Highway thru Hell

[J-Rooster]

The Canadians call it the Coke, in B.C. Canada. Does anyone know if the wrecks on this TV program are staged or not. I've seen during the TV program during winter RV's, cars, trucks and big trucks all wrecked on this Highway. My 19 year old Grandson say's the wrecks are staged for TV? I really can't believe how lazy and stupid these people are driving up and down this mountain pass if there is no staging for T.V. Three most common mistakes I see on this snowy icy mountain pass is driving to fast for conditions, to lazy or don't know how to put on tire chains and using the Jake Brake on ice or compact snow which causes the vehicle to jack knife. I seen one show where there was a truck wreck and traffic was backed up and chains were required and this one trucker didn't chain up because he didn't know how? What! A trucking company sends it's drivers out to drive over that pass and they don't know how to do the job? Unbelievable to me!

[Paul_Clancy]

Fraser canyon and hope Princeton are 2 lane so multi vehicle will be head on with death and distruction from that. Neither have near the truck and car fires related to massive climbs on 5 and 97c. Have travelled both of those regularly and not seen near the carnage. 5 is well built but the weather and grades take thier victims.

[paulj]

http://www.icbc.com/about-icbc/newsroom/Pages/Southern-Interior.aspx

This ICBC crash map suggests that it is far more dangerous to exit Hwy 5 in Merritt or Kamloops, than it is to cross the pass.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1819213/british-columbias-12-deadliest-highways/

Hwy5 is 3rd in this list of 12 worst, but the numbers are significantly different from others in the grouping.

It’s gained a measure of infamy through the Highway Thru Hell TV show, but Jamie Davis, who stars in the series, says the highway itself is structurally sound.

“I can’t criticize the Coquihalla. The main factor is you’re driving over a mountain. It’s not a flat road, it’s a mountainous highway,” he says.

“It requires skill to drive.”

Note that list includes the other two roads out of Hope - up the canyon and through Manning. What would those roads be like if hadn't built the Coke?

[Paul_Clancy]

I'm comparing to us interstates and not only grade but length of pull. I've driven all over the west and it is the worst and hardest on the equipment so far. Rockies are pure cake in comparison. Also the govt recently RAISED the speed limit on that hwy adding to the carnage. The mix of tourist traffic, tons of semis and coastal commuters on business mean the road is extremely busy year round. I've been caught in white out blizzards, pea soup fog , ice fog, hail and wind storms - all amazing since I rarely travel in the winter up there.

[paulj]

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/driving/elevations/hwy_5_coquihalla_pass...

This grade profile shows 8.5% right before the summit. There are many roads in BC that are steeper, but not many that also paved, much less divided.

[Paul_Clancy]

I live at the foot of that highway and drive it regularly towing and not. I can say the wrecks are real. I rarely go over without seeing a truck or car fire or wreck due to weather or speed or sleep/distraction or imparement. I've personally seen a car full of people drive off a cliff up there. First snow up there last weekend was sheer ice on all lanes and littered with wrecks. Semis and cars. The personal drama stuff gets silly on hwth -but on the road? That's not funny at all. Very real. Realize it has some of the highest grades in North America. You are literally travelling at the mountain tops.

[TundraTower]

At the risk of "selling out", the lifts and rigging on this show absolutely fascinate me. The shop drama and pressure of running a small business seems believable. I don't care if it is staged or not, I just wish I could find it and more recent episodes with regularity. TWC seems to show it at random times, and only if they can't create and sensationalize a weather crisis somewhere.

[paulj]

I suspect TiltCab trucks are particularly susceptible to separation. But it looks like that style was most common in the 60s, and probably never widespread in long distance haulers.

[creeper]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

creeper wrote:

Notice whats missing from this semi? Yup, no drive train. No engine, no transmission, no wheels, no fuel tanks, no nothing, not even connected to the drive train. Lots of the truck missing, did it magically disappear? This is a salvaged cab thrown down the embankment for them to lift out. Completely staged.

When I was in the heavy recovery business, I worked several HDT rollovers where the cab completely separated from the chassis, and others where a partial separation required cutting the cab free to recover it. Without knowing and/or seeing a lot more about this particular situation, I have no idea if it was staged or not. That one photo really doesn't tell the whole story.

Well their story was as soon as the cab was lifted with NO other part of the truck on the hill, the recovery was over and the road was opened. Some how the rest of the truck magically disappeared.

[Dutch_12078]

creeper wrote:

Notice whats missing from this semi? Yup, no drive train. No engine, no transmission, no wheels, no fuel tanks, no nothing, not even connected to the drive train. Lots of the truck missing, did it magically disappear? This is a salvaged cab thrown down the embankment for them to lift out. Completely staged.

When I was in the heavy recovery business, I worked several HDT rollovers where the cab completely separated from the chassis, and others where a partial separation required cutting the cab free to recover it. Without knowing and/or seeing a lot more about this particular situation, I have no idea if it was staged or not. That one photo really doesn't tell the whole story.

[dapperdan]

slickest1 wrote:
If you asked Jamie Davis what time it was he would try and tell you how to build a clock and he is the only one that could build it.

Ice road truckers is about as real as wwf wrestling. It is an embarrassment to real truckers.

Sorry to be so negative but Sheesh!

A little off topic but two years ago my wife and I were up in Coldfoot AK in early March. I was able to talk to two of History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers", being a retired truck driver myself I "had" to ask.... Yeah they REALLY "flower it up" on that show!! Ha ha ha ha I figured as much but those guys confirmed it for me.

If they showed the REAL stuff nobody would watch it, too boring!

Now I'm going to make my way to the kitchen and hopefully NOT jack knife and get a cup of coffee!

:B

[JimFromJersey]

Used to watch this program, it wasn't bad, a little different from most of the other **** in the "reality" genre (e.g., Alaskan Bush People), but it was a Weather Channel show, and Verizon FIOS in my area dropped WC for Accuweather back in the spring. Haven't seen it anywhere else.

[creeper]

Veebyes wrote:
Staged wrecks? No way.

I'd have to disagree with this. Like I previously stated one scene tractor trailer goes over embankment in middle of the evening. Big drama, have to get the road open. 1st they pull the trailer up. Completely empty. Then they have to pull the semi up. They get it up and when the boom swings to the road, completely empty road.



Notice whats missing from this semi? Yup, no drive train. No engine, no transmission, no wheels, no fuel tanks, no nothing, not even connected to the drive train. Lots of the truck missing, did it magically disappear? This is a salvaged cab thrown down the embankment for them to lift out. Completely staged.

[Veebyes]

I would not call it reality TV for any of those shows. Way too much Hollywood dramatic license for my liking. Staged wrecks? No way. Lots of drama? You bet.

I kind of like Alaska State Troopers, if for no other reason that I recognise where they are sometimes. Is there anywhere at all in Alaska where some TV crew is not running around doing some 'reality' show?

[slickest1]

If you asked Jamie Davis what time it was he would try and tell you how to build a clock and he is the only one that could build it.

Ice road truckers is about as real as wwf wrestling. It is an embarrassment to real truckers.

Sorry to be so negative but Sheesh!