“🔥 Veterans Return and Rookies Clash: Inside the High-Stakes, Icy Battles of Ice Road Truckers Season 12 ❄️🚛👀”

After an eight‑year absence, the frostbitten highways of northern Canada will soon hum again with the roar of diesel engines — and long‑time viewers of Ice Road Truckers have reason to be excited.

On September 3, 2025, the History Channel officially announced the show’s comeback: Season 12 will premiere on October 1, 2025 at 9:30 p.m. ET, and it will feature a compelling mix of familiar veteran drivers and ambitious newcomers navigating some of the world’s most treacherous ice roads.

Veteran driver Lisa Kelly, first seen on the series during Seasons 3‑5 and returning from Season 7 onward, is confirmed to make her comeback for this season.

Alongside her is fellow returning veteran Todd Dewey, who joined the show in Season 7 and has maintained a solid presence ever since.

The network’s press release speaks of “the fearless truckers return like never before to the treacherous terrain of icy roads and frozen lakes in northern Canada,” setting the tone for a high‑stakes season.

What makes this return especially intriguing is the layer of competition and fresh blood.

Season 12 brings in a brand new cohort of rookie drivers — they may lack the ice‑road battle scars of Kelly and Dewey, but they’re hungry, eager, and ready to prove themselves.

According to backstage notes, one of the new companies on board is Muskie Creek Ltd., run by Operations Manager Bill Danh, whose team is built on tackling some of the most brutal, no‑margin ice runs.

The show’s producers have framed this as “veterans vs.

newcomers,” with the environment more unforgiving than ever due to a shorter winter haul window and intense pressure on every run.

During an on‑set interview in Yellowknife in late August 2025, Kelly reflected on the return, saying: “It doesn’t feel like coming back just for nostalgia — we’re jumping right into the deep end.

These roads don’t wait for you to adjust.

” Dewey added, with a half‑grin: “New guys are in our mirror this year.

I’m ready to show them how it’s done — but I’ll be watching them too.

” These remarks suggest mutual respect, but also a simmering rivalry.

One veteran crew member, speaking anonymously, offered insight into what the rookies are dealing with: “Most of the new drivers haven’t seen ice ridges crack under full‑load, or driven two nights straight in a storm when your clearance drops to nothing.

They’ll learn fast — or burn out.

” The contrast between seasoned experience and rookie adrenaline is poised to be a central narrative thread.

The logistical backdrop further heightens the drama.

With remote communities depending on these ice‑road runs for essentials — from fuel to construction materials — the stakes are real.

The production will follow missions that extend deep into frozen lakes and isolated inlets, where a mis‑step can mean catastrophic delay or worse.

One episode will focus on a shared run where Kelly teams with a rookie for the first time, and Dewey goes head‑to‑head against Muskie Creek’s Peterson‑Logan team in a race for a high‑pay haul.

Insiders say at one pivotal moment, Kelly cautioned her rookie partner: “Don’t relax when you think you’ve cleared the ridge.Stay sharp.”

That moment, captured on camera, lasts nearly two minutes uninterrupted — raw and tense.

From a storytelling perspective, producers have emphasised maintaining authenticity.

Kelly once admitted, “We’ve always been real, but the new season trips the tension up a notch.

The roads are fewer, so every wrong turn costs more.”

Meanwhile, executive producer Eli Lehrer of History Channel noted: “This season ventures into a new era of storytelling for the series that infuses fresh energy and new challenges, while honouring its rich legacy.”

As events unfold, viewers can expect higher stakes, more tension, and new personalities vying for supremacy.

The dynamic between Kelly and Dewey — experienced, composed, and respected — versus the rookies, full of risk‑taking energy and desire to shine, sets up a compelling narrative.

One scene previewed by the production team involves Dewey and rookie driver Shaun Harris (of Harris & Sons Transportation) — a father‑son duo entering the show for the first time — making a split decision when confronted by thin ice and approaching white‑out conditions.

Dewey later remarked: “They jumped at something I might have vetoed.

It paid off — but there’s a 50/50 that it doesn’t.”

According to sources, that scene runs nearly eight minutes in the episode, and ends on a cliff‑hanger: Harris’ rig ahead, Dewey pulling behind, darkness ahead.

The premiere is to be broadcast on October 1, 2025, with weekly episodes following on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m.ET.

The show is co‑produced by Original Productions and Eagle Vision, with Canadian partner Corus Entertainment, signalling the cross‑border scale of operations.

For fans of the original series, this is not simply a revival — it’s a reinvention.

Kelly summarised it best: “Nothing’s changed about the danger.

Everything’s changed about how much we’re willing to push.

” With that, the convoy of seasoned old‑hands and hungry newcomers rolls out into the frozen darkness — and we’ll all be watching.