On Discovery, the world's toughest truckers battle it out

The fearless truck drivers drive through the treacherous Indian Himalayas in the finale. The show starts on July 2 at 10 PM, Monday to Thursday

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | June 27, 2012

In an enthralling challenge, eight of the world's most experienced truck drivers race against each other, taking on some of the harshest routes on planet Earth. As the journey to find the world's toughest trucker continues, these fearless drivers navigate the most extreme routes that include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mongolia and India. 'World's Toughest Trucker' on Discovery Channel takes viewers on a thrilling journey featuring brave truck drivers enduring some of the harshest environments. The show will be aired every Monday to Thursday at 10 PM starting July 2, 2012.

Each journey will last three days and contestants must face unusual cargo, massive rigs, lethal roads and each other. There are roads only the most skilled drivers can survive. Along the way, the weak will be eliminated for slow times and penalties. Ultimately, only one driver will walk away with a $150,000 prize and the title of 'World's Toughest Trucker'.

The contestants hail from around the world including the United States, England, Scotland, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka. All the drivers come with vast experience but, like athletes in specific sports, each driver brings a particular skill set to the competition. They also bring their share of personal quirks and trademarks. There's Canadian trucker 'Ice Man' Derek Martin, cool under pressure and used to this country's slick and steep roads; the wild and wily Alabaman, 'Rookie', whose mouth can run faster than his rig; and the explosive Aussie loner Rodney Johnson, who always seems to find teamwork to be the toughest part of the assignment.

Rahul Johri, Senior VP and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “From fishing crab in 'Deadliest Catch' to survival of the fittest in 'One Man Army', Discovery Channel has presented roughest competitions in most treacherous conditions. Its new high-octane series 'World's Toughest Trucker' will offer viewers a gripping and spellbinding experience on the road.”

The truckers begin battle in one of the most inhospitable regions of Australia. They encounter river crossings, dust holes and dry creek beds, but will one pair live to regret stopping to help rescue passengers in an overturned car?

Battling the challenges through Brazil, Canada and Mongolia and escaping elimination, the six truckers, in their penultimate challenge, tackle the highways and byways of India, delivering potatoes along some of the most congested roads in the world.

The truckers find themselves in a market square in Kanpur. Their task is to load and transport two hundred 50-kg sacks of potatoes from a wholesaler in the market to a vendor in the tiny and remote village of Lauri, over 250 miles away. The road they travel is wild and winding, twisting its way through some of the leanest roads of India. Driving their Tata 1616, they encounter all sorts of life on the road. None of the drivers have ever experienced driving in India before, on roads where overladen auto-rickshaws and bicycles battle against buses and all kinds of traffic on the road.

The fearless truck drivers face off in some of the world's most feared locations in the following eight challenges:

Episode 1: Australia

The Challenge: Truckers must transport wild cattle to new pastures from one cattle station to another further south.

Cape York is one of the most inhospitable regions in Australia and for six months of the year, the tropical rains make the roads impassable. River crossing, dust holes, and dry creek beds make this a challenging drive, particularly when you are carrying a top heavy load of cattle. The trucks they drive are Kenworth T658 split level rigs.

Distance: 480 miles

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: Huge Kenworth Prime movers

What Lies Ahead: Unsealed roads with corrugations, dust bowls, water crossings, heat and dust, flat tires, suspension damage, trucks overheating, water and food, fuel running out, open river crossings, loading and unloading cattle and watering the animals.

Episode 2: Australian Outback – first elimination

The Challenge: Transport oversized and overweight sections of medical center to Aboriginal community.

After hauling oversized loads across the remote and grueling unpaved roads of the Australian Outback, the truckers face elimination where the two weakest are sent packing. Only the toughest truckers will survive.

Distance: 450 miles

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: Mack Trident. 6x4's hauling an over dimensional tri-axle drop deck house low loader.

What Lies Ahead: Unsealed roads with corrugations, heat and dust, flat tires, suspension damage, trucks overheating, water and food.

Episode 3: Brazil

The Challenge: Transport concrete pipes.

The six remaining truckers take on the infamous BR163 road hauling half ton concrete pipes through Brazil's wild and unruly cattle lands. In new pairs, the truckers must battle both speed and strategy as they travel 360 miles over three days.

Distance: 310 miles

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: Vintage Mercedes Trucks

What Lies Ahead: Deep potholes (contract pothole fillers), unstable bridges, mud and swamp, ferry crossings and wild animals.

Episode 4: Brazil

The Challenge: Transport general supplies for a remote community and boats to another fishing village.

It's half way through the competition and this job is a game changer. Six truckers travel deeper into the Amazon to deliver boats to a fishing community along brutal and unforgiving dirt tracks, fuelled by adrenaline and racing to get the best time.

Distance: 400 miles

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: Modern Trucks

What Lies Ahead: Corrugations, deep potholes, narrow, forest fires, long ferry crossings, lack of visibility.

Episode 5: Canada

The Challenge: Log hauling

The truckers are in Canadian logging country, hauling 40-ton loads of logs down steep and narrow mountain switchbacks. With an average of 11 fatalities each year, this road challenges the remaining six in a way none are prepared for.

Distance: 100 miles (20-40 miles per day)

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: 475 horsepower 15 liter Diesel Kenwood W900

What Lies Ahead: Loads weigh 40 tons, slopes with over 30% gradients, switchback turns, mud and water on unsealed roads, oncoming trucks, loading and unloading logs, realigning their load.

Episode 6: Mongolia

The Challenge: Transporting "Gers" (Mongolian tents) and hay. Load Gers and unload and erect them. Loading hay and fueling up (Not what they're used to - must be pumped by turning a wheel).

Now in Mongolia, the truckers struggle with the remote and hostile environment of this nomadic Eastern land.  While battling their ancient Russian trucks, the road gets too tough for some and one of the truckers has a mental breakdown.

Distance: 400 miles

Days Driving: 4

Type of Truck: Aging Russian Zil 130's

What Lies Ahead: Bumpy rocky, off-road, potholes, sand dunes, rivers, navigation, improvised bridges, deep ruts, rock escarpments, steep slopes (35%), livestock in the road, tarmac with 2m drops on either side, poor suspension.

Episode 7: India

The Challenge: Transport potatoes across India's central agricultural region.

In their penultimate challenge, the six remaining truckers tackle the highways and byways of India, delivering potatoes along some of the most congested roads in the world. The road they will travel is wild and winding, twisting its way through some of the poorest parts of India. They will encounter all sorts of life on the road and whatever they do they must not kill a sacred cow!

Which truckers will survive the traffic, terrain and temperature to successfully negotiate through the hoards and make it to the final?

Distance: 300 miles

Days Driving: 3

Type of Truck: Colourful decorated Tata trucks

What Lies Ahead: Heat, dust, potholes, worn-out single track tar roads, no signs, crazy truck drivers, cow, goats, monkeys, hand carts and traffic.

Episode 8: India

The Challenge: Transport fragile cargo – handmade clay water pots on the dangerous NH22 in the Himalayas.

The three remaining truckers race over some of the highest and most deadly roads on the planet to deliver a consignment of clay pots to an isolated monastery in the heart of the Himalayas. As the competition heats up, who will be crowned the 'World's Toughest Trucker'?

Distance: 320 miles

Days Driving: 4

Type of Truck: Colorful decorated Tata trucks

What Lies Ahead: Steep roads, blind bends, huge overhangs, no barriers to sheer drops, dangerous drivers, congestion, poorly maintained roads and potholes. Narrow roads where overtaking is very dangerous.

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