Okay, I'll admit it. When I first heard about this show, I was excited. I know it only re-enforces my redneckism, but the idea of people modifying semi trucks seemed cool up until I saw the show. If you've never seen it, it's very akin to MTV's 'Pimp My Ride' and follows the same principle as TLC's "Overhaulin'". The 'Chrome Shop Mafia' find some poor soul with a dilapidated truck and refurbish it for him and make it really nice. Okay. Sounds good.
The show starts off showing the guys in their spare time, doing something stupid. Just stupid. Playing polo with semi trucks instead of horses, or bowling certain truck parts at other truck parts. Who does that? Who? I know a lot of rednecks. Nobody has ever done that. Then, of course, you get to the truck. Now, in theory they catch this guy at a truck stop, take his truck with no warning, and give him a new Western Star loaner. There are a lot of problems here. First off, if they're surprising this guy, how do they get the before shots of the truck going down the road with him driving? Hokey, but I can overlook it. Next, every driver goes to the same truckstop. Also hokey, but that could be arranged by some creative dispatching on the part of his company if they were in on it- which they'd have to be. Why? Because an OO (owner- operator) cant just swap tractors without telling his employer. They identify you and your location by your tractor number. So how do they arrange the Western Star loaner truck? The company would have to be in on it, but the show never mentions it.
Next, the subject always comes out and challenges them while they crawl all over the truck, then just gives in. Come on! This truck is the guy's house, and you're just going to give it away to 5 random guys because they say they have a TV show? That's crazy. Would you give your car to a bunch of guys you'd never seen before if they said they had a TV show? NO! Besides, this truck is the driver's home. Do you understand how long it would take him to move all of his clothes, log books, and other personal belongings into a new truck? But I digress. It's a TV show, you have to allow for some stuff. What about the actual trucks?
These trucks are rolling crapboxes. I -guarantee- 90% of the trucks would be SHUT DOWN at any commercial weigh station. Broken mirrors, fenders, inoperable lights, etc...these guys are a DOT officer's dream. They can (and will) shut you down for having the wrong tractor to trailer brake wire, so how do you keep operating with bald tires and duct tape grilles? There's no possible way you can operate a commercial truck and avoid every weigh station and every DOT or Highway Patrol officer on every run. Therefore, I believe the whole premise of the show is bogus. These have to be set- up situations.
But what about the work, you ask? Well...it's very nice. I definately admire the quality of their work, despite the bad acting, stupid plotline, and bogus 'surprises'. These guys can sure make a truck look nice. Unfortunately, that's all they ever talk about. They never mention any functional work, such as to the engine, transmission, or driveline. Just cosmetic work. But they cant just stop at making the truck pretty and functional. They actually have to make it -less- functional.
The #1 issue with semi tractors is weight. The heavier your truck, the less you can pull because you still cant go over your total vehicle weight. Light truck equals heavier trailers, which means more money per load. Or a light truck means better fuel economy, which is always a plus, especially at 2.85 a gallon that comes out of the driver's pocket. 200-300 pounds can be a big deal. Now take that truck and add solid hardwood floors, hardwood swinging doors (on the interior), or a real stone fireplace. These guys have gone so far as to bolt a propane powered grill to the side of the truck or mount a stereo speaker system in a box beihnd the cab in front of the hitch. Am I the only one that sees this truck starting to get heavier by the ton? But maybe I'm being too critical. After all, it's a CMT original production. I guess their original program is just like their music- rebadged pop culture with a fashionably 'redneck' twist.
Not that I'm really opinionated or anything...:lolsign: