A year and a half ago, when the recession was tightening its grip on the Flathead, Kalispell contractor Ray Veilleux made a difficult decision, one that is unfortunately familiar to the valley.
He let his employees go and left his home and family to find work.
That journey took him to Alaska, where he signed on with Carlile Transportation Systems to work in the trucking yards, a job Veilleux describes as the bottom of the pack. Taking an entry-level job was a bit of an adjustment for the Montanan, who had owned a business in the Flathead for roughly 20 years.
“Holy mackerel, I’ve been owning my own company in the valley and here I’m going to be starting in the yard as low as can be,” Veilleux remembers thinking. “It was the hardest year-and-a-half in my life, being away from my wife and my daughter.”
The entry-level job, however, turned into a rare opportunity to drive an 18-wheeler from Fairbanksto Prudhoe Bay to deliver equipment and supplies to the oil fields there. Part of that 500-mile road, the most treacherous part, is a section made completely of frozen water.
This road has been made famous by the History Channel’s hit show, “Ice Road Truckers,” which highlights the perils and personalities of one of the most dangerous roads in the country.
Now, Veilleux joins the cast of the show for its fourth season, beginning on Sunday, June 6. Part of working for Carlile Transportation includes the opportunity to be on the show, Veilleux said, something he was unaware of until he actually got behind the wheel.
Once it was decided that Veilleux would be featured, he spent three months with a two-person camera crew in the cab of his truck. On a good day, the haul took 12 hours, Veilleux said. But if other obstacles arose, such as a snowstorm, the trip could take three days.
Having company on a long trip like that could help fend off monotony, but it also had its challenges. The proximity of the cab caused a few culture clashes with the camera crew, who Veilleux described as more liberal than himself.
Another challenge was the difference between conversation among travelers and conversation for television’s sake.
“Everything you do you’ve got to do it over again because you didn’t say it right the first time,” Veilleux said.
The ice road also presents plenty of trials in itself. Veilleux compared it to driving a semi truck up a snowy, narrow Montana logging road at 50 miles-per-hour and meeting another truck coming the opposite direction.
And the weather, sometimes dropping to 52 degrees below zero, means a driver can never turn their truck off unless it is in a maintenance garage.
“When you’re out there you can’t call AAA if you break down,” Veilleux said. “You go to be a little bit mechanically inclined to figure it out.”
He was not the only driver from Montana on the road. The Alaskan trucking companies seek out drivers familiar with mountainous terrain and maneuvering through touchy situations, Veilleux said.
There will be episodes featuring him breaking down, chaining up, getting stuck in four-foot snow drifts and even crashing his truck, Veilleux said. He insists, however, the camera crew often made it more dramatic than it was.
At one point, Veilleux told the producers he wanted out of the show. They told him they could work his departure into the narrative, Veilleux said, but they also told him his story would be important to many Americans struggling to get back on their feet after being walloped by the economy.
“You got to stand up, man up and do what you can do and get through it,” Veilleux said.
Despite the sting of leaving his wife and daughter behind, the former contractor was not completely without family in Alaska. His son, Josh, also got a job in the trucking yard and will be part of this season’s show.
After the road thawed, Veilleux left Alaska to be closer to home. He is currently working in the oil fields of North Dakota on a schedule that lets him return home for a week at a time.
Though he did not get paid to be on the show, Veilleux said if audiences like his character enough, the History Channel could lease a truck for him to drive next year and essentially foot the bill for his appearance on the show.
He may head back to Alaska for the next trucking season either way.
“It was awesome; it was a great thing to do. Not everybody gets the opportunity to have a job like that,” Veilleux said. “I think I was very fortunate to get to do it and to live through it.”
Though he can’t say how the show ends in regards to the hauling competition between the trucking companies, Veilleux does have a guarantee for the Flathead.
“I make Kalispell, Montana, look good,” Veilleux said.
“Ice Road Truckers” premieres on the History Channel on June 6 at 7 p.m. and will feature 16 episodes.