's at Zopkius.
01:59Sometimes your issues will snowball and it could turn into a nine-hour closure.
02:03You need tow trucks to pull trucks out of the way.
02:08At the Zopkius brake check, veteran tow operator Al Quiring armors up.
02:16Come on, baby.
02:17Can't control Mother Nature on the Cocahalla, that's for sure.
02:21Their plan is changing.
02:23It seems like we're getting a lot of snow developing in a very short period of time.
02:29Al, how are you doing?
02:31Good.
02:31How's it going?
02:32I think it's going to be kind of a messy night.
02:36We haven't had a West Coast storm for a while.
02:38Yeah.
02:39Looks like it's building anyways.
02:41Each person's got a spot to keep, you know, an eye on their corner of the chaos.
02:46Well, I'll let you get ready.
02:47Thanks, Al.
02:48You bet.
02:49Appreciate it.
02:54All right, here we go.
03:01How's the highway to Cam?
03:02That's on the Cocahalla.
03:04Pretty rough.
03:08125 kilometers north.
03:10I've got a feeling this is going to be a long night.
03:14In Merritt, reliable towing is ready for the cold snap.
03:19We have geared up for winter.
03:21I think we have enough talented people to work the trucks that we have.
03:27I anticipate that it's going to be a very busy winter.
03:31Blasting off from the yard, a 35-ton record.
03:35Go ahead up Highway 5 here.
03:38Piloted by operator John Dodds.
03:41Sometimes it's not just the snow, sometimes it's cold enough, the road's icy.
03:46This is supposed to be the first major snowfall of the season,
03:50and the roads are starting to cool down.
03:53You guys will drive the speeds as if it's still summer, and it's not.
04:0246 kilometres north of town.
04:10A semi-trailer headlong down a bank.
04:14The whole accident of the trailer is up in the air.
04:17Dangerously budding into the highway.
04:22Arriving on scene.
04:26John gets his first look.
04:30All righty.
04:31The trailer is sticking out in the granny lane a little bit.
04:35The wreck is the second of two crashes on the same stretch.
04:40There was a response from EMS on the first accident.
04:45And this guy came over the hill just a little bit too fast.
04:49Actually hit the back end of the ambulance.
04:52Put himself around and ended up jackknifed into the ditch.
04:56One accident just kind of caused a bit of a chain reaction.
05:01Ah, it's good, they're all right, though.
05:03But before traffic can safely resume...
05:06It's pretty paved into the front bank here.
05:09John must clear his wreck, hanging over the road.
05:14Trying to get this done as fast as possible
05:16to avoid buzzing any other wrecks on the same hill.
05:20Come on, buddy, come on.
05:43I just want to know what the coke's like.
05:46There is some sort of blockage.
05:4930 minutes north of Merritt.
05:52Single lane.
05:53A semi partially blocking the road.
05:56He was going a little fast for the conditions.
06:00Has reliable towing.
06:02He hit his brakes a little too hard and he lost control.
06:05In the danger zone.
06:06When you're in a spot like this,
06:08you definitely got to be watching what you're doing.
06:11You got to crawl through on the hammer lane side only.
06:16Cresting a hill into an active crash scene,
06:19the driver was unable to stop.
06:23To riding with an ambulance.
06:27Before sweeping down the bank.
06:33Joining the scene with a reliable 50-ton...
06:36Slinging on the back there, bud, or what?
06:38Merritt manager, Lane Perry.
06:41We'll have you yanked that way while I pull the truck up this way.
06:45It's definitely going to be a challenge to get it up onto the road
06:48and at the same time sharing the road.
06:53Idiots, man.
06:55Drivers in the live lane.
06:57I know, man.
06:58There's going to be another one here.
07:01...aren't heeding the conditions.
07:03Oh, slickie-poo.
07:05Everything's pretty slicked up from the wind.
07:08You just want to make sure you keep your head on the swivel.
07:11Woo!
07:13These are not working good.
07:17No one's picking it up there.
07:20125 kilometers south.
07:23Well, firing's under here doing this thing.
07:24On Snowshed Hill, Al discovers a flatbed B train in a bad spot.
07:33I've encountered a few different things on the Snowshed Hill.
07:36Time out in the middle of the highway, y'all.
07:40He's just sitting in his truck waiting for the snow to stop.
07:44Rock, slide, Sasquatch, tacks could be anything that closes the road, really.
07:49I wouldn't sleep anywhere near up here.
07:51Even a guy having a nap in the middle of it.
07:59It's kind of odd that somebody would just drive up that Smasher Hill and decide not only just to kind
08:05of block lanes, but hop in the bunk and go to sleep, too.
08:09It's time to go! Top of the day!
08:12Use that rest area back at the last town and try again tomorrow.
08:17We're gonna go up the hill, put it in gear.
08:20Yep, come on up.
08:22I'm hooked on already.
08:24What?
08:24I'm fast. We're ready to go.
08:27First, second, third, fourth.
08:29Pick up speed.
08:32We're not stopping anywhere until we're at the top of the hill.
08:35Follow me.
08:38Let's roll!
08:46Let's roll!
08:50Come on!
08:51Come on!
08:51Come on!
08:56Despite the rude awakening...
08:59Come on, baby.
09:01...Al understands the grind of winter trucking.
09:04They want to go to sleep because they've been driving like this, having a hard time.
09:10Staying in a warm sleep or berth, cuddled up in a sleeping bag is way better than laying under a
09:15dripping truck putting chains on by far.
09:18But they just can't do that there.
09:27Cut loose at the top.
09:30The driver...
09:31Oh, I wouldn't pull off anywhere here.
09:34...remains eager for a place to snooze.
09:38Don't sleep up here, because anywhere you pull off here, there's gonna be a foot and a half of snow.
09:42So, if you wake up in the morning, we might not see you.
09:46With a bit of practical advice...
09:48I'll get out of your way so you can go.
09:51Al sends him on his way.
09:53It's not like a hotel hospitality or anything, but it's looking after the motoring public.
09:59Right on.
10:01Will you drive safe driver? Have a good night.
10:07We got an accident here. It's lower down.
10:11An hour north.
10:14John and Lane break to a trailer.
10:16One on either side.
10:19Sticking out onto the highway.
10:21If you want to back right up.
10:25I'm always concerned that we're working next to a live lane.
10:30I'm more worried about the people that are coming down the road and could potentially crash into us.
10:36Good!
10:40With Lane's 50-ton acting as an anchor on the rear, John's 35-ton will drag the trailer up first,
10:50before swinging the tractor around onto the shoulder.
10:58All righty.
11:01Now for the fun part.
11:04Hopefully it'll come out better this way.
11:06Yeah.
11:08John starts pulling on the rear of the tractor.
11:13Woo-hoo!
11:15But with his wrecker in the air.
11:19How far out am I there?
11:21He risks swinging into moving traffic.
11:25Borderline, if we spin again we'll have to change it.
11:29That's right.
11:31We got quite a bit of weight.
11:32We're pulling.
11:33The roadway is pretty slick at this point.
11:38It doesn't help that the landing gear is just being a big giant anchor right now for us.
11:46Restricted by a live lane.
11:47You can't turn the wrecker and take up the whole road to get full pulling power.
11:54You're limited to the little bit of space you have.
11:58They keep pulling the loaded semi.
12:01It's coming.
12:02It's just plowing the bank on its way up.
12:04But it's grounding out on the crest.
12:09Okay, hold the weight.
12:12So they pause to switch lines up.
12:19We're going to have to change again.
12:21So this one will end up being our truck line.
12:25We need to get this one off the road for public safety and safety of us.
12:29We don't want to be up on the road.
12:32With a quick re-rig to the front of the tractor.
12:38Okay, I'll tighten up.
12:40They try again.
12:51You're in great traffic.
12:54What's going on up the road here?
12:56The lane is blocked.
13:00Watch yourself. There's a record of work in there.
13:12You're in great traffic.
13:15The lane is blocked.
13:17The right end flies over.
13:19We're battling here.
13:20We've got to be quick so that traffic doesn't come down the hill and hit us.
13:24Earlier tonight, unable to stop for an active crash scene.
13:30A semi hit an ambulance and went down the bank.
13:36Throw my stiff legs up quick.
13:38Quick, quick.
13:39Before this guy gets hit, we all get hit.
13:41Not wanting to become another casualty.
13:45We don't want to get hit.
13:47Breeze move?
13:48No, I'm going to back up.
13:50Hit.
13:52John backs away from the active lane.
14:08It's just a lot of snow and a lot of weight coming up this side.
14:12It's pretty much a straight drop here.
14:14Pulling up a 40 degree slope.
14:17Yeah, I'd get a low line on this side.
14:20Just to pull the trailer down.
14:23And that'll kind of lift up on the fifth wheel plate and give that tractor some lift too.
14:27Okay.
14:28They need to counter the resistance on the front of the wreck.
14:33Go for it.
14:35With Lane's 50 ton levering down on the rear.
14:43Fighting us a little bit here on this peg.
14:45Okay.
14:49John gets the lift he needs on the tractor.
14:54The cab gave a good twist.
14:56Until he runs out of room.
15:01That's okay, though.
15:05Pull ahead, swing it the rest of the lane.
15:07Okay.
15:10A quick reposition.
15:15Just watch yourself, Lane. I'm going to swing it up.
15:21And the nose.
15:24It's coming up. Nice no.
15:27Finally comes around.
15:30There we go.
15:33Touching down with a flashy finish.
15:37Battery cables.
15:39The wreck is back on the road.
15:42Fun in a way and rewarding because you get to see everything that you've done at the end of the
15:47day.
15:48For Lane and John, teamwork and quick thinking.
15:52Okay, good on this side.
15:54You got it.
15:55Made for a safe and speedy recovery.
15:58Alrighty, let's get this freaking thing out of here and go home.
16:02Thanks for coming out.
16:03We got her out.
16:05We're hooked up and it's time to get this thing out of here and go home.
16:08With Reliable's wreck heading off the highway.
16:12It's clear sailing.
16:13The area is safe for the next recovery team.
16:17That's the number one goal is to keep public safe, open the roads, keep the commodities flowing.
16:23Oh, I love winter.
16:40What's going on, driver?
16:44What's going on, driver?
16:45400 kilometers northeast.
16:47Drive here, I want to hold up here before Revelstoke.
16:50Oh.
16:52Lies Reliable's Revelstoke division, Ben's towing.
16:56One of the things of having several different locations throughout BC is to be able to provide the best service
17:01we can to our customers.
17:04Hey Mike, you copy.
17:05Heading out from home base.
17:08You can check on last too if anybody's seen a breakdown out there.
17:12A 50 ton heavy.
17:14Winter's here.
17:17Launches onto the Trans-Canada.
17:19A little bit wet, a little bit slushy.
17:22With heavy operator, Mike Topperchat.
17:26It's a different kind of highway than anywhere else.
17:28A lot of people say that highways like the Coker, you see a lot of destruction there.
17:33A lot of chaos, but there's nothing like what you see on this highway.
17:38If you're prepared, it can be a lot of fun.
17:40If you're not prepared, it can turn bad very quickly.
17:45Linking BC to the rest of Canada through the Rockies and surrounding mountains,
17:51Highway 1 via Revelstoke is an essential trade route with no viable alternates in case of a shutdown.
18:01All your groceries, all your dry goods, all your mail are all running on this corridor.
18:06Any of the nearest detours add nearly 12 hours to your trip.
18:09So this is the route and there's no other option.
18:12When this road's closed, everything's stopped.
18:15And it stays stopped until we open it.
18:19Oh yeah, we're hitting snow already.
18:21At 4.30 a.m.
18:24When I see traffic coming, so that means the road's not, may not be entirely blocked.
18:30Uh, never mind. That looks kind of blocked to me.
18:38A jackknifed semi has the vital corridor completely cut off.
18:46This is an ASAP job. This is as fast as we can get it done, the better.
18:53Loading with, uh, electronics.
18:56Highway authorities are anxious to clear the growing backlog of motorists.
19:01Let's go, let's go, let's go.
19:04But, a quick investigation.
19:07Everything in the back end is done. It's, the axle's tweaking everything.
19:11Reveals the tractor won't be an easy move.
19:15Wouldn't be surprised if they rode it off.
19:16This one in particular has had a bit of a rough ride.
19:18And it's twisted his axles of shape.
19:21I can get it straight out and lay it open real quick.
19:23I'm just gonna need to turn around.
19:29Aiming his winches.
19:31Can I borrow you? Just pull that out.
19:33And enlisting the help of the highway's rep.
19:36Just gonna throw a chain on there quick.
19:41Mike Riggs to the tow hook.
19:46I got it.
19:49Hoping for a quick pull out.
19:52All right, let's rock and roll.
19:55You're a driver.
19:57Hop in.
20:04We'll see what it looks like when it gets out, let's at least get traffic flushed.
20:08As he starts straightening the jackknife.
20:12Oh, that's good.
20:18Oh, bitch.
20:19Mike hits a snag.
20:23There's some damage somewhere in the truck to the air system.
20:26In that situation, it locks up all his brakes.
20:28And with traffic building in both directions.
20:32We're gonna have to reinvent this a little bit, because it's not gonna do what I want.
20:35He needs to quickly come up with a new plan.
20:39Definitely not get by this one.
20:43The driver's heading west into Revy. It's all bunged up.
20:46On Highway 1 near Revelstoke.
20:49I got a truck jackknife.
20:51A total traffic shutdown.
20:55I know.
20:56As Mike from Ben's towing.
20:59Whole back end is destroyed.
21:01Scrambling to get wheels rolling.
21:04It's a matter of finding where to put air in to release his brakes.
21:06When trucks jackknife, typically, when they make contact with the cab, they'll break the cab mounting components.
21:12Oftentimes, they can break the airlines and electrical lines that supply the trailer.
21:18Yeah, that bit right there.
21:20He discovers the problem.
21:23Yeah, you broke an airline.
21:25It's full of fuel and it's leaking.
21:27But air isn't the only thing pouring out.
21:31Of course it is.
21:32No such thing as a simple jackknife.
21:35Hey, I need a tractor out east right away, please.
21:38And grab the plug-in dyke and bring it with you.
21:40Mike puts an urgent call to home base for a repair kit.
21:44ASAP, please.
21:45If it's not contained, that's going to eventually leach down into the river and into the watershed.
21:50But with authorities breathing down his neck.
21:54What's the hold up?
21:55And the vital corridor still blocked.
22:00Okay, I'm going to see if I can muscle this thing out, but I don't know if it's going to
22:03cooperate with me.
22:05Mike needs to get things moving.
22:08We've got a lot of pressure on these morning wrecks.
22:10All the trucks are gearing up for the day.
22:13They're going to be coming hot on us.
22:14We need to have the road open.
22:18In addition to a second winch line, he runs an airline to the trailer.
22:24We can release the brakes on the trailer, and that'll help us out.
22:31Not better.
22:35Hitting the sticks.
22:36There we go.
22:38This time, the wheels roll.
22:41Our first goal is to get the wreck straightened out.
22:45Get at least a lane open so we can get traffic flowing in some sense.
22:50A few more feet.
22:54That's straight enough.
22:55And the westbound lane is wide open.
22:59That's about as good as that's going to get.
23:05Traffic control.
23:08Releases the waiting drivers.
23:11We're getting up.
23:13Watch your back.
23:17We're just dealing with mop up stage here now.
23:20It is what it is at this point.
23:21There's going to be cleaned up no matter what you do.
23:22As soon as you crash like that, that's the end of it.
23:25As day breaks.
23:27Morning!
23:28Emergency supplies arrive to contain the spill.
23:32Each side is 155 gallons.
23:34So let's assume anywhere from 100 to 150 gallons leaked out.
23:38We're going to put some floor dry down.
23:40And Mike seals the leak on the fuel tank.
23:43Contain the diesel as much as we can.
23:50That's what we want right there.
23:53With the kingpin released.
23:55Okay, pin's pulled.
23:56Landing gear's down.
23:58Good stuff.
24:03The unit is disconnected.
24:06Okay, we'll get these wound up.
24:08We'll get you to turn this around.
24:12We're going to get a hold here in a minute.
24:14I've got to get around the trailer.
24:15Liam's got to get up the road to turn around.
24:20The axles have been twisted on the truck.
24:22We can't tow it as a combination to a safe spot.
24:32Any better it'd be textbook.
24:34Liam's going to tow the tractor into town.
24:36Yeah, you're good to go.
24:37And I'll see you back in the yard.
24:39And I'm going to take the trailer.
24:43Ninety minutes since Mike's arrival.
24:46Okay, I'm going to clear out going the other way.
24:48The crucial leg through the Rockies has been restored.
24:53The roadways in BC are a vital link to our overall economy in Canada.
25:00So our job is to clear the road as quickly as possible.
25:03Good times are good times, right?
25:05Highways is happy. We got it done quick.
25:06I'm happy that Highways is happy.
25:09Thank you for being out here.
25:15There's supposed to be another storm rolling in.
25:18400 kilometers southwest.
25:21I can't get anybody awake around here so just send me that call.
25:25At his yard in Hope, Jamie Davis takes a much needed break from the office.
25:32I carry a lot on my shoulders.
25:34I deal with the maintenance.
25:36I dispatch the long haul trucks.
25:39I deal with accountants.
25:40It does sometimes become quite a bit.
25:45With another storm just hours away.
25:49We go up the cork all the time.
25:51There's always guys breaking down on the hill.
25:54Jamie and his 25-ton wrecker, Lucy, have a short window.
25:59A lot of snow on top but not down below.
26:03To come to the aid of a valued customer.
26:07It is actually brutally tough on this hill.
26:10Today's environment is ultra-competitive.
26:13For me, it was important always to have customers that you dealt with for a long time.
26:18People that know you.
26:19And they would phone you back.
26:22Hey.
26:24What's this look like?
26:25I can move my fan or my fan belt all around.
26:31I've heard that there's a...
26:33There's a recall on the idlers.
26:37He's going to take it into the shop so we can close her up and get it fixed properly.
26:44Not roadside.
26:47Despite the incoming storm...
26:49These are my favourite little lift straps. They're real good.
26:52Securing the truck for transport is not to be rushed.
26:57We used to use chain all the time.
26:59When you put the chains on, it's too hard to get them to be 100% tight.
27:04They're always coming loose and...
27:06I actually like this the best.
27:09That'll get us up the hill.
27:10It could be catastrophic if a truck wasn't tied off properly or came off.
27:17I'm just going to get the tools to get ready to take the shaft out.
27:19The final step is Jamie's least favourite.
27:23Nobody likes pulling shafts, but that's got an automatic transmission in it and you can't even pull that by feet.
27:29They don't lubricate and you can do a lot of damage.
27:32With motorists speeding by just inches away...
27:37Oh, watch out!
27:40Okay, I'll get under there and start.
27:42He crawls between the wheels, now blind to approaching drivers.
27:48You know, you're doing 110 or 120, whatever it is.
27:52And easy for somebody to just not be paying attention for that one iota of a minute.
27:58That's how those accidents happen a lot of times.
28:01Slow down.
28:06That's not supposed to come in here a little bit.
28:09That's not supposed to come in here a little bit.
28:10On the coquihalla.
28:13Oh.
28:15I didn't think any sense for that guy to slow down at all, would it?
28:19Jamie hurries to detach a drive shaft.
28:24It fucks me man, they don't get it.
28:26And get out of harm's way.
28:28Plus being on the hill.
28:32They just don't get it.
28:33You know, they call it the smasher for a reason.
28:36You're going to move as quick as you can, efficiently as you can.
28:39Pick that thing up, get the shaft out of it, air it up and let's get off the road.
28:44Go get my remote.
28:46Oh, I got it right here.
28:49Extending his wheel lift to roll the truck backward.
28:52Perfect.
28:54He aligns the drive shaft to remove the final bolt.
29:00Ah, here we go.
29:03I hate the load shafts.
29:06It's frickin' heavy.
29:09Then chains it up for safe transport.
29:13Hey guys, we're good there.
29:14The dirty work's done and now it's driving.
29:18All right, we're good to go.
29:20With his rig secured, Jamie's long-time customer...
29:25All right.
29:27...lifts off for safety ahead of the storm.
29:30We're going to pull him up to the top and find a safe place to separate the units.
29:35And then we're going to tow the truck down to the repair shop.
29:39We really value that old-time, old-school relationship with a customer who knows you, he's going to phone you,
29:45he's loyal to you.
29:46But that's a good feeling to have, it really is.
29:50There you go.
29:51There's a guy with the front end.
30:09How's the weather?
30:11500 kilometers north.
30:14It says shift in the weather.
30:15I can't find that gear.
30:19In Quennell, B.C.
30:21It was just really icy last night.
30:23An auto-towing 50-tonne lumbers down Highway 97.
30:29It's really slippery.
30:32With Rob Barber on duty.
30:35The first little bit of winter driving usually takes a couple snowfalls to feel comfortable.
30:40Just a little bit too much speed.
30:42Plans go sideways pretty fast.
30:48We're just pulling up the accident scene now.
30:51Just ahead.
30:55A lumber bee train that lost the road.
30:58Holy crap.
31:02We've got to get that off the highway.
31:05It's down in front of the truck, it's way behind the truck.
31:07Some of his wood really went a long ways.
31:10Hey Rob!
31:11Joining the scene with his 12-ton folding knuckle boom crane.
31:16Today I'm the clean up guy.
31:19Odd job specialist, Alan Frisby.
31:22When he gets into predicaments, it's me, he'll give a call and we'll come out and help him out.
31:28We'll start retrieving the lumber so Rob can get his truck full out of there.
31:33Wow. There's like 43 metric ton of wood on that truck.
31:39But before they can get to the B train.
31:42We can't roll it over with the wood on it.
31:45They'll have to release its load of lumber.
31:48So that we can try to get at it a little bit better and roll the truck over.
31:53In the world of heavy recovery.
31:56Let's watch your feet.
31:57Cutting straps.
31:59Has proven.
32:01Holy crap.
32:03To be dangerous business.
32:07That's it. That's all of them.
32:11You got the sphincter tight?
32:14Having cut his share of straps over the years.
32:19Rob has innovated.
32:22I think it's a painter stick.
32:24And then it's got a hook system.
32:26You can just hook the strap and it just slices through it.
32:29So you can be far enough away from it that it shouldn't get you.
32:35A lot less chance of ever getting hurt.
32:37There he is.
32:41He's just gonna come in right there.
32:43They now need to transfer the wood off site.
32:46In the bin, yeah.
32:49Okay.
32:50Let's hit the ground, boys.
32:52So they brought in some extra hands.
32:55Four o'clock staff knew it's gonna start snowing pretty good, they said.
32:59To help beat the clock.
33:01We have a snowstorm on our way, so we've quickly gotta get this done.
33:04Because if we get a dump of snow, we'll have to dig everything out in the morning.
33:11We'll try to get as much done before the snow comes.
33:13Let's go.
33:14Let's go.
33:21Let's go.
33:39Let's go.
33:42Let's go.
34:01Let's go.
34:06Let's go.
34:08Let's go.
34:14Let's go.
34:21Let's go.
34:29Let's go.
34:39Let's go.
34:43Let's go.
34:49Let's go.
34:53Let's go.
34:55up the hill. Floor barrel's open.
35:03The tow will put Al's
35:0550-ton heavy to the
35:07test.
35:08Start picking up speed.
35:13Breaking a truck up there during a
35:15storm is, uh, it's not good.
35:18But when things
35:19let go, he's got no control.
35:21Things go boom.
35:26Heavy load here.
35:28On Snowshed Hill.
35:30Gotta pedal the clutch.
35:32Pedal the throttle. A super
35:34heavy tow. A little bit of hopeful.
35:37As Al pushing
35:38Big Green to its upper
35:40limit. Pucker factor on the seat
35:42sometimes. Hauling
35:44a container load in excess
35:46of 130,000
35:48pounds.
35:50One bad shift
35:52could sap their momentum.
35:54We're gonna actually start
35:55picking up gears because
35:56the two of us are starting to work
35:58together
35:59to get efficient traction
36:01to make it up that hill.
36:04Looks like you've been heard
36:05about me and you didn't hear me.
36:11Cruising
36:11through the final stretch
36:14big green
36:14as the B-train's
36:16driver to thank.
36:20Did not like a pro.
36:22People don't want to shift
36:23because they think
36:23as soon as they shift
36:24they'll power up
36:25but I got...
36:26That's what I was...
36:27I need to go for it.
36:28Yeah, that was awesome.
36:30We survived.
36:32We made it up to him.
36:34After 14 hours
36:35on the coke...
36:37You bet.
36:39Owl's shift
36:39is done.
36:41You know,
36:42here's a helping hand
36:43let's get to the top
36:43of the hill
36:44have yourself a safe trip
36:46to wherever you're going.
36:47I've been doing that
36:48for years up there
36:49and that's what I think
36:51will carry my family's
36:52business for
36:52more generations to come.
36:58I want to be done by dark
36:59because we got more snow coming.
37:01Outside Quenelle
37:02Team Otto
37:04I don't know
37:05if that'll come apart
37:05or not.
37:06Here we are
37:07the caribou rotator.
37:08And Alan Frisby
37:09Okay, perfect.
37:11We'll make it look beautiful.
37:13Are making light work
37:14of a heavy lumber offload.
37:18Each bundle
37:18I'm going to guess
37:193,000 to 4,000 pounds
37:20at the most
37:21so I got about
37:226,000 pounds there
37:23maybe 8
37:25come out of there
37:26like nothing.
37:27I hope.
37:29My crane
37:30is a folding knuckle boom
37:31it's a 12 ton.
37:32we get into areas
37:34that are a little
37:35more challenging.
37:37Heads up.
37:42Watch that side
37:43don't slide on you.
37:45It's a high value load.
37:49All fur,
37:50premium wood.
37:51That can still
37:52be salvaged.
37:53It's really nice wood.
37:55It should be worth
37:56about 120,000
37:57for the quality
37:58of wood
37:58that's on the truck today.
38:03They're done.
38:04Cool.
38:07With enough lumber
38:08out of the way
38:10the next challenge
38:11is to land the wreck.
38:13We'll roll it back
38:14onto its wheels again
38:15and then
38:16he'll drag it away.
38:17I'll rig up my lines
38:19and I'll
38:20attach a couple chains.
38:22Where am I
38:22tagging on to?
38:24With two lines
38:25from the 50 ton
38:26to the tractor
38:27and Alan's crane
38:29rigged
38:30to the trailer's
38:31midpoint
38:32they'll roll
38:33the unit
38:34onto its wheels.
38:36Snow incoming.
38:37But with the snowstorm
38:39about to hit
38:40Let's get her.
38:41The team pushes
38:42to get the recovery
38:44done fast.
38:45Let's go!
38:46I got a call
38:47for a road pudger.
38:50We don't want
38:51to be
38:51taking forever
38:52because time
38:53is money.
38:54Stopping traffic
38:57Rob moves in.
39:00Are you confident
39:01it's not going
39:01to hit your truck?
39:03As long as you
39:04don't slide
39:05it will be good.
39:07There's barely
39:08nine feet
39:09between the wreck
39:10and the crane truck.
39:12It seems pretty tight.
39:14Here.
39:14It seems like
39:15it might be a little
39:16close to his truck
39:16when he rolls it over
39:17but he feels
39:18he's got lots of room
39:19and he's pretty
39:20comfortable with that.
39:21With Alan
39:22on his handheld controls
39:24Are we ready?
39:25Rob
39:25Let me lead it.
39:27makes his move.
39:29So that doesn't
39:30slam in the ground
39:31quite as hard
39:31it's going to be
39:32unpolite.
39:36Keep her going.
39:37Come on.
39:39Oh my.
39:44Outside Quinell
39:45Oh crapola.
39:46On Highway 97
39:49It's going to slam
39:49on the ground.
39:50It's going to be
39:51unpolite.
39:52Otto's Lumber B
39:53train rollover
39:55It's coming on
39:56its own now.
40:01Oh my.
40:03Slams into place.
40:05Yeah.
40:05It was a good one.
40:07There it's done.
40:09It was tundra room.
40:10Put it up on the road
40:12for you.
40:14With a final tug
40:16sideways
40:16the B train
40:19He can now
40:20take it.
40:20Is back
40:21on solid ground.
40:23That's going to turn
40:24around now
40:24and hook onto it.
40:29Rob plans to roll
40:31it off the main drag
40:32to a safe pull out.
40:34Yeah.
40:34We're going to
40:35haul it one piece.
40:38But a mechanic
40:39on site
40:40We're at the bulkhead.
40:42Oh.
40:42Discovers
40:43We're at the valve.
40:44A showstopper.
40:47An air leak.
40:48When the guy
40:49rolled the trailer over
40:50he broke a valve.
40:52If we can't fix
40:53his airline
40:53we're going to have
40:54to cage all five axles
40:56to release all the brakes
40:57which will take forever.
40:59I don't think
41:00I got a valve.
41:01I go look
41:02in the tickle trunk.
41:05We can be here a while
41:06if he doesn't have
41:07all the story
41:07feelings to do it.
41:11Kind of part of life
41:12right?
41:12You try to keep
41:13enough crap
41:14that you can fix junk.
41:16I have a friend
41:17with an auto wrecker
41:18and I try to collect
41:19junk from his place.
41:21It's unreal
41:21how much he use it.
41:24What are the chances
41:25of me actually
41:26having that coupler?
41:28Well it's a good thing
41:29if you have it.
41:30Rob's tickle trunk
41:31treasure.
41:32Oh like it was
41:33meant to be.
41:34Saves the day.
41:36I think we're
41:37going to be golden.
41:38It's kind of nice
41:38when you have
41:39that little pile
41:40of extra brass goodies.
41:41Should be good.
41:42Hopefully I'm going
41:43to go push the button
41:44and we're not going
41:44to hear any air leaks.
41:47You're rolling.
41:48These wheels
41:49are turning.
41:52Hey.
41:53With the trailer's
41:54brakes released
41:55impressive to watch.
41:56Rob and Alan
41:58pull off
41:58another win.
42:00Everything went smooth.
42:01Again working with Rob.
42:02he's good at what he does.
42:04L's always awesome
42:05to work with.
42:06He relies on me
42:07I rely on him.
42:10That's 85 feet
42:11for the truck
42:12and 38 feet
42:13for me.
42:15There we go.
42:16Headed for a safe space
42:18off the highway.
42:19Okay.
42:20I'm leaving the scene now.
42:23Rob is optimistic
42:24about Otto's road ahead.
42:29Today went really well.
42:30There was a lot of pieces
42:31there to clean up
42:32and get moved off the road.
42:35This winter of Otto
42:36we're hoping for
42:36a good snowfall
42:37and some cold weather
42:38and not to blow
42:40any trucks up.
42:49next time
42:51on highway through hell
42:53a loaded lumber wreck
42:55you actually can't
42:56see the truck
42:57has Otto
42:58what a mess man
42:59grappling
43:00bit of a funky smeller
43:02that's amazing
43:03a messy manure tanker
43:05really starting to smell
43:06around here
43:06takes a turn
43:08for myrrh
43:09let the festivities begin
43:10and a mystery man
43:13we've had a guy
43:14in front of the gate
43:15all day long
43:16at Jamie's door
43:17hello
43:48we've had a guy
43:52we've had a guy
43:53we've had a guy
43:53we've had a guy
43:54we've had a guy
43:54we've had a guy
43:55we've had a guy
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