Will Porkchop find himself without an invitation to return to the Ice Road Truckers party next season?
As the season goes forward on the History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers, watching the show becomes an endeavor to discern who will not be in the cast next season.
My bet would be Porkchop.
That’s not a commentary on his driving skills. In fact, he really does not seem to be any worse than Darrell or Austin.
Darrell has been carrying load after load, and Carlile boss Lane seems pleased with his progress, but Darrell still doesn’t really appear to have much respect for the dangers that present themselves on the Dalton.
At least, he does not seem to think they apply to him. Even after last night’s “close call,” it’s hard not to question whether or not Darrell will actually slow down a bit and take the dangers more seriously, or if he’ll just shake it all off and again go speeding up and down the Dalton as if he is driving on a flat, calm Interstate in perfect weather conditions.
As far as Austin goes, many Huliq readers have expressed their feeling that his continuing and speedy rise up the ladder seems unlikely without having someone on the inside pushing him up the rungs:
B&J: “Jack has given his all to Carlisle for many years & all of a sudden takes a back seat to a cocky, arrogant 23 year old young man who thinks he knows it all.
Yes Austin has talent as a trucker, but he certainly doesn’t deserve such prime hauls over Jack by a long shot.
Another question might be who is Austin related to or the son of a good friend at Carlisle??
This appears to be the only somewhat logical reason why Austin is allowed to be on his own so soon & receive the premier hauls rather than them being given to Jack.”
Rick T: “I too believe Austin is related to Layne or somebody in Carlisle. Austin left his convoy and Layne was not concerned.
Last season when Dave did that he got a butt chewing. He displays no respect for those with more experience and this can lead to problems on the road.”
Kat: “I too believe that Austin is related to Layne, or a friend. I was glad to see someone else write what I was feeling but did not know quite how to put.
And if this is what the show is coming to I think it will be the end of the show.”
Anonymous: “I too believe Austin is related to Layne in some way. Layne was there when Austin pulled in with his load.
Sure seems that he was overly concerned that Austin did well on this trip. It will come out if they are really related then we will know for sure it was favoritism.”
Austin was working with Carlile already when he was pulled up to the “big leagues” of the Dalton, unlike Porkchop, but he certainly does not seem to have any special qualifications that explain all of the attention given to him, other than the fact that he is young, and perhaps they are simply grooming him to become part of the “next” generation of elite drivers for Carlile.
It certainly isn’t because he has the patience to do the more skilled driving like heavy haul push trucking—he proved that in last night’s episode.
One thing that Porkchop does have going for him that Austin definitely does not is the ability to assess the situation, see where he needs to make adjustments, and just go ahead and make them.
As Porkchop has said repeatedly, he is “playing by the rules,” trying to be the driver Carlile wants him to be.
Austin, on the other hand, always has an excuse when he screws up, never taking responsibility for his mistakes.
Last night, for example, when he hooked up on the push too early, potentially sending the second truck veering off the road, Austin could not just admit that he screwed up because he is so impatient.
No, instead, he started making excuses, saying, among other things, “Since Greg’s the lead push truck, he kinda knows what is going on, ‘cause he can see the load. … Me, on the other hand, it’s hard, because you’re not sure what gear those guys are in, you just gotta kinda guess.”
Ah, okay; I was under the impression that’s what those little walkie-talkie deals were for, but perhaps not.
Maybe you do “just gotta kinda guess.” In fact, it was probably all Greg’s fault.
Right.
Porkchop seems to be doing better than he was at the beginning of the season, but, just guessing, I would say he won’t be back next season. Austin? Probably, if he wants to be.
Darrell? Same, probably, if he wants to be, although he really does not seem to add much to the show overall.
