ICE ROAD DRIVER FAQS (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS)

Matco Transportation Systems is proud to be a leader in Northern Canada’s transportation industry. We have enjoyed recent television and film opportunities to showcase our staff’s expertise and dedication to transporting goods on Canada’s dangerous ice roads. Here are some of the questions Matco is frequently asked regarding driving truck on the ice roads. Please feel free to send your questions to jenine.cerny@matco.ca and they will be answered.

Thank you to Wikipedia for providing the information regarding ice roads.
Ice road. (2008, August 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:24, August 27, 2008

 

1. What are ice roads?

• Ice roads or ice crossings (which are sometimes referred to as ice bridges), are frozen man-made structures formed on the surface of bays, inlets, rivers, lakes or seas, and are linked from frozen waterway to frozen waterway by overland portages, or winter roads, that are, usually, consistently used from year to year
• Ice roads are annual winter-season occurrences that facilitate transportation to and from northern areas which have no permanent road access
• Most commonly seen in isolated regions of Northern Canada and Alaska's bush, they are used to help reduce the cost of goods and materials that are normally shipped as air freight

2. How long do the ice roads usually stay open?

• Depending on the region, ice roads can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months before they become impassable.

3. How can I be an ice road driver?

• To be an ice road driver for Matco Transportation Systems, a person must have a valid class 1 drivers license; numerous years of experience driving truck are necessary
• A detailed job description will only be found on Matco’s employment section of our website should we require drivers for our Northern Canadian branches; please be advised that Canada’s ice roads are seasonal so ice road drivers often hold other jobs during the summer
• Matco is not hiring ice road drivers at this time, but we are always looking for great people to join Matco’s team. Please forward all ice road related questions to jenine.cerny@matco.ca, Matco's Marketing and Communications Manager.

4. Where are ice roads located in Canada?

• Canadian ice roads are located primarily in the Northwest Territories; ice roads in Yellowknife and Inuvik are featured most often in recent television and movies

5. Why are ice roads used?

• In general, ice roads and winter roads are used in areas where construction of year-round roads is expensive or impractical
• When frozen in winter, the waterway crossings can be built up with a system of auger holes to flood and thicken the crossing
• Ice roads and winter roads play a crucial role in the transportation of goods to communities without permanent road access; in many of these communities, air transportation is used at other times of the year to bring in goods including food and supplies, but this can be prohibitively costly for bulky goods such as building supplies and heavy equipment

6. Does Matco sell any ice road merchandise?

• Matco is proud to offer Ice Road Driver t-shirts and caps – please visit our merchandise page for pictures, complete product descriptions and ordering information.