Summary
Ice Road Truckershad a bit of off-screen drama whenHugh Rowlanddecided to sue producer Will Morrison. First premiering in June 2007 on the History Channel,Ice Road Truckerslasted for 11 seasons and led to one spinoff,Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads, which had two seasons. The series follows long-haul truckers who drive across frozen lakes and rivers in remote Canadian territories and Alaskan boroughs.Ice Road Truckersstands above similar shows on theDiscovery Channel that are a little more fakedbecause of how naturally dangerous the job is.
There’s not really any way to fake the danger of driving huge vehicles through frozen and desolate land, and even if there arecertain restrictions placed on theIce Road Truckersdrivers, it’s still a harrowing job. The truckers are not exactly well compensated, at least as far as reality stars go, and any injuries or trouble they run into isn’t necessarily covered by the History Channel or the producers. These niche job-related TV shows always present a fascinating dynamic between the “stars” and the people making the show. Hugh Rowland had a particularly notable relationship with one producer.
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Rowland Was One Of The Most Frequently Appearing Drivers On The Show
Hugh Rowland, or “the Polar Bear” as he’s commonly known on the show, first appeared onIce Road Truckersin the pilot and was a regular fixture until season 8, episode 12, making him the second-most featured trucker on the show after Alex Debogorski, who appeared in every season of the series. An eccentric but talented driver, Rowland was a popular trucker on the show. When he was first approached to be filmed for the series, his response was characteristically wry and jocular (viaYouTube),
“Yeah, you can put cameras in my trucks, but just stay out of my way, don’t cost me any money. Nobody’s going to watch us go up and down the ice anyway.”
Rowland ended up writing a book about his experiences on the show and as a trucker in general,On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World’s Deadliest Roads, where he provides some of his personal history and insights into time on the lonely road and the not-so-lonely show with camera crews everywhere. He tellsShelf Awareness,
“I’ve done a lot of other things, but I’ve been in this for over 30 years. I spent 15 years building ice roads, and 18 years driving them. But the rest of the year, I do other trucking and construction. I’m always working. Because of all the experience I have driving, I do the snow stunt driving for the show–running into snow banks, sliding, swinging trailers into ditches.”
It’s an action-packed life, and it takes someone with Rowland’s temperament to do it successfully. However, one accident can easily make things go south.
Rowland Was Unable To Operate His Vehicle Any Longer
Rowland’s exit fromIce Road Truckerswas the result of an unfortunate accident (viaNet Worth Post). The trucker was in the passenger seat of a car driven by one of the show’s producers, Will Morrison, who was allegedly driving recklessly. Morrison and Rowlandskidded into a copse of trees andthe trucker received significant injuries below the waist. Subsequently, he was unable to perform his job as a trucker and he had to retire. According toTMZ, Rowland filed a suit against Morrison for his injuries.
The lawsuit wasn’t only because of the loss of his job but the breakdown of Rowland’s marriage.
The lawsuit wasn’t only because of the loss of his job but the breakdown of Rowland’s marriage. According toTMZ, the injuries Rowland received from Morrison’s car crash resulted in the trucker being unable to have sexual relations with his wife, who claims that the loss of love, companionship, and the enjoyment of the act led to a breakdown in their marriage. There have been no updates on the lawsuit since 2014 but sadly,Hugh Rowlandnever appeared back onIce Road Truckers, indicating nothing positive immediately resulted.
Ice Road Truckers
Cast
Ice Road Truckers is a reality television series documenting the perilous journeys of truck drivers navigating frozen roads in remote Arctic territories. The show provides an in-depth look at the logistical challenges and hazards faced by these drivers as they transport essential supplies to isolated communities. It highlights their endurance and skill in confronting extreme weather conditions and treacherous ice crossings.
