Ice Road Truckers ?

[Greenleaf]

I have been watching the show on DVD and have noticed the narrator really talks up the danger. Case in point; the diesel fuel the rigs haul on the Dalton is explosive! The narrator mentioned that it is like carrying TNT.



The tanker containing jet fuel will explode if the fuel becomes too warm while in transit along the 500 mile Dalton.



If diesel fuel were to leak out onto the roadway any spark (from the engine)will ignite the fuel and the tanker (and truck) will explode in a ball of flame.



Can anyone help me out here? What the hell is he talking about?

 

[JLEONARD]

It takes a lot to ignite diesel fuel. A "simple spark" from the truck won't do it.



I don't know much about jet fuel... other than way back in my Army days ('74)in a Cobra Helicopter company in Germany. We put on a firepower demonstartion for the Spanish government to convince them to buy some aircraft.

We had 55 gallon drums of aviation jet fuel that we tried to blow up with incendiary rockets and they wouldn't ignite during practise runs.

On the demonstration day we had EOD rig them with C4 to get them to start on fire.



I know freak accidents happen, but not as common as they may have claimed.

 

[TboneMan]

The show, while interesting to watch, sensationalizes the situations quite a bit.



Diesel and Jet A (high cetane diesel as I understand it), is not all that "explosive". Gasoline is far more volatile.



Gasoline flash point: -45 deg F

Diesel flash point: 143 deg F

Jet A flash point: 140 deg F





Diesel's flash point is 188 degrees F higher then gas.



A diesel spill on the other hand would be far worse environmentally as it does evaporate as readily as gas, therefore more difficult to clean up (i. e. , absorb).

 

[KLauber]

Actually a diesel spill in winter Alaska would only require a front end loader to scoop up the clumps of gelled fuel. Gasoline is far worse to spill than diesel, far worse. I've been cleaning up these spills in SC for 20 years almost. Diesel will barely contaminate the groundwater while gasoline readily dissolves into millions of gallons.

Ken

 

[Greenleaf]

LMAO... ... ... ... ... ...



I just discovered that a bus of mine has a rotted primary fuel filter base (frame mounted) and I couldn't remove the rotted metal swivel ends to/from the filter base.



So I used the cut-off wheel to remove the steel connectors from the hoses.



Lots of sparks... ... ... ... ...



I'm still here to type this.



Perhaps it wasn't cold enough?

 

[KLauber]

LMAO... ... ... ... ... ...



I just discovered that a bus of mine has a rotted primary fuel filter base (frame mounted) and I couldn't remove the rotted metal swivel ends to/from the filter base.



So I used the cut-off wheel to remove the steel connectors from the hoses.



Lots of sparks... ... ... ... ...



I'm still here to type this.



Perhaps it wasn't cold enough?

Diesel I assume otherwise you wouldn't have been around to type this!!!



Ken

 

[rscurtis]

Unfortunately, they can get away with this BS because science education has been dumbed down so much in this country.

 

[mwilson]

They are trying to keep ratings up and viewers interested.



After witnessing the rapid fire Bull**** from American Loggers my whole outlook on these TV shows has changed. Plus they threw us under the bus in one episode, not happy about that.



I think that "Deadliest Catch" is fairly much shown as is but it is the only one.



JMHO.



As far as the "Flammable Diesel Fuel" it can be a little flaky if hot and vaporized, but other than that you couldn't touch it off if you wanted to.



Mike.

 

[p-Bar]

They are trying to keep ratings up and viewers interested.



After witnessing the rapid fire Bull**** from American Loggers my whole outlook on these TV shows has changed. Plus they threw us under the bus in one episode, not happy about that.



I think that "Deadliest Catch" is fairly much shown as is but it is the only one.



JMHO.



As far as the "Flammable Diesel Fuel" it can be a little flaky if hot and vaporized, but other than that you couldn't touch it off if you wanted to.



Mike.

Are you talking about the lemons they bought from Freightliner?

 

[mwilson]

Yeah, those are the ones, Western Stars actually.



Those would be the same ones that they unhook the high temp sensors on because the truck trys to shut the engine down due to excessive heat hauling up the big hills with the big loads, then call the engine a POS because it keeps blowing head gaskets and such. That is a lemon for sure.



My God, probably our lemon trucks kept them from making payroll this week, NOT!!!!!!!!!



Mike.

 

[Greenleaf]

That is funny... ... ... .....



I too enjoy the Mike Rowe narration of the Deadliest Catch (on Discovery Channel)

 

[NIsaacs]

I don't watch the show so I am not sure what they are hauling. Diesel is not dangerous to haul, however crude oil is. More so then gas. At least thats what I have always been told. I have never hauled any.



Nick

 

[p-Bar]

Yeah, those are the ones, Western Stars actually.



Those would be the same ones that they unhook the high temp sensors on because the truck trys to shut the engine down due to excessive heat hauling up the big hills with the big loads, then call the engine a POS because it keeps blowing head gaskets and such. That is a lemon for sure.



My God, probably our lemon trucks kept them from making payroll this week, NOT!!!!!!!!!



Mike.

Well looks like they used the show to pressure you guys to cut them a deal. To bad if they are running them that hard and puttin' them away wet

 

[mwilson]

Yeah, we took a bath on that deal and then they carry on like that.

Ordered and sold them exactly what they wanted for specs in the first place, then the trucks are no good. Whose fault is that???:-laf



Our GM called them the Monday morning after that show aired and asked them why they did that to us.

We have always gone the extra mile for them long before the TV show stuff started.

We thanked them for making it impossible for us to sell the two '08 trades, who will want them after that???

Will have to send them overseas now.



Left a bad taste in my mouth, I'll tell ya'.



By the way, 99% of the accidents are staged on that show.



Mike.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Diesel is a combustible not a flammable it would take one HELL of a spark to ignite it but dont drive a car into a big rig fuel tank you WILL not like what happens

 

[rbattelle]

The tanker containing jet fuel will explode if the fuel becomes too warm while in transit along the 500 mile Dalton.

I watch the show too, but the sensationalism is ridiculous. What about the fact that through the whole "jet fuel" episode they kept showing a tanker full of #2 diesel fuel!? Apparently they assume we can't read.

If Ice Road Truckers is sensationalistic, then "IRT Most Dangerous Roads" is galactically sensationalistic. Every single accident, no matter how minor, will cause the truck to FLY off the mountain and EXPLODE in fiery cataclysmic destruction!!!

Give me a break.

Hey mwilson, thanks for sharing, I didn't know you had sold the trucks to American Loggers (I've never watched the show). Care to tell the whole story? I mean, details of what was spec'd, what they got, what they did to them, how they complained on the show, etc. Sounds like a good story.

-Ryan

 

[HOBrian]

Just watched American Loggers last night and noticed that they did a Ram commercial! They only drive Chevy though... :-laf

 

[Dl5treez]

Too funny I think the same things.



Mike Rowe narrates with a bit of realism... the Bering Sea sort of takes care of the rest, although the really rough weather doesn't happen every single day out there.



Tom Beers--Mike's "boss"--is the executive producer of most of the reality shows on Discovery, History, and others. His narration is over dramatic and involves danger at every turn.



Bite your tongue eating a sandwich... you will die.

Trip on a limb... you will die.

Miss a shift... you will die.



It gets a bit much IMHO.

 

[fest3er]

Say, there's an experiment I should try some time: get a pint-size plastic bucket, fill it with gasoline, immerse a spark igniter in it and fire it. In theory, the gas shouldn't burn because it's liquid. But it might depend on how much oxygen enhancer is in the gas.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Say, there's an experiment I should try some time: get a pint-size plastic bucket, fill it with gasoline, immerse a spark igniter in it and fire it. In theory, the gas shouldn't burn because it's liquid. But it might depend on how much oxygen enhancer is in the gas.

Put some gas in anything plasitc and see what happens without a spark:-laf