‘Ice Road Truckers’ Returns After 10 Years, but the Ice That Made It Famous Is Melting

When it comes to life on the ice roads, it’s you versus nature. Thanks to The History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers, the lives of the brave individuals who put themselves out in the treacherous terrain are brought to the screen. While the noble job has its fair share of difficulties, there is one major element that is out of their control: Mother Nature.

Ice Road Truckers exposes viewers to the dangers, but the impact of nature doesn’t come through the screen. Thankfully, one of the experienced truckers was able to put it into perspective. Ice Road Truckers star Todd Dewey explained to Collider how climate change has taken a massive toll on the industry, not only affecting the individuals doing the job, but impacting those communities who rely on the goods they’re getting delivered. “With Mother Nature doing what it’s doing, and the climate change and this planet changing so dramatically… the ice roads, every year, they’re getting shorter and shorter,” he revealed.

Climate Change Is Altering the Ice Roads

Ice Road Truckers returned with a new season after almost eight years away. With new faces joining beloved veterans, the series’ return marks a new era. Not only through the technological advancements of how the show is being presented, but also because the world has literally changed. Ice Road Truckers is different now. It’s quietly becoming a climate change story; shorter ice seasons, shrinking delivery windows, and higher risks make the show a living document of how warming temperatures endanger survival in remote communities.

As Dewey pointed out, the planet’s evolution is impacting his work. While he was grateful to have some time away to celebrate major family milestones, it has made his work harder now that he has returned. Even with a shorter window, that doesn’t mean the job has gotten any easier. He said, “That doesn’t mean the supply and demand up there for those remote communities [goes away]… there’s only a short window to get all these supplies into these communities, on these roads that are paved with ice.” As seen on the series, the roads are literally crafted for these trucks to ride on. Sometimes, these ice roads are on top of literal bodies of water. If the temperatures rise, that means the ice thins and the trucks cannot cross. If the trucks cannot cross, they literally may be cut off from their delivery if they cannot find another path forward.

With a smaller window of opportunity, Dewey noted that it doesn’t make the job more competitive and cutthroat. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. “Instead of… competition on who could get the most loads in… it was actually like a big family up there… working together, getting through situations,” he revealed. This season, Dewey is working with Muskie Creek, alongside returning alumni Lisa Kelly and rookie Scott Yuill. They may want to earn a major payout, but they are in it together with the same mission: serving the communities.

‘Deadliest Catch’ Has Also Experienced Climate Change

It’s not unusual to hear how climate change has impacted some of the shows we love to watch. Perhaps the biggest example of Mother Nature’s shifting ways has been documented on Deadliest Catch. The cold-water-loving Alaskan King crab has migrated over time as the waters have warmed. In turn, it also killed off a portion of the crab. With the dwindling crab population a reality, the crabbing season has been significantly affected over the past few years. Back in 2022, The New York Times reported that Alaska has become one of the fastest-warming states in the country. The warming waters have been killing the crab population, and thus, it hurts the crabbing industry as a whole. It puts the crews in a bind about what they can fish for. With the warming waters being a factor, some crabs have been altering their migratory paths, forcing fishermen to adjust accordingly.

Sharing a similar location, Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers are doing their best to expose how climate change is affecting their industries and our world at large. What both series share in common is resilience. The truckers and crews put their lives at risk for a job that they just so happen to love. Even as the world is changing, they have been adjusting and pivoting to keep up. What’s certain is neither show has any signs of slowing down.

Ice Road Truckers airs Wednesdays at 9:30pm on The History Channel. Episodes are available to stream the next day.