Season Two: Ice Road Truckers

Ice Road Truckers, the reality show that was such a big hit on the History Channel, is back for another season. I'll admit I was hooked last year - mostly because of the personalities of the truckers and how they met their challenges. I didn't have much use for Hugh - he seemed to be a blowhard who blamed equipment failures on his drivers. He bought four trucks at an auction and put them on the ice road. You wouldn't catch me in a junk truck under those conditions, much less any other situation. These trucks were one wheel away from the truck graveyard, and that is where they probably would have ended up if Hugh didn't buy them. His main driver Rick had one that the heater never worked properly. How the hell was that his fault?

Anyways, I rooted for Rick, TJ, Alex and Jay. TJ was a rookie, and did well. Alex was the grizzled veteran who never lost his cool. Jay was the young professional who grew up on the ice, and who coolly met the challenges that came his way. Drew, another of Hugh's drivers, was a nice guy, but he had some troubles that didn't make sense. For instance, he lost his battery box. It wasn't his fault it fell off, but his not noticing it was. I fail to understand how he could drive over it after it fell off without noticing something.

The History Channel got kicked off the ice road they ran on last season. The mining companies felt the drivers were portrayed in a negative light - no sacrifice to great to get the next load, and safety out the window. So, Thom Beers, the producer, found another road to film on. Four of the original drivers are back - Alex, Hugh, Rick and Drew. Hugh is no longer running his own trucks and is working for another company, as are the other drivers. I'd say they are getting some bucks from Beers to do this again. Alex and Hugh have been owner operators for some time, so getting them to work for someone else would have to involve some sort of incentive. There are some new faces as well.

So, it will be interesting to say the least. The pecking order of the drivers has been upset, and there are all kinds of possibilities for interesting situations. I suspect I'll be hooked as usual.