Watch a Rivian R1T Yank a Stuck Semi From Ditch in Super Sketchy Recovery

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With the recent set of winter storms battering the country, outdoor adventure photographer Mylo Fowler encountered what is an all-too-common sight on a recent drive through southern Utah: a semi-truck helplessly stuck after sliding off the interstate. In a bit of good luck for the unfortunate semi driver, Mylo was piloting his six-month-old Rivian R1T pickup, had a load of recovery gear on hand, and was willing and eager to help.

Mylo began the recovery by attaching a Factor 55 tree saver, which is useful for so much more than protecting foliage, around the semi trailer's rear impact guard (ICC bar). He then used a Factor 55 soft shackle to connect the company's kinetic recovery rope to the tree saver. The other end was attached to the Rivian's trailer hitch with a soft shackle. This setup is about as good as it gets when it comes to vehicle recovery.

Mylo started slowly, by first removing slack from the rope and attempting to pull the semi back to the driving surface slowly. This resulted in the Rivian R1T spinning all four tires and sliding into the ditch with the truck. It was a nice try but was never going to work. Finally, with traffic clear, Mylo backed the Rivian up to the semi-trailer and gave it hell. With a stiff pull on the kinetic rope, the stuck truck popped free while the Rivian turned all 908 lb-ft into a combination of tire smoke and forward momentum.

Much to everyone's amazement the mighty midsize electric pickup pulled the 38,000-pound (confirmed by the truck's driver) 18-wheeler out of the ditch with what looked like relative ease. The secret sauce in this situation is the combination of the Rivian's high (and immediately available) torque and its heavy weight (more than 7,000 pounds). Kinetic recovery ropes, like the one used by Mylo, work by transferring energy from the vehicle with momentum to the vehicle that is stuck. The rope absorbs the kinetic energy from the first vehicle, stores it momentarily as potential energy, and then transfers the force from the rope into the stuck vehicle. High school physics stuff, really.

While the Rivian R1T made this recovery look easy, we really can't recommend trying it for yourself. Had the semi-truck been fully loaded it would have nearly tripled the rated minimum breaking strength of the kinetic recovery rope. Additionally, using any lesser grade of recovery gear or a standard recovery strap (which isn't intended for this type of use) could result in breaking the strap. Never use a trailer hitch ball as a recovery point and always ensure the rigidity of what you're attaching too (viewers noted that the trailer's ICC bar may not have been the wisest choice).

Lastly, never attempt to recover a vehicle using a chain. We've got plenty of tips, tricks, does, and don'ts for when it comes to vehicle recovery. This might be a good time to brush up on your knowledge.

If the name Mylo Fowler seems familiar, it's because back in 2019 Mylo was chosen by Nissan to be a part of the company's "Calling All Titans" program. At the time, Mylo was the owner of a 2006 Nissan Armada and 2012 Titan Pro-4X. Mylo was born and raised in a Northern Arizona Navajo community and continues to work tirelessly to help improve the lives and living conditions of those still in the Navajo community. And, for those wondering, this was not his first time towing a semi-truck in the snow, either.