I read a lot of praise for the new television series "Ice Road Truckers" that runs on Sunday evenings on The History Channel so I caught my first episode on July 1. It lived up to the hype. Now, of course, I'm frustrated that I missed the first episode or two, but I'm an extremely sporadic TV watcher, with my "regular" viewing limited to The Weather Channel and NHRA drag racing.

    Beyond the hype of this new show, what also attracted me to see it is that I'm a huge fan of big rigs and have been since a kid standing on the side of the road motioning my arm up and down to get the passing truckers to blow their airhorns. No matter how many viewings I've logged of trucker classic films such as "Duel," "Thieves' Highway," "They Drive By Night," "White Line Fever," "Maximum Overdrive" and others, I'll always make time to watch these favorites again.

    While Old Cars Weekly only sporadically touches on the vintage big rig hobby, mainly covering the annual get-togethers of both the American Truck Historical Society (ATHS) and the Antique Truck Club of America (ATCA), we highly recommend their club publications as must reading, "Wheels of Time" and "Double Clutch," respectively.

    In reading about the history of long-haul trucking in fine publications such as those put out by ATHS and ATCA, the dangers faced by early over-the-road truckers becomes evident. Bad roads, primitive equipment and no rules governing the amount of time spent behind the wheel were the norm. The six drivers who are the focus of "Ice Road Truckers" are men who haul diamond mine equipment on temporary roads created over the frozen lakes of Alaska, and are a throwback to these early drivers who faced peril at every mile. "Ice Road Truckers" is fascinating viewing, and watching men work in temperatures as low as 40 below zero makes you want to pull on a blanket, even in summertime!

    Those of us living in the Midwest can get a first-hand look at many of the trucks from yesteryear at the Trucker's Jamboree to be held at the I-80 Truck Stop near Walcott, Iowa, on Thursday and Friday, July 12-13. This is a free event, and attracts hundreds of vintage big rigs for display. There's also a pork chop grilling event that's not to be missed.