Highway Thru Hell

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Not to be confused with Highway to Hell, Hell's Highway, or Saskatchewan Highway 35.
Highway Thru Hell
HTH WINTER RECOVERY.jpg
Heavy wrecker
GenreDocumentary, reality
Created by, Kevin Mills, and Neil Thomas Great Pacific Television
StarringJamie Davis
Colin McLean
Cam Neno
Al Quiring
Gord Boyd
Cary Quiring
Jason Davis
Chris Mervyn
Ken Duperon
Dylan Greenwood
James Luke
Mitch Karr
Narrated byDavid Pettitt
ComposerMark A. Miller and Paul Airey
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons9
No. of episodes118 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locationsHope, British Columbia, Canada
Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada
Merritt, British Columbia, Canada
Running time43–44 minutes
Release
Original networkDiscovery Channel Canada (September 2012-present)
Discovery Channel (Spring 2012-October 2013)
The Weather Channel (October 2013-present)
National Geographic (2012-present)
National Geographic Channel (UK and Ireland) (2013-present)
TV3 (New Zealand) (2015-present)
ABC2 (2016-present)
National Geographic Channel (Scandinavia) (2013-present)
Picture format480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original releaseSeptember 4, 2012 (2012-09-04) –
present
Chronology
Related showsHeavy Rescue: 401
External links
Highway Thru Hell
Great Pacific TV

Highway Thru Hell is a Canadian documentary TV series that follows the operations of Jamie Davis Motor Truck & Auto Ltd., a heavy vehicle rescue and recovery towing company based in Hope, British Columbia. Quiring Towing, Aggressive Towing, Mission Towing and Reliable Towing are also featured in the series.[1] The show focuses on the hardships of operating along the highways of the BC Interior, especially the Coquihalla Highway (Coq).

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Highway Thru Hell episodes

[2]

Season Episodes Season Premiere Season Finale
1 10 September 4, 2012 December 25, 2012
2 13 September 3, 2013 November 19, 2013
3 13 September 2, 2014 November 25, 2014
4 13 September 8, 2015 December 1, 2015
5 13 September 13, 2016 December 6, 2016
6 14 September 5, 2017 December 4, 2017
7 17 September 4, 2018 December 25, 2018
8 17 October 7, 2019 January 27, 2020
9 18 September 14, 2020 January 11, 2021

Production[]

Highway Thru Hell was created by Mark A. Miller, Kevin Mills, and Neil Thomas. Thomas met one of the heavy rescue operators for Jamie Davis Motor Truck & Auto after Thomas' moving truck broke down on Highway 5 in the summer of 2010. In the early winter of 2011, cameraman Mills and executive producer Miller dropped in on Davis' company while passing through Hope. The idea of a show about heavy recovery was discussed. The winter of 2010–2011 had been a record-setting season for Davis' business, and he expressed a desire to change the public's perceptions about his industry.

In his review of High Arctic Haulers, another reality-TV series produced by , Jim Bell of Nunatsiaq News described the formula used by this and similar shows: "Rugged teams of blue-collar heroes, mostly male, struggle against bad weather, bad luck and other hardships to transport the necessities of life ..."[3]

Highway Thru Hell debuted on Canada's Discovery Channel on Tuesday, September 4, 2012.[4] Steep hills, lethal drop-offs, killer rockslides, and the worst weather in a decade captivated audiences, resulting in the most-watched series premiere in the channel's history.

The second season premiered on September 3, 2013, and included 13 new episodes, as well as four re-edited Season 1 episodes featuring new content, factoids, and viewer tweets.

After Season 2, competition in the Hope area became more intense, causing Davis to seek out new territory, and expand his business (and fleet) along Alberta Highway 63.[5] In Season 3, Davis is seen dealing with the stresses of business expansion, especially as senior drivers step into managerial roles in his absence, and sometimes leave chaos in their wake. As an active avalanche season occurs on the Coquihalla, the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder is tackled by the series, as some drivers encounter difficult situations. Al Quiring's family business, Quiring Towing, is featured more prominently in this season.

Filming for Season 4 took place in British Columbia and Alberta during the winter of 2014–2015, when the days-long Hope Ice Storm occurred. Davis' company is split into two "camps", and he sometimes calls in his brother's company, Aggressive Towing, for backup. Mission Towing, a family business including generations of tow-operators, headquartered in British Columbia's Fraser Valley, is first featured in this season.

Season 5 kicked off on September 13, 2016, with an episode depicting a teary-eyed Davis selling his beloved rotator. Quiring Towing tackles some difficult excavator recoveries in British Columbia's nasty peat bog, and Davis' crew suffers some near-misses.

In Season 6, Davis closes his company's Alberta offices, shrinking his operation to Hope and Chilliwack, British Columbia. In an effort to make his business more lean, Davis begins buying and restoring older equipment to add to his fleet, such as a vintage 22-ton Holmes Python wrecker.

Season 7 began airing on September 4, 2018. At Davis' yard in Hope, classic Holmes tow trucks – some nearly half a century old – are replacing newer, costlier wreckers. For Davis, the vintage trucks are more than just a passion; they represent survival. Under pressure to reduce costs and stay competitive, Davis is confident he and his crew can tackle some of the toughest jobs – on and off the Coquihalla – using an older, rebuilt fleet. Colin McLean is back in Hope as lead driver, but since he has driven some top-of-the-line hydraulic trucks, Davis' "old iron" takes some getting used to. The seventh season sees some of the younger generation stepping up, with Cary Quiring one of the first to respond to a mass-casualty event[6] on the Coquihalla, and Dylan Greenwood of Mission Towing taking the lead on some big wrecks and recoveries in the Fraser Valley. Reliable Towing, out of Merritt, makes its debut in the second half of Season 7, first responding to a small wreck of a truck and trailer with pigs inside, and then to a six-semitrailer crash on the Coquihalla, north of Merritt. Mudslides and rockslides contribute to a tough time for recovery crews all around.

International broadcast[]

  • National Geographic Channel began airing the show on its American and Scandinavian channels in spring 2013,[7] and has also aired the first two seasons on its British and Irish channel.
  • The Weather Channel broadcast the show in the United States as well, beginning in October 2013.
  • TV3 screened the first season in New Zealand in 2015.
  • Season 1 was also shown in France on RMC Découverte in 2015.
  • Australia's ABC2 screened the first three seasons in 2016.
  • ProSieben Maxx has been broadcasting the show in Germany, under the title Highway Heroes Canada, since March 2015.[8]
  • In Iran, the show is broadcast on IRIB Mostanad.
  • Seasons 1 through 5 were available in some territories on Netflix by January 2017. By January 2020, the series was no longer available on the platform.[9]

Fleets[]

Jamie Davis Motor Truck fleet[]

Jamie Davis Hope Yard:

  • HR 130 2020 Peterbilt 389,30 Ton Century 5230
  • HR 56 1995 Peterbilt 377, Century 1040 40 ton rotator
  • HR 63 Mighty Mo Western Star Holmes 850 40 ton
  • LR 19 2019 F550 Chevron 408
  • Truck 47 1979 Holmes 500, 10 ton (Awaiting an upgrade to a HOLMES 600)
  • TR-?? 1996 KW
  • TR-37 1974 Peterbilt Tractor
  • low bed trailer

Golden Yard

  • HR127 2019 Mack Anthem, 30 ton Century 5230
  • 129 2017 Chevy 4 door 1-ton tow truck
  • FD114 Freightliner Tandem Axle deck truck
  • 131 2021 Ford D-550 5 ton, 22ft Century deck truck
  • HR85- 1985 KW LW900 Century 1040 (bought from Ben's Towing in 2021)

Coastline Trucks:

  • 46 2000 Peterbilt DTU
  • 48 2020 Ford F-550 22ft century flat deck
  • 51 2016 Freightliner M2 22 foot 5 ton Century Deck Truck (single axle)

Out of Service (Project List)

  • 50 1985 Western Star Holmes 750 (25 ton) (Currently being rebuilt and close to completion)
  • Holmes 1601 Python, 22 ton (Currently being rebuilt onto a Peterbilt chassis. Unknown when it will be returned to service)
  • HR 50 Holmes 1625, 25 ton - Bruce "Crazy Horse" Hardy's Former Truck (Currently being rebuilt with a 1625 Legend off of Truck 44 and not in service)
  • Coastline GM with a twin line HOLMES 480 unit
  • Yellow GMC currently a tandem axle gas engine
  • TR-52 Kenworth Tractor Trailer - "007"(blown engine, no longer in service)Supposed to be stretched and get a 1701
  • R-120 (Rescue) This truck is just out of service, not a project truck
  • Old Yeller Holmes 750

Incident Response

  • IR105
  • IR106
  • IR108 4-wheel drive

Jamie's former fleet[]

  • Truck #44 (Used for parts)
  • MR60 (Army Truck) Holmes 600
  • MR 62 Holmes 600
  • MR 64 15 Ton Peterbilt
  • HR 66 25 ton Century/ International chassis, sold to Columbia towing
  • HR 70 1980 GMC, 45 Ton Holmes 1801 "The General" ( Sold June 2021 to Hustler Towing in Olds Alberta )
  • HR 52 1999 Kenworth W900 Century 7035 (35 Ton) sold to Peninsula Towing on Vancouver Island (current owner).
  • HR 52 2012 Kenworth T800 Century 5230 (30 Ton) sold to Tonk's Towing in Richmond B.C
  • HR 68 2007 Western Star Century 2012 5230 (30 ton) sold to Berg's Towing in IL and then to Val-U Auto & Towing in Owego, New York and in July 2021 at Lil Pete's Automotive in Mahopac, NY)
  • HR 116 2015 Western Star Century 9055 (50 Ton) sold to Reliable Towing Merritt, BC, currently in the Mission Fleet
  • HR 117 2015 Western Star Century 9055 (50 ton) with SP-850 XP side puller - [Sold to Berg's Towing - Monmouth,IL Traded in to Zip's and then to A+ Towing]
  • HR 126 1999 Peterbilt Vulcan V50 (25 ton. Wrecker body is a 2015 and truck went into service in 2016. (Sold to Peninsula Towing in Vancouver Island January 2021)

Rotators

  • HR 150 2009 Peterbilt Century 1075 (75 ton) Sold to United Towing Services Inc in Canmore, AB who then sold it to FIFE in Washington state who painted it white and then eventually sold it to Purdys towing in Oregon.
  • HR 150 2012 Western Star Century 1075 (75 ton) - The Famous Rotator [Sold to Berg's Towing in Monmouth, IL Traded in to Zip's] July 2021 Ron's Towing Lincoln, IL
  • Misc other former trucks
  • Coastline 51 sold to Logan Lake Towing
  • FD-121 Flatdeck. Sold to Aggressive
  • FD-124 Robs truck that was rolled
  • HU55
  • AC103
  • FD45
  • IR109
  • IR118 Toyota Tundra
  • IR104/105 (Incident Response) Toyota Tundra pickup truck
  • TR-57 Western Star sold to van Horne towing
  • TR-58 Western Star(sold)

Quiring Towing fleet[]

[10]

  • Unit 90 - "The Green Goblin" - 2007 Kenworth T800H with a Vulcan V100 tri-axle wrecker with side puller
  • Unit 55 - "Plan B" - 2017 KW T800 isx 565/2150 with def and dpf v100 Vulcan tandem wrecker
  • Unit 95 - 2009 Kenworth T300 20 ton single axle. Challenger
  • Unit 85 - 2016 Kenworth T800 28' Tandem NRC 40TB Flatdeck
  • Unit 50 - 2016 Kenworth T470 26' 10-tonne Jerr-Dan Flatdeck with SRS10 Side Recovery System
  • Unit C60 – 1973 GMC 3 TonnHolmes 500 Wrecker
  • Unit 25 – 1985 GMC Service Truck

Spinoff[]

On October 10, 2016, the pilot for Heavy Rescue: 401, a spinoff series set in Ontario, aired on the Discovery Channel.[11] The first season of Heavy Rescue: 401 debuted on January 3, 2017.

References[]

  1. ^ Alex Strachan (September 7, 2013). "TV weekend: Boardwalk Empire back for Season 4; Highway Thru Hell storms in with Season 2 (with video)". O Canada. Canada.com. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  2. ^ Highway through Hell
  3. ^ Jim Bell (2020-01-08). "Review: Northerners will love CBC's High Arctic Haulers". Nunatsiaq News. Retrieved 2020-01-09. Nunavut’s lands, seas and communities also function as stars of the show, revealed in stunning digital video, some of it shot from overhead drones. Future episodes will feature communities like Naujaat, Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk, Pangnirtung and Hall Beach.
  4. ^ John Doyle (Sep 4, 2012). "Highway Thru Hell: tough, but Canadian-style tough". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  5. ^ Edmonton Journal (November 9, 2013). "Highway Thru Hell takes a spin on Highway 63". University of Alberta. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  6. ^ CTV (February 26, 2018). "Bus passengers describe terrifying scene after pileup on B.C. highway". CTV. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  7. ^ "Global Showbiz Briefs: Nat Geo Channel Picks Up 'Highway Thru Hell', Al Clark Honored, Jackie Chan, Berlin Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. November 20, 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  8. ^ "ProSiebenn Maxx Showpage".
  9. ^ "Netflix availability".
  10. ^ "Quiring Towing Fleet". Quiring Towing>>Services. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  11. ^ Sarah Godard, Renee Dupuis (March 21, 2016). "Closure is Not an Option: Production Underway on Discovery's New Series HEAVY RESCUE: 401 From Producers of Top-Rated HIGHWAY THRU HELL". Bell Media. Bell Media. Retrieved September 7, 2021.

External links[]

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