Ice Road Truckers' Alex Debogorski Exposes What Life On The Road Was Really Like
"Ice Road Truckers" brought something new and exciting to reality TV back in 2007. Though there had been plenty of reality TV shows about people in dangerous situations before the show premiered, few focused on regular working-class jobs like labor and truck driving. This would inevitably become the secret weapon of the series over its 11 seasons on History Channel.
Following a recurring set of truck drivers on some of the most dangerous winter routes in remote areas of Canada and Alaska, "Ice Road Truckers" offered a simple premise, but one with enough tension to keep audiences coming back consistently. The show has left a legacy that has kept it in high demand, even several years after it aired its last season (via Parrot Analytics).
Career trucker Alex Debogorski was the only member of the crew to appear across all 11 seasons of the series. However, even with all of his years of experience on those dangerous, ice-covered roads, Debogorski had a sobering assessment of what the job was really like.
Debogorski says ice road trucking is like a lot of jobs
Speaking to fellow truckers at the Great West Truck Show, Debogorski veered away from exaggerating his exploits and instead chose to level with his audience (via YouTube). "As far as life on the road as an ice road trucker," Debogorski explained. "Lots of days, it's hard work. Some days it's fun, some days it isn't fun. It's like a lot of other jobs"
Anyone who's spent a lot of days plowing down the open road can no doubt relate to Debogorski's assessment. Trucking is a job that changes a lot based on external conditions, like who you're hauling for, what your route is like, and what the time windows for pickup and delivery are (via Schneider Jobs).
Debogorski had more to say when asked about what it's like doing the job on television. "Television is a big change. [It] can taste-test one's patience a bit," the trucker confessed. Still, he was happy to have the opportunity to show viewers what his life on the road was like. "The fun part is the impact one has the opportunity of making on the people that watch television."
Debogorski went on to recount a run-in he had with a fan at customs who, despite her terror and anxiety from the show, returned for more week after week. Though the 69-year-old trucker is no longer hauling loads on the open road, he is still regularly traveling to trade shows and meet-and-greets all across North America (via Twitter).