Highway Thru Hell: USA

Highway Thru Hell: USA

Synopsis

This real life series will document the activities and the lives of the tow truck drivers who work Donner Summit as they compete for work - and fight to stay alive. During the ever present winter storms, each driver may respond to as many as 15 assistance needed calls per day. With each call comes a different story of a desperate and stranded family, trucker, or tourist who wants nothing more than to simply make it off of the summit alive. Our tow truck drivers must juggle their difficult jobs while keeping motorists calm.
Our video crews will be backed up by numerous small HDV vehicle mounted cameras that are strategically placed on the tow trucks - including looking forward through their windshields and on the rear tow arms. Other cameras will be set up in strategic sections of the 'pass' where skid outs, accidents and crashes are a regular occurrence. These cameras will catch every close call, every accident, every daring rescue, and the always intimidating winter conditions of Donner Pass.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Do Or Die

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    The snow comes in hard, tangling and mangling traffic in Donner Pass. Sam from "Nyack Towing" must winch up a young drivers pick-up which has plunged down a steep incline and slammed into a tree. Becky and Edgar from "Dependable Tow" struggle to extract a big rig loaded with hay from a ditch far below the highway. Will of "Running Bear" rescues an SUV which has hit black ice on I-80 and flipped. Nearly out of gas, Will works fast to upright the SUV while the CHP watches him like a hawk.

  • A Cold Day In Hell

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    The first big snow of the season hits, tangling traffic along the Donner Pass. Becky and Edgar from Dependable Tow struggle to up-right a big rig spread across the entire westbound highway. Eddie of Sierra Towing is rebuffed in his offer to assist a competitor clear another jackknifed truck when a snapped tow chain just misses his face. Elsewhere in the same storm, Sam from Nyack Towing tries to steal a coworker's truck while his boss Craig stalls repairing Sam's own truck. The irascible Sam later exacts revenge.

  • Highway Heroes

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    When the worst snowstorm of the season pounds Donner Summit, the tow dogs become heroes. Sam Jackson struggles to keep a tow from a watery grave. Eddie Farrow gets stuck in a massive traffic nightmare, and receives a desperate call from his pregnant wife. She's in the same traffic jam, and may be going into labor.

  • Nightmares In Tow

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    While Sam and Eddie's rivalry heats up, Brandon faces death on the highway. And as Becky faces her past, Will makes a stunning announcement.

  • The Dead Zone

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    As heavy snows pound Donner Summit, Edgar Stratton races to a frozen lake where he must save an SUV that's fallen half way through the ice. To make matters worse, the driver is still stuck inside. Sam Jackson hustles for money, but a young father might not be able to pay the bill.

  • Hell Hath Snow Fury

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    When Justin Mobley steals a tow from co-worker Sam Jackson, fireworks fly on Donner Pass. Justin continues to cash in and is confronted with what might be the impossible tow.

  • Hell Freezes Over

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    A powerful storm slams Donner Summit which is a gold mine for the tow dogs. It's illegal to be on the road without chains. The road's pure ice -- Brandon nearly gets hit by a spinoff; Eddie argues with CHP; Sam and Craig nearly come to blows; Becky Norman poaches a tow and then gets into a brutal argument with her boyfriend; and due to poor equipment maintenance Will Slade of Running Bear shows up late for his tow and then finds out his wife has left him.

  • Running On Empty

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    As the season winds down, all hell breaks loose on Donner Pass. Sam nearly gets run over by a big rig. Justin stares down death to tow a moving van off Dead Man's Curve. One driver quits and another leaves the mountain for good.

  • Devil's Highway

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    Donner Pass is one of the deadliest stretches of roads in the US. A small group of tow drivers risk their lives rescuing stranded motorists.