History Television continues to see first-rate numbers for the third season of reality Ice Road Truckers, the Canwest-owned specialty’s most popular series. The show maintains a loyal audience with an average 470,000 viewers tuning in each Wednesday at 9 p.m. – comparable with its high-flying premiere of 597,000. (All numbers 2+.)

The season debut on March 31 broke records for History as the most-watched episode of all time of any series, despite competition from top-rated U.S. fare including Criminal Minds and American Idol. It also surpassed Truckers’ previous high of 512,000 viewers for the second-season debut last year.

The series depicts the lives of a group of professional drivers who brave blizzard conditions and ice roads to deliver supplies to miners in the Canadian tundra. The male-skewing show mirrors History’s Ice Pilots NWT, a similar reality about elite pilots from Yellowknife who fly vintage planes in and out of mining sites in the Far North.