What happened to Hugh Rowland from Ice Road Truckers? His Wiki-Bio, wife kids.

Publish date: 2024-05-20

For all his love for ice trucking, Hugh Rowland might not a huge fan of the show, Ice Road Truckers. A regular cast member of the series, Hugh made regular appearances in the series for the first eight seasons. Known to his fans as Polar Bear, Hugh was one of the first cast members of the series. And while the series brought Hugh immense fame and recognition, it also resulted in a severe accident. One of the best truckers around, Hugh is also one of the best-paid truckers. In this article, we will take a closer look at the wiki-bio of Hugh Rowland.

Getting into trucking:

Hugh Rowland was born in 1957 in British Columbia, Canada. He took his first trucking job as a teenager and stuck with it. While Hugh had never dreamt of being a truck driver, he fell in love with it since his first drive. Over the years, Hugh gathered a reputation as one of the best truckers in the business. So when the producers of Ice Road Truckers came knocking, Hugh has more than happy to share his daily struggles with the public.

From 2007-2014, Hugh served as the program’s de facto host and lead star. His popularity continued to grow and Hugh became the face of the series. The series documented the adventures of Hugh and his crew as they tackled insurmountably dangerous situations, often defying death in the process. But with the accident in 2014 and Hugh’s lawsuit, the producer had no choice but to send will packing. Since then, Hugh has taken a break from reality TV but is still active as a trucker.

The accident:

In 2014, Hugh Rowland filed a lawsuit against the executive producers of the series. The lawsuit was filed in early 2014 alleging that a producer’s reckless driving was responsible for injuries Rowland sustained in an accident. The accident left Hugh unable to attend the show’s ninth season. The lawsuit was filed against producer Will Morrison who lost control, veered off the road, and crashed into nearby trees. Hugh suffered serious injuries from the accident, so much so, that sex was out of the question. Hugh claimed that he had suffered severe and permanent injuries, with his wife adding how she was deprived of love, companionship, and the enjoyment of sexual relations.

Ice Road Tuckers:

Hugh Rowland made his debut on the History Channel show “Ice Road Truckers” during season 1 episode 1 titled “Ready to Roll” in 2007. He was a regular cast member until season 14 (2014) and made 112 episode appearances during the period. He also appeared in 13 episodes of the spin-off IRT: Deadliest Road (2011).

Season 1:

Hugh leads a group of truckers on the icy road of Canada’s Northwest Territories in Yellowknife. He owned four trucks and had hired Drew Sherwood, Todd White, and Rick Yemm to drive the other three. All three of the driver leave him and midway through the season, he hires the fourth Danny Rose. Meanwhile, Hugh faces competition from Alex in regard to completing more hauls. In episode 13 his truck called “The Crow’s Nest” driving axle gets knocked off the chassis and Hugh ends up driving his other truck previously manned by Yemm.

Season 2:

Hugh continues Ice road trucking this time for the MGM oil exploration sites and takes on the job to relocate the camp to a new base. Hugh hires a new driver Isaac and trains him. At the end of the season, Hugh and Eric go neck to neck to claim dominance with the most haul.

Season 3:

Hugh is presented with a new route and new challenges as truckers needed to move 6,000 loads of freight to the oil camps of Alaska’s North Slope in just 12 weeks. A safety instructor joins Hugh during his first trip to Prudhoe Bay. At the end of the season, Hugh goes head-to-head with Alex for most hauls meanwhile Jack takes the title of King.

Season 4:

Hugh takes on one of the longest and most treacherous roads in Canada. The most notable Hugh moment from the season includes him driving on the wrong side of the road over Atigun pass and getting busted at end of the season.

Season 5:

Hugh and Rick deliver the largest load ever trucked on Manitoba’s ice roads. Hugh embarks on the longest and most treacherous roads in Canada at one point leaving Hugh stuck on the side of the road. He also heads into the most remote terrain of Ontario alongside Rick.

Season 6:

At one point Hugh takes on the thin ice of Manitoba’s winter roads and later he faces the challenge of the melting roads while delivering the load to Winnipeg.

Season 7 :

Hugh joins forces with Vlad and opens their own trucking business named “VP Express.” The new hire, driver Art Burke struggles on the icy road despite Hugh and his partner making a decision to keep him. The highlight of the season could be Hugh stealing a driver from their fierce rival solar Industries.

Season 8:

Hugh leaves the show at the end of the season.

Author:

For all his mishaps, it cannot be denied that Hugh is one of the best ice road truckers in the business. The man loves trucking above everything else and is not afraid to take on a challenge every now and then. His exploits have been perfectly documented in an autobiography entitled, On Thin Ice: Breakdowns, Whiteouts, and Survival on the World’s Deadliest Roads. The book was published in 2010 and became an instant hit with the fans. Will also owns a construction business that he oversees.

Personal Life:

Hugh Rowland is married to his childhood sweetheart, Dianne Rowland. The pair met during Hugh’s early years and have been together ever since. In three decades of togetherness, the pair have three daughters and two grandchildren. A family man through and through, Hugh loves spending time with his family.