YELLOWKNIFE - People driving trucks on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto ice road can be divided into two categories according to owner/operator trucker Jim Lengyel.

Jim Lengyel sits behind the wheel of his fuel tanker. He waits at the Yellowknife dispatch station to leave on his 17th trip this season on the Tibbitt to Contwoyto ice road. - Stephanie McDonald/NNSL photo

"You either love it or you hate it," he said.

He must fall into the former category, as he has now completed 17 trips up the road this season and it's also his 17th year coming to haul to the Northern mines.

This 568-kilometre ribbon of ice, linking supplies in the south and the miners in the North, is traversed each year by hundreds of truckers like Lengyel.

Like many of them, he is a farmer who comes North each winter to supplement his income.

He travels from Brooks, Alta., to Hay River each winter with his fleet of seven trucks and drivers.

"It used to be a well-paying job, but is more average now," he said.

"It is harder to find workers because of jobs in the oil patch."

He fills the tankers behind his 1985 Peterbilt in Hay River and travels to Yellowknife to wait for his turn to head out on the road. A convoy of four trucks leaves the city every 20 minutes.

The trip on the Ingraham Trail, with oncoming traffic and bends in the road, is the most dangerous part, he said.

"I tell my guys to drive how they are comfortable. Don't try to keep up with anyone."

Dropping on to the ice at the end of the Trail is almost a relief.

"The ice is a lot more relaxing," he said.

For the next 15 hours Jim will drive at a speed of 10-25 km/h to reach BHP's Ekati mine.

There he will grab a coffee and soup before going to sleep. Once he awakes, the long journey south begins.

Two and a half days after leaving, he will be back in Hay River where he will sleep and begin the cycle again.

"It's certainly not a hard job," he said. "It's probably one of the most relaxing trucking jobs in the world."

Yet it is not without its dangers.

Spinouts on the road are almost a daily occurrence, breakdowns are a constant threat, and snowstorms can reduce visibility, causing delays.

He is constantly servicing his trucks.

"It's so cold you can run into trouble," he said.

"We take better care of our trucks than we do of ourselves."

In his 17 years on the road, Lengyel hasn't had any major mishaps.

"Sometimes it doesn't matter what experience you have. It's just luck."

To fight long hours of boredom on the road, night and day, Jim listens to satellite radio, but mostly talks to other truckers on his CB radio.

Constant communication with other truckers keeps him awake. He learns a lot about the other folks on the road, some of whom he never meets in person.

"A lot you just know from their radio voice."

Many truckers get homesick, especially during the dark days during February.

"The job just about kills you at first," he said, adding it gets easier with time.