Ice road trucking captured our hearts and minds when the History Channel aired the groundbreaking series that paralleled a group of ice dogs who wrangled loads on a frontier that would chill most truckers to the bone!

We watched them traverse some of the most unforgiving terrains we could possibly imagine, never before even assuming a big rig could be driven on the ice. From Britain to Australia, the world was captivated by the transport operations in the frigid northern regions of the North American continent, a place inhabitable by most natural life.

The show was an instant hit with over three million viewers tuning in to the premiere, making it History Channel’s most-watched broadcast at the time. For a decade, we followed the trucks and rooted for our favorite drivers who went across the ice, over the snow, through whiteout blizzards and past insurmountable terrain. We held our breath as the ice cracked and creaked underneath tons of heavy machinery—machinery never intended to traverse such precarious terrain.

Through the years, we’ve seen drivers come and go, we’ve watched fights and tussles erupt between cast members. Breakdowns would press razor-thin nerves to the brink and deadlines were always chomping at the rear axles of the speed-limited trucks as they made their steady, deliberate charge across the treacherous terrain.

Trucking is already a difficult trade as it is; ask any driver who’s earned their share of bloodshot eyes, white knuckles, and erroneous moving violations. Add the element of ice and snow over frozen masses of water, and you’re bound to learn a few lessons.

Unfortunately, some of these lessons could only be learned the hard way, and as the cast of Ice Road Truckers would eventually learn, some of them would come with a hefty price tag. Darrel Ward, you are not forgotten.

15 They Don’t Get Paid The “Big Bucks”

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Thom Beers is the producer behind the show, and he’s also produced a bunch of other projects – most of which focus on the average lives of average people who happen to do extraordinary jobs. Let’s face it—the ridiculous Kardashians are only so relatable when their biggest life issue is which color car they want to drive from the motor pool. In an effort to keep the show “authentic,” Thom apparently didn’t’ want the stars making too much money.

By signing multi-year contracts, he ensured low pay for the cast, even when the show became a hit. The ice road truckers were also prohibited from lucrative endorsements that would have supplemented their income. Way to keep the working man down, Beers!

14 You Have To Be Nice To People

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Tim Zickuhr is learning a few lessons the hard way; one of them is some hard time – a lot of it. His last run-in with the wrong side of the law though was just the final straw for the justice system, and Tim has a few other interesting things about him that even his friends can’t stand. After unlawfully “commandeering” a bunch of—wait for it—hair care products from a store, he ran them over to his best friend’s pet kennel.

Wanting nothing to do with this nefarious activity, Tim’s “friend” had a few pointers for him: “Call the cops (on yourself); don’t ever call me again; our friendship is over…” That’s a pretty clear message if you ask us.

13 The Mountain Air Isn’t Always So Fresh

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Lisa Kelly captured our hearts and inspired women everywhere by showing us that it isn’t just a man’s world—women can be road “kings” as well. But this would come at a cost to her; the more popular she became, the more the cameras focused on her.

They would fixate on her so much, in fact, that it would cause her to take a hiatus from the show to “get grounded again,” according to Screen Rant. Another lesson she’d learn the hard way—why you never shut your engine off on the ice roads, because it may be the last time it starts on its own!

12 The Ice Roads Aren’t The Only Danger For Truckers

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Darrell Ward was a 30-year veteran of the roads; the experienced trucker brought personality and compassion to the frigid atmosphere with a warm heart that was willing to help even his competitors in a bind; he was a true trucker at heart. Unfortunately, his attendance at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas would be his last interaction with a tractor-trailer.

While returning from the show in a single-engine Cessna 182, on August 28th, 2016, an unexplained right turn on a final approach to their destination airport would end with a tragic plane crash, claiming both him and the 182’s pilot. He is survived by a son and daughter.

11 Danger Isn’t “As Seen On TV”

via Truck Choices

The gripping show outlines the precarious trek through some of the most unforgiving terrains you could possibly put a truck on. Although the dangers are real, the show needed to pump up the suspense to give the audience something to chew on. After all, nobody wants to watch the “reality” of a reality show, even though they think they do.

IRT is no different. That didn’t stop the production from feigning that danger at every turn, and the cast had no choice but to go along with it. In actuality, the ice roads were much tamer than the show would lead to believe.

10 The Proving Grounds Are Endless

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It was understood that the waiting list for a driver’s slot on the ice roads stretched on for years, with some even estimating up to a decade. Whether or not that's true, it’s not hard to imagine that a nationally acclaimed show would entice drivers from all corners of the nation to apply—all with impressive resumes.

With such a difficult qualification process, many were upset to see Steph Custance, a rookie driver with next to no experience, slide into one of the coveted tractor seats to chance her luck on the ice roads. She’d constantly feel the need to prove herself, and some would never give her due credit.

9 The Roads Are Dangerous On (And Off) The Show

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Todd Dewey, a former ice road trucker, knows all about the dangers of the road; mixing 80,000 lbs of machinery and momentum can have catastrophic effects when things go haywire. Any driver that’s put a decent number of miles under his belt can tell you stories; Dewey recently added another to his repertoire.

Overdrive reported on January 11th, 2019 that the driver was involved in a tragic accident when a 1996 Saturn veered into his lane, directly in front of his truck. He was unharmed, but the Saturn wasn’t so fortunate. It’s a constant reminder that the roads are never really safe, and perilous danger is never more than a mile away.

8 You May Have An Alter Ego, Without Even Knowing It

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In the excitement and awe of becoming a newly minted reality star, many cast members, in almost every reality show ever produced, find out the hard way that the person portrayed on TV may not necessarily be the “them” in real life.

Rick Yemm, the “incompetent bad guy,” says that he was forced to be Hughes' sidekick, and appeared much different on the show than he actually is in real life. “We all get slated into these character roles, and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he tells Huliq. “They take small parts of our personality…that’s [the] small part of me they exploit.”

7 You Shall Not Pass

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Money makes the world go around, and as big and bad as Ice Road Truckers was, even the production couldn’t force their way on the mining companies that ran some of the ice roads. Being a reality show production isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and for every person that adores the show, it’s likely that there are ten who can’t stand it. Among those are people in the know, such as truckers, equipment operators and even mining companies.

The Tibbitt to Conwoyto Winter Road was the first season’s focus, but after rubbing local mining companies the wrong way by the show’s portrayal of the mining operations, all commercial filming was prohibited by the mines, forcing the production to “find another road.”

6 Your Best Friends Aren’t Always There For You

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People love dogs, and the cast members of the ice roads are no different. Trucking is one of the loneliest jobs one can undertake, and many drivers have furry companions romping around the cab with them to keep company. When Lisa Kelly picked up a dog she named Rampur Jackson, he instantly became the most-loved non-driving member of the whole show (and arguably more loved than some of the drivers).

The love was only temporary though, and Rampur would eventually end up living with one of the show’s producers in California. It’s hard to part with a four-legged companion, but Rampur is no doubt happier in the perpetual sunshine.

5 The Drivers' Lives Are Important, Not The Film Crew's

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Just because the utmost caution was taken to preserve the safety of the drivers and support crew during the mining operations, it doesn’t mean the production would follow the same devout considerations for their own crews. The ice road truckers had more rules to follow than you could stuff into an OSHA manual, but the film crew was known to take dangerous risks to capture the perfect shot.

Where speed was not mandated by company regulations, the production tended to favor speeds of around 40 mph to capture “action” sequences. Frequently, during these sequences, cameramen were known to hang their bodies, and camera equipment, out the window of the chase cars (against regulations) to get just the right shot.

4 There Are Two Sides To Every Story

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Although reality shows are known for being notoriously cheap and low budget, they nonetheless invest money into a production that they expect to get a return off of. Every detail in the show is calculated and contrived to fit the narrative they want to run, and that narrative will run regardless of how the cast feels about it.

David Redmon appeared on over two dozen episodes of Ice Road Truckers, but like Yemm, was slotted into a bad guy role. He asserts that the show even tried to make them quit by putting the two drivers in dangerous equipment, risking their lives! His side of the story would only surface in post interviews of his experience. He’s bitter to this day, as many former reality stars are.

3 Ice Road Truckers Can Cost You For A Lifetime

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Life endangerment isn’t the only thing the ice road truckers had to contend with. Hugh Rowland would find out the hard way that there are  things on the line that weren’t ever in the contract; other things that nobody could have ever seen coming. Hugh was riding in a pickup truck with one of the show’s producers, William Morrison, when he (Morrison) lost control of the vehicle.

The ice road trucker suffered the brunt of the injuries – ones that would affect more than just his ability to work. A lawsuit was filed, and part of that suit sought damages for Hugh’s wife, as the accident permanently affected the intimate aspect of their marriage.

2 It Doesn’t Matter How Good You Are

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Rick Yemm appeared to have a problem with the young and inexperienced Steph Custance, as well as Lisa Kelly. The show may have exaggerated this to a large degree, but he nonetheless felt that he was surrounded by lackluster talent—but it wasn’t only the drivers that wore Yemm’s patience low.

According to D1 Productions, even some of the cameramen were so green, they’d barely learned how to use the equipment literally seconds before they were required to operate it. You’d at least think that the show would field a competent film crew, but this was not the case at all.

1 Lie Down And Take It—Or Get The Axe

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Hugh Rowland has been in love with trucking for nearly his entire life. Any veteran driver could tell you that you need to know when to pick and choose your battles, as there are many. From four-wheelers and dock lumpers, to DOT inspections and speed traps—sometimes you just have to lay down and take it.

The accident that left him permanently disabled was a different story, however, and Rowland took a stand for what he claimed was reckless driving on the part of the producer. With his pending lawsuit stinking up the production, the network decided that Huge had to bite the snow. Ice Road Truckers, by extension, was responsible for their own casting folly that would take one of our favorite drivers.

Sources: TMZ, Daily News, Screen Rant, Overdrive, Huliq.