[Narrator] This time on Highway Thru Hell...
a chain reaction...
[Rob] I can't believe the traffic.
[Narrator] ...puts Autow...
[Rob] Give it a shot!
[Narrator] ...to the test.
[Alan] Hey!
Whoa, whoa!
[Al] Whoo, doggy!
[Narrator] Quirings in the quagmire...
We'll get James in there with his boots.
[Narrator] ...with an old friend...
[James] No, no, no, no! Hey!
Holy!
[Narrator] ...and Reliable...
[John] Oh, I love winter.
[Narrator] ...fighting the deep freeze.
[Narrator] Subzero temperatures...
[Narrator] ...have hit B.C.'s Cariboo region...
[Narrator] ...as the morning rush builds
on Highway 97.
[Narrator] Two semis are blocking all lanes
on the vital route to the north.
[Narrator] Both drivers remained on scene.
It's lots of icy up there, eh?
Yeah, that's why it happened.
Yeah.
[Narrator] Responding in a 50-tonne Autow wrecker...
[Rob] It's good all night long,
and then 6:00 the morning, it freezes.
[Narrator] ...is owner-operator Rob Barber.
[Rob] The last couple days,
our Highways department,
they're going out and checking the roads,
and they're good,
and then 10 minutes later,
they just ice right over,
and become skating rinks.
Sometimes, Mother Nature will kinda trick everybody.
[Narrator] Arriving on scene...
[Rob] Can't believe the traffic.
[Narrator] ...Rob is met
by B.C. Highway Patrol Constable Lukas Dowsett.
The highway isn't opening until...
We clear these?
Until this is at least done.
We're just trying to get the trucks out of the way
to reopen the highway,
so we can get all these people going to work,
going to school,
whatever they need to do.
[Narrator] The pressure is on
to quickly clear the two wrecks holding up traffic.
[Rob] If we don't get it off the road...
...you're gonna have another accident.
[engine starting]
[♪]
[horns blare, engines roar past]
[Narrator] Just north of Quesnel...
[Narrator] ...an icy chain reaction...
[Rob] I'm ju trying to get the road opened up.
[Narrator] ...has Rob rushing to reopen Highway 97.
Priority is to get the one truck outta the ditch
and get a lane open,
so that the Highways can start to put their salt
or gravel on the road.
[Narrator] Travelling northbound,
a flatdeck B-train lost control,
spun around,
and landed in the ditch.
Hot on its heels,
a second semi,
trying to avoid the crash,
jackknifed,
before coming to a stop across the highway.
[Rob] Okay!
[Narrator] With the driver at the wheel,
Rob winches the tractor out of the ditch...
[Rob] I think that'll be okay now.
[Narrator] ...then drags it onto the road...
[Rob] Yeah, I'm moving now.
[Narrator] ...with the 50-tonne.
[Rob] The quickest way
is just to pull forward.
[Narrator] With another wreck to clear...
[Narrator] ...Rob hopes the trucker can drive away
on his own.
There's no real big damage done to the truck,
which will save time
and saves me some work.
[Narrator] One rig on its way,
Highways' maintenance...
[Rob] They're gonna sand it, salt it,
and then let traffic roll.
[Narrator] ...can lay down some traction.
Traffic's released.
There should be less chance of a secondary crash.
[Narrator] Now Rob can turn his attention
to the wreck in the ditch...
[Rob] Well, the front tires are hanging in the air,
and it's sitting on its fuel tanks.
[Narrator] ...but recovering the unit safely...
[Rob] If we just drag it backwards,
that will guarantee it will rip off.
[Narrator] ...will require a precision lift.
[Rob] It's not good for the environment.
Not good for us.
I don't have a rotator to lift it up in the air
and relieve that pressure.
[Narrator] With hardly any damage...
[Rob] I just don't wanna hurt the truck.
[driver] Yeah.
[Narrator] ...the rig should be able to drive away.
They can miss their trip,
and lose their day's pay,
so we don't want to hold them up
any longer than necessary.
[phone call ringing]
[Narrator] ...but to get the tool he needs...
[Rob] Hello, how are you?
[Narrator] ...Rob calls for backup.
You kinda gotta think out of the box
and use the equipment that's around you.
We could be here 45 minutes.
We're waitin'.
[Narrator] 600 kilometres south...
[Narrator] ...in the Fraser Valley...
[Narrator] ...an 80,000-pound excavator...
...is mired in mud.
30 minutes out,
at the Quiring yard...
[Al Quiring] Okay, let's roll.
[Narrator] ...a D9 dozer readies for action.
Okay, watch out!
[Al] Heading out into the backwoods
to do some old-fashioned fishing.
[Narrator] Today, Al Quiring
is joined by the next generation...
[Al] Turn it this way, just a bit!
[Narrator] ...his son, 31-year-old Cary Quiring.
[Cary] Working with family,
you can't put a price on that.
[Al] All right.
Got it.
That'll do.
I'm glad I can hang out with him.
That's what I live for.
All right, here we go.
[Cary] Copy, Dad.
[Al] My family's business
is on its fourth generation operating right now.
With my dad gone,
I've been doing my best to pass that on.
Cary's slowly working into it and taking over.
[Narrator] For today's job,
Al is leaving the heavy wreckers at home.
I'm gonna steal Mom's pickup
and take one of the CATs
for a little joyride. [chuckling]
[Narrator] Arriving outside a local farm...
[Al] All righty.
[Narrator] ...Al rolls out
in the 110,000-pound dozer...
[Al] I'm going through the bush.
[Narrator] ...but to reach the wreck...
[Al] I'm gonna be knocking trees down.
[Narrator] ...he needs to navigate the rugged terrain.
[Al] You wouldn't get a wrecker in there.
Not even close.
Whoo, doggy!
We're just driving through the forest
to potentially root up a Sasquatch somewhere.
Rawr!
There's always a possibility, right?
[Cary] All righty.
[Narrator] 800 metres into the bush...
[Al] This is a big machine.
[Narrator] ...Al gets his first look
at the sunken excavator...
[Al] It's a new machine.
It's mired down,
quite far down in the bog.
It's not very far from taking a gulp full of water
through the air-intake system
and killing itself off.
[James Luke] This is the fun part.
[Narrator] ...but they also find...
[Al] James Luke!
[Narrator] ...a familiar face.
[Al] It's funny to see you in the mud puddle,
and not chained up
on the side of the Coquihalla Highway.
[laughing]
Bam! Just like that!
[Narrator] After more than a decade in heavy recovery...
This road's not even that bad!
[Narrator] ...James Luke...
[James] All right.
[Narrator] ...has moved on to other pursuits.
Do I miss towing?
Uh, yeah.
I miss big wrecks.
[Narrator] Today...
[Al] What's going on here, why are we here?
[Narrator] ...James is helping a friend.
[James] Well, one of the machines
came across one part here, and it sank.
I got a panicked phone call
saying that they were stuck.
Better call Al!
[laughing]
He's got some pretty big equipment.
He's just the right guy for this job.
[Al] Is there any hope of getting to that tow lug there?
[James] Trying.
[Al] There's hooks
on the lowest part of the machine.
That would be the best.
Mud and water is very dangerous.
Very, very dangerous.
But it's quite far down in the bog,
and it's too dangerous to attempt to get in there.
There's no way we can get in there.
Ay-yi-yi.
[Narrator] Seven hours north,
outside of Quesnel...
[Rob] We're waiting.
[Narrator] ...a B-train
teetering on its fuel tanks...
has Rob needing a lift.
[Rob] If I drag him backwards or try to pull him sideways,
we could rip a fuel tank.
[Narrator] Arriving on site
is a 12-tonne Knuckle Boom Crane truck...
That's straight ice today.
[Narrator] ...with operator Alan Frisby.
[Alan] Rob just calls me
if there's a lift out once in a while.
I am called "the Cariboo rotator."
How you doing?
[Rob] Not bad.
When it comes down to a lift
that's gotta come out to the side,
or lift something out,
I am the guy that, uh, Rob gives a holler to.
Just that tank is right on the ground.
Okay.
As long as I can get the pressure off that tank.
He has the ability to pick the front of this truck up
so that they're not gonna drag on the ground.
[Narrator] The slick uneven terrain...
[Alan] The ground is covered with snow.
[Narrator] ...is far from ideal...
[Alan] I gotta make sure
I don't slough out from underneath
when I do the lift.
[Narrator] ...but it's a good angle for the lift.
We are working on a hill on a bit of a icy slope.
It's not flat whatsoever.
[Narrator] For stability...
[Alan] I do not want it to start sliding.
[Narrator] ...he deploys the outriggers...
...then extends the crane arm...
...and rigs to the front.
[Alan] I'm hoping I can lift it.
It's a ways out for me.
[Rob] Yeah, I'm gonna try a spot here.
[Narrator] Rob hooks to the rear of the tractor.
[Rob] So once he picks it up,
I will pull it backwards.
[Narrator] With a line from the 50-tonne to the rear
and a line from the Knuckle Boom to the front of the tractor,
they'll lift and pull the unit onto the road.
[Narrator] Traffic is stopped once again...
[Rob] Give it a shot!
[Narrator] ...as the Knuckle Boom
takes on the 20,000-pound tractor.
[Alan] I have to be cautious.
If something were to break...
...there's a chance of ripping open the tank...
...and then we have an environmental mess
to deal with.
- [Rob] Hey! - [Alan] Whoa! Whoa, whoa!
[Narrator] Outside Quesnel...
[Narrator] ...a B-train's fuel tanks...
[Alan] Whoa! Whoa, whoa!
[Narrator] ...threaten to rupture...
I'm worried about breaking the fuel tanks.
[Narrator] ...but after closer inspection...
[Alan] It's okay.
Nothin' leakin'.
[Narrator] ...the fuel tanks are in the clear.
[Rob] That's good.
I would call it a close call.
Why did the road give out?
[Alan] I slid off my block.
[Rob] You went backwards, right?
[Alan] The ground sank a little bit,
I slid back.
That's what I was worried about.
That was my fear,
is that there was not enough frost in the ground
to hold me up.
I'm gonna come right up to here.
Gonna come up to here?
[Alan] Yeah.
[Rob] He's gonna reposition himself...
...onto more solid ground.
[Alan] Try this again.
I'm hoping that it's gonna go a little bit better.
[Narrator] In spite of a longer reach,
Alan finds his footing...
[Alan] Hey, Rob!
Start pulling?
[Alan] Just a little bit.
[Narrator] ...and with Rob's 50-tonne helping...
[Alan] There we go.
[Narrator] ...the B-train is coming out of the ditch.
[Rob] It's pulling not too bad.
It's moving fairly gently.
[Narrator] With the final swing...
[Alan] Awesome!
[Narrator] ...the tractor is on solid ground.
[Alan] He's on the road.
No damage.
The tank, no marks, no leaks,
so we did exactly what we had to do.
[Narrator] An undamaged truck...
[Narrator] ...lets the happy driver...
[honking horn]
[Narrator] ...get back to work.
tow anything away.[Rob]a
[chuckling] It's all driving away.
He can continue his day.
He's gotta be fairly happy with the situation.
[Narrator] But before Rob can leave...
[Rob] No.
[Narrator] ...there's word of another secondary accident...
Okay.
[Narrator]...caused when traffic was stopped.
If someone's not paying attention,
they come roaring up to a dead line of traffic,
and a secondary is definitely gonna happen.
We're going to go do that.
[Narrator] Just up the road...
[Rob] I've never had this many after-crashes.
It's kinda an unusual thing.
[Narrator] A massive Hydrovac truck
has rolled into the ditch.
[Rob] A Vac truck is just a really big vacuum.
They're all steel.
They're just big and nasty.
Lots of bad things can happen pulling on them big girls.
[Narrator] Seven hours south...
[Narrator] ...in the Fraser Valley...
[Al] Oh, that might be a problem.
[Narrator] ...a sunken excavator...
[Al] There's no way we can get in there.
What can we do
to get this thing hooked on?
[Narrator] ...has Team Quiring in a quagmire.
[Al] It's not safe being under the engine area.
Something could settle,
and now you've got a worker trapped.
We're gonna rip that outta there.
[Narrator] Over the years...
[Al] Today's the day, buddy.
[Narrator] ...Al...
...and Team Green...
[Cary] Go big or go home.
[Narrator] ...have built a reputation...
[Al] Wind 'er up. Give 'er some throttle.
[Narrator] ...for tackling mud bog recoveries.
[Al] Whoo!
[Narrator] Today,
with the tow hook out of reach...
[Al] We're gonna have to get up on top of the machine.
[Narrator] ...they'll draw on years of experience
to create their own pull point.
[Al] We're gonna do it the old-fashioned way
and just work a big-ass cable around the whole machine.
[Narrator] With the hook point hidden underwater,
they'll wrap a cable around the pivot point,
and with a line from Al's D9,
pull the excavator out of the mud.
[Cary] The top corner, back corner.
[Al] A little more.
- [Cary] You got it? - [Al] Yeah.
[Al] You don't want that big heavy cable
around the bodywork of that machine,
because it's just gonna crush it all to bits.
We gotta get that cable underneath.
The strongest part of that whole machine
is between the track frame
and the, uh, excavator chassis.
I should have brought my hip-waders.
Just gotta make sure
that we get the belly wrap on the belly.
I won't have the same mechanical advantage
as grabbing it lower on the chassis,
but I'll have a better hold of it.
[Narrator] So Al...
[Al] We'll get James in there with his boots.
[Narrator] ...volunteers the newbie of the group...
[James] In the four and a half feet of water there?
It's always the question, who's gonna get wet.
[James] Swimmin' I go.
[James gasping]
Oh, my God, I am so cold.
I'm the low man.
I'm the one gonna get wet.
[gasping] Oh!
There's the cable.
[Narrator] ...but in the freezing water,
James finds the pivot point...
[James] It's piled in the mud.
[Narrator] ...is blocked off.
[Al] It's unfortunate
that the mud is oozed in around it.
Just push down,
and we'll see if we can get that house up,
and we're gonna wrap a cable around it.
[Narrator] Al enlists the operator's help
to push the chassis out of the mud.
Different situations call for different plans.
Come on!
[Narrator] Even with the excavator arm
as leverage...
[James] Still stuck.
[Narrator] ...the machine refuses to budge,
but Cary...
[Cary] Get him to turn it.
[Narrator] ...has an idea...
[Al] Could try it, yeah.
[Narrator] ...rotating the chassis
to break free of the mud surrounding the pivot point.
[Cary] Okay.
Hopefully this works.
Turning the bearing, the ROTAC bearing...
[Al] Keep going.
[Cary] That's it.
We're doing it blind, below the waterline.
[James] Yeah, it's got... it's under now.
I'm soaking wet and freezing cold.
Oh, my god.
[Al] Attaboy.
Couldn't have done it without ya.
[James] But we're ready to go.
Al's gonna get the job done.
[Al] Okay, here we go.
[Narrator] Hooked to the 80,000-pound machine...
[Al] Okay!
[Narrator] ...Al gets ready for the pull...
[Al] When you engage that winch,
it's a 140,000-pound capacity.
[Narrator] ...but even with the big D9's pulling power...
[Al] Get him to run the tracks,
but tell him not to spin.
[Narrator] ...he'll need the operator's help.
[James] Okay!
[Al] That machine is buried in the mud good,
and it's going to increase the resistance.
If you just winch,
it's never gonna break free.
Okay? Are we ready?
[Cary] Yeah.
[Al] Come on.
Get him to back up!
[James] Come on, buddy.
He's not even going.
Keep tracking back!
The tracks!
[Al] Tracks in gear!
[James] Let's go, come on!
Put it in gear!
There's mud on the pedals.
The operator is trying to stay all nice and dry.
[Narrator] The operator
finally gets the tracks moving...
Okay.
Tell him to keep doing tracks!
[Al] Put it in gear!
[Cary] Keep 'er going!
[Narrator] ...but the excavator...
[Cary] Come on, track!
Go!
[James] Don't spin!
[Narrator] ...is sinking deeper in the mud.
[Al] The tracks need to turn a little bit,
but not too fast,
because you're just digging yourself in deeper.
No, no, no, no, no!
No, no!
[Cary] Whoa, whoa!
[Al] Whoa!
[James] Whoa! No, no, no, no!
Holy!
[Al] Whoa!
[Narrator] In the Fraser Valley...
[Cary] Whoa! Hey!
[Narrator] ...Team Green's mud bog excavator rescue...
[James] No!
- [Narrator] ...is spinning... - [Cary] No!
[Narrator] ...out of control.
[Al] The tracks start spinning...
[James] It's heavy, really heavy.
[Al] It's sticking the back end down into the ground deeper
and dragging his heels in.
Just wait. Wait, wait!
[Narrator] For better traction...
[James] Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
[Narrator] ...Al heads for firmer ground.
[Al] It's too slippery,
so I'm gonna get up on top of some roots.
Here we go, boys!
[Narrator] 50 feet into the bush...
...Al starts to winch again.
[James] Okay, go slow.
Push with the stick, like, the bucket?
[Al] Hell yeah.
[James] It's moving!
[Al] Yeah, he's figured it out now. Here we go.
[Narrator] With a nudge from the boom...
[Cary] Yeah, we're coming up!
[Narrator] ...the excavator
walks out of its would-be watery grave.
[Al] There ya go, yeah, yeah, yeah!
[James] That was just enough to get it up.
[Al] That's it!
[James] He's out.
[Al] Once we got coordinated, it came out easy.
[chuckling]
The fellow's going to be able to go back to work tomorrow,
which makes me happy.
All right, fellas.
[James] All in all, it was a good day.
They came, they pulled, they went.
They did an awesome job.
I would love to work with the Quiring family again...
[groaning]
[laughing]
...as long as I don't have to be
in chest-deep water again.
[laughing]
[Al] Awesome.
James with us, it's like chocolate and peanut butter.
[laughing]
[Al] But he was in the mud,
so I'm okay with that, too.
[Cary] That was a little... exciting.
[Al] Right on.
Any day I'm working with Cary
is like the best part of my whole life.
[Cary] Not too bad.
Working with my dad on these jobs,
it is very special.
[Al] Yeah, we're gonna get outta here.
[Narrator] Walking the big iron
out of the bush,
it's another successful mud bog battle...
[Al] All right, let's burn some diesel.
[Narrator] ...for the Quiring family.
[Cary] Let's roll!
[Al] My family's been well-known
for handling these big jobs,
and it's just one more thing
that keeps us busy throughout the year.
[Narrator] Outside Quesnel on Highway 97...
[Narrator] ...another secondary wreck
lies sideways in a ditch.
[Rob] He touched his brakes and laid over.
[Narrator] Minutes earlier,
a massive double wreck
had traffic backing up over 350 metres,
when an approaching Vac truck lost control.
The driver avoided crashing
into the back of the lined-up traffic
by putting his truck in the ditch.
[Narrator] First to the scene,
a 35-tonne heavy from another tow company...
[Rob] It did pick up?
[Stuart Haver] It moved a little bit.
[Narrator] ...and operator Stuart Haver.
[Rob] Stu got here
and attempted to pull it over,
and it didn't quite work.
It's a Hydrovac!
[Narrator] A Hydrovac truck is used for digging
using heated, pressurized water,
while vacuuming the slurry
back into its tanks.
Fully loaded...
[Rob] They're just heavy, uncomfortably heavy.
[Narrator] ...the truck weighs 60,000 pounds.
The Vac truck probably outweighs both of us.
[Narrator] With Stu's 35-tonne outgunned...
[Rob] Wanna go now then?
[Stu] Yeah.
[Narrator] ...Rob adds his 50-tonne into the mix.
[Rob] It feels good to help out another business.
With two of us, it should be okay.
[Narrator] But today's recovery...
[Rob] I've actually never stood one up...
[Narrator] ...will be a first for Rob.
...so I'm kind of unconfident right now.
Okay, you pull and I'll pull.
[Narrator] For the best angle of pull...
We'll jump out.
[Narrator] ...Rob must block the highway
for the third time today.
We don't want another secondary...
...so we'll try to get traffic rolling
as quick as we can.
But I don't know if I got enough
to even move it.
[Narrator] With the 35-tonne at the front...
[Rob] We'll give it a tug, see what happens.
[Narrator] ...Rob's 50-tonne
will do the heavy lifting at the rear.
[Rob] Let's hope it moves.
The centre of gravity's really high on a Vac truck.
Once it comes out of the ditch,
it can roll down into me.
Keep pulling!
I'm gonna run out way too fast.
Whoa! Whoa!
[Narrator] North of Quesnel...
[Rob] Yeah, keep pulling!
[Narrator] ...a 60,000-pound rollover
has Rob coordinating with the competition.
[Rob] You kinda always wanna be able
to holler back and forth...
Whoa! Whoa!
...to get someone to stop, or, or speed up...
Okay.
...so you kind of work on the same page.
Well, that come over really gentle.
To see so much weight safely roll over,
it, uh, was impressive.
[Narrator] But before they can open the highway...
[Rob] Do you want to hold it upright
and I pull it forward?
[Narrator] ...they'll need to swap positions...
[Stu] Yeah, you'll definitely anchor better.
I can hold it.
[Narrator] ...to pull the wreck onto the road.
It's still leaning quite heavily in the ditch.
My truck is a little bit heavier.
We'll put it out front.
If you wanna run a line down
and pull it this way...
- I can just drag the ass over. - Yup, yup, yup.
Gonna get Stu to grab onto the back tires
and drag it sideways
as I pull it forward...
Give it a little tug.
...so it lands on the road.
A little bit more.
[Narrator] Only 45 minutes since Rob's arrival...
Way less grunting
than I thought was going to happen.
[Narrator] ...and the massive Vac truck...
Yeah, it's all done.
[Narrator] ...is back on its wheels.
[Rob] Wreck's on the road.
Yeah, it's a good feeling.
It went really well.
[Rob] Traffic's released.
We didn't get another secondary accident.
Always a pleasure, my friend.
Yep.
[Rob] There is competition,
but it's nice to work together...
Yeah, no problem.
...and now Stu is gonna tow it away,
and I can just go home.
[Narrator] After clearing three connected wrecks,
Highway 97 is finally open.
I have never had a day with that many crashes,
but nobody got hurt.
It was a successful day.
[Narrator] The next day
570 kilometres south...
[Narrator] ...on mountainous Highway 3...
[Narrator] ...early-morning freight runs
are picking up.
[Suki Manj] Keeping the economy going
by keeping the freight rolling...
...there's a lot of responsibility.
[Narrator] Heading to a call...
a Reliable Towing 50-tonne heavy...
[Andy] Too cold.
[Narrator] ...with lead operator
Andy Cullum.
Currently, it says it's minus-30 right where we are.
For B.C., that's extremely cold
because it's very humid,
so the trucks tend to freeze up.
When the weather hits on this section of the highway,
it can take some drivers by surprise.
[Narrator] Close behind in a 35-tonne...
[John] All righty.
[Narrator] ...is heavy operator John Dods.
It's starting to become morning rush,
so we want to be in and out of there
as fast as we can.
We'll see what happens.
[Narrator] Just below the peak of Sunday Summit...
[Narrator] ...arriving on scene...
[Andy] You all right?
[Narrator] ...Andy makes sure the driver...
[Narrator] ...is unharmed.
[Narrator] Despite the wild ride...
Might be able to drive it down the hill
when we're done.
[Narrator] ...the semi remains in good condition.
[John] This guy got so lucky.
He didn't even put a scratch in the truck
or the trailer.
It's cold!
[Narrator] To swing the cab out of the snowbank...
[Kyle] Where am I hooking this?
[Narrator] ...swamper Kyle Crofts...
[John] Back up here.
[Kyle] Okay.
[Narrator] ...hooks John's 35-tonne
to the rear of the tractor.
[Kyle] Done.
We're going to spin it back out of the ditch
the same way it went in,
and have it come back out as a pretzel.
[Narrator] Andy readies his 50-tonne
to anchor the back of the trailer...
[Kyle] What the hell's going on?
[Narrator] ...but the winch line...
- [grunting] - ...refuses to budge...
[grunting]
[Andy] It's frozen!
[John] Are you kidding me?
The winch is frozen.
[John] Not ideal.
[Andy grumbling]
The cold is taking its toll on the equipment.
Let's see what we got here.
[Narrator] ...but Andy came prepared...
[Andy sighing]
[Andy] I carry a torch
because success is the only option,
so we make things work.
Try again.
Okay, stop!
We're good.
Feels great to get the winch working,
now let's put it to use.
[Kyle] Okay.
[Narrator] As they finally hook Andy's line...
[John] Hey, just watch yourself!
[Narrator] ...the morning rush is inches away.
[Andy] Just about killed me.
We gotta hurry up and get this done.
See that?
It's not a safe area to be in.
Are we ready yet? Let's go!
[John] Let's go! Go!
[Andy] It's a fully-loaded trailer...
...so we've got some weight behind it.
[John] It's gonna fight.
[Andy grumbling]
[John] Oh, I love winter.
[Narrator] On Highway 3...
Agh!
[Narrator] ...Andy's 50-tonne...
is losing a tug of war
with a fully-loaded semi.
[John] Road conditions are super icy,
and all we're doing
is dragging Thor down the hill
towards the wreck here.
[Narrator] So John booms up on the other end...
[John] There we go!
[Narrator] ...for more lift.
[John] We got it out.
Now we've gotta get at the front end of it...
Yeah, we're gonna move my rim sling up to the front.
...and get the tractor straightened out.
[Andy] Yeah.
There you go.
Try to keep your wheel turned to the left.
We're gonna get the driver working with us.
[Narrator] With the 50-tonne anchoring the trailer...
[John] Yeah.
[Narrator] ...and the 35-tonne pulling the tractor around...
[John] All righty, we're in action!
[Narrator] ...Team Reliable...
[Andy] Yee-haw!
[laughing]
[Narrator] ...straightens out the jackknife.
[John] Whoo-hoo!
Yeah, we got 'er.
Working with Andy, it's always fun.
[Andy] Okay, pull ahead.
Carefully. Slowly.
We like to make sure the drivers are taken care of.
Get everybody on their way, safe and sound.
[Narrator] With no damage to his truck,
the driver continues on with his delivery,
and freight traffic on Highway 3
is back to full strength.
[Andy] That's it, job done.
[John] Go home and go to bed!
[Suki] We have people that we can count on
when the chips are down,
so we're gonna meet any of the challenges
that come this winter.
[Narrator] 100 kilometres west
at the Jamie Davis yard in Hope...
I am checking everything.
[Narrator] ...his newest hire from the East Coast...
[Maxime] They're all there.
[Narrator] ...Maxime Chamberlain Normand...
prepares for his first solo mission.
I'm going to the Coquihalla
and helping people.
[Jamie] Hey, Max,
you ready to do patrols up on the hill?
Yeah, I'm ready.
We have to be a little more aggressive,
and get business
because everything is happening up the hill.
On the Coq nowadays,
you're gonna fight for that job.
You know, it's just not coming to you like it used to.
Hopefully, you catch a fish.
- Yeah. - [chuckling] Okay.
I think he's ready to go out on his own.
We'll give him a shot.
[Narrator] Up the hill,
Maxime arrives at the summit,
on the hunt...
I try my best to find something.
[Narrator] ...but the competition...
is already one wreck ahead.
[Maxime] It's a pressure on you,
'cause you need to bring money to the company, right.
[Narrator] 30 minutes into his patrol,
a stopped four-wheeler catches his attention.
I can see that he's looking for help.
Hello.
Do you need a tow?
[Narrator] A closer look...
[Maxime] Oh, there's a flat right there.
[Narrator] ...reveals a tire in less than pristine condition.
[Maxime] I don't like that.
Holy, you never know how the flat is gonna end up.
Do you have a spare tire or you...
No.
No spare tire.
[Narrator] With no spare...
...Maxime hooks his first job.
I was pretty happy that I found something.
Chilly out here!
You look like you're freezing.
[Narrator] He offers shelter...
I don't want you to freeze.
[Narrator] ...to the driver and his girlfriend.
[Maxime] They've been waiting,
so you need to do what you can to help.
[Narrator] The customers...
We have a schedule, so...
[Narrator] ...have a deadline
to meet their tour group in Banff...
[Maxime] Let's do it!
[Narrator] ...so Maxime gets to work.
[reverse alerts beeping]
The customer always a priority.
This is my first ever tow...
...and I try to remember how to do it
from what Jamie told me.
[Jamie] So I'm gonna get you into this little tow truck here.
[Narrator] A week ago...
What the...
[Narrator] ...Jamie gave Maxime his first lessons...
[Jamie] And make sure it's straight.
[Narrator] ...to pull off a dolly tow.
Okay, so realize the pressure that's in here.
[Narrator] Today...
There we go.
[Narrator] ...Maxime puts his new skills to the test...
[Maxime] I'm going to put the dolly in the back.
[Narrator] ...on his own.
[Maxime] I hope I get it right.
When it's your first time,
it's more stressful.
I don't want to mess up.
[Narrator] Under watchful eyes,
Maxime gets the first side...
[Maxime] There.
[Narrator] ...locked in,
but on the flat-tire side...
[grunting]
Hey, Max, is it okay?
[Maxime] It don't go in there.
[Narrator] ...things aren't going as planned.
[driver] Ah...
I can't put it on the wheel.
No, I think I can't,
I can't tow a car with a flat.
I don't know what to do.
I feel a little pressure.
[Narrator] On the Coquihalla Highway...
[Maxime grunting]
Come on, you...
[Narrator] ...a flat-tire tow...
[Maxime] I can't push it.
[Narrator] ...has Jamie's newest operator struggling.
[Maxime] Just because there's a flat,
it's different, eh?
You got a lot going on on your first job.
The equipment, being on the highway,
you have to think about the customer.
[Maxime] I'll find a way.
He's got to roll with it as it goes.
There's a way.
For Jamie, I need to show that I can do it.
[Narrator] With the customer on a deadline...
I think I'm gonna need to tow it from the back.
[Narrator] ...Maxime shifts gears.
[Maxime] If it don't work,
you need to find another way to do it.
[Narrator] Repositioning,
he takes the tow
from the other side.
I have high hopes for Max.
He's probably going through some nervousness
and self-doubt...
...but he just has to work his way through the problems...
[Maxime] I'm gonna lift up more.
...and he'll get the hang of it pretty quick.
[Maxime] Hopefully, it work this time.
There we go.
[Narrator] Maxime's quick thinking
to switch sides...
[grunting with effort]
...has made the difference.
Oof.
That's it.
I'm happy.
That's all. [laughing]
Uh, the job is all done.
Sorry to make you wait.
Well, I think you're a professional.
Well, I try to.
Thank you. Thank you.
It's helping people.
[chuckling]
It make my day.
- Let's go. - Yeah.
[Narrator] Maxime's first solo job...
[Narrator] ...is towed away with a win.
[Jamie] Max has done his first job successfully.
I think he's happy with himself,
I'm happy with him.
[Jamie] Being able to prove yourself is a big deal.
Not many kids have that ambition,
and-and he does...
...and I think Max will go a long ways here.
[Narrator] Next time on Highway Thru Hell...
You got one shot.
[Narrator] Reliable's balancing act...
How close are we to that truck?
Slowly come back.
[Narrator] ...comes down to inches.
Whoa!
Might just barely do it.
[Narrator] Big Green...
Whoa!
[Narrator] ... is maxed out...
[Al] That doesn't sound good.
[Merv] That excavator is in there.
[Narrator] ...and Aggssive.
[Merv] Try to get his tracks this way.
[Narrator] ...gets down and dirty.
[Merv] Watch yourselves, boys.