Let the reckless and entertaining hotshotting, towing, recovery, rednecking, ragtagging, wheeling and dealing and trash talk resume.
The second season of the shot-in-Barriere reality TV show 'Backroad Truckers' debuts tonight with episodes 1 and 2 airing back-to-back at 9 pm and 10 pm on the History Channel.
"It's the backroad adventures of a bunch of misfit truck drivers who are a little crazy and have no fear and are totally driven by money," said Dave Schwandt, one of the stars of the show and the hardest working salvager and hotshotter in White Lake, which is 28 kilometres north of Salmon Arm.
Before we go any farther, we should tell you what hotshotting is.
It's the urgent hauling of goods from point A to point B that tends to generate the biggest drama on the show.
The first episode of season two is full of tension, conflict and action.
Big Donny Kleinfelder, the hotshotter from Barrier, 68 kilometres north of Kamloops, and Dave are rivals, yet Dave strikes an unlikely partnership with Big Donny's lead driver and ex-con Craig Gruden to hotshot a pair of heavy-duty snow cats.
As you can imagine, it doesn't go well.
Meantime, little person Dale Kristensen, who quit Big Donny's company to go out on his own, has big challenges as he tries to deliver a massive load of hay.
And then foul-mouthed Angela Kirstein ends up in the ditch heading back to Big Donny's for her second job of the day.
In episode 2, a flood and storm sees Big Donny's son, Donny Jr., and his wife trapped far from home, Daymon and Spanky dispatched to pick up Junior's slack, Dave coming to Dale's rescue and Angela at her wits' end on a delivery in the Rockies.
The 40-second teaser for season 2 is action-packed with high-octane driving and mishaps and quips from the cast such as: 'We do it the redneck way,' 'Never let common sense slow you down,' 'Hell ya boys,' 'Holy f*#k,' 'Bit of hijinks' and 'My wife left me, my truck's broken, but I still got my dog.'
Dave is billed as the underdog on the show, the guy busting his butt trying to build a family-run empire like Big Donny's.
However, unlike Big Donny's don, Junior, Dave's son Tristan isn't 100% committed.
"The show pits me and Big Donny as rivals, but, in truth, we're actually pretty good friends," said Dave.
"But, then again, we're also pretty competitive and we'll hustle for the same jobs."
While hotshotting tends to be the focus of the show, Dave also buys up cars and trucks to resell or salvage for parts and then throw them in the crusher to be sold on for metal recycling.
"I love to crush things," said the father of five
Basically, Dave said he does what he has to do to keep the cash flowing and the lights on.
"My wife doesn't like it when the electricity is shut off," he said.
Despite the scrabble, Dave can't imagine doing anything else.
"I thought of being a pastor once," he said with a laugh.
"But, I thought I would stick to this because everyday is an adventure. It's not a job when you love it. When I'm in my truck, I'm the happiest guy in the world."
Dave and Big Donny also haul cars to Rust Brothers Restorations in Tappen, just north of Salmon Arm.
Rust Brothers owner Mike Hall and his business are the stars of the History Channel reality TV show Rust Valley Restorers.
When the production company doing Rust Valley Restorers -- Vancouver-based Big Time Decent -- met Dave and Big Donny they asked if they'd like their own reality show.
"We're always hauling something, so they put cameras in our trucks and sent us off with no script whatsoever," said Dave.
"So, if you act like an idiot in front of the camera, you come across as an idiot."
Season 1 of 'Backroad Truckers' was eight episodes.
Season 2 will also be eight episodes.
Besides the History Channel, the show is also available on demand on Stack TV and the Global TV app.
Watch the season 2 teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9VdveEdC74
