Darrell Ward was known as the Montana Legend on the hit show, “Ice Road Truckers.” He and the pilot both died in a small plane crash in rural Montana on Sunday. I saw him Saturday night at the hotel restaurant following the Great American Truck Show in Dallas. Little did I know that he had less than 24 hours of life remaining at that point.
Darrell was a very seasoned and resourceful driver. He had over thirty years of experience hauling logs and oversized loads across the Rocky Mountains and beyond. It was because of his experience and ability to rise to any challenge that he was so successful when he became an ice road trucker in Alaska and northern Canada. His motto was “Any road, any load.” That’s
saying a lot, especially in the part of the world he was operating.
In front of a camera lens, Darrell was able to show the world the extreme job that ice road truckers are doing. His strong work ethic and “get it done” attitude were representative of many truckers that never got recognition. There are many others transporting life-saving freight to the far reaches of civilization and the world needs to know about them. Most people didn’t know this type of work even existed before “Ice Road Truckers” was first televised on the History Channel.
On August 24
th, Darrell stated that “life is short” on his Facebook page. It’s kind of eerie to read that and realize that he had a week left at that point. He was right; life is short, and from the sounds of it, he lived every minute to the fullest. I am thankful for Darrell Ward and will remember him as a tough as nails personality that never backed down from a challenge and always delivered. Rest in peace brother.