Although cancellations usually mean the end of most shows, there are a couple of TV series which have been revived after years of being off air. One of those rarely seen cases is that of “Shipping Wars”, the A&E reality series focused on a group of shippers whose everyday job consisted of competing against each other to be contracted.
Even though “Shipping Wars” was canceled in 2015 after several seasons, the show miraculously came back in 2021. However, this new chapter in the show’s history also introduced many new faces to its audience, which couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the old set of shippers that the original airing of “Shipping Wars” brought to fame back in 2012, one of them the unforgettable Robbie Welsh from Loaded Transport.
So where is she now? Why isn’t she in the “Shipping Wars” return, and does she still work in the shipping business? Stay here to know all about the whereabouts of Robbie Welsh!
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Where Is She Now?
Despite not being in the new “Shipping Wars” revival, Robbie Welsh keeps herself quite busy these days. For one, her very popular Instagram account with over 60,000 followers is the perfect platform for her to promote her projects, such as her custom artworks under the name Mermaid By Robbie. This initiative is partially a hobby and a job, as she usually creates sea-inspired craft decorations and all types of home projects both for sale and for her family.
Besides her love for arts, Robbie is an avid make-up artist, showing her talents in this field thanks to her short videos on Instagram and TikTok, the latter platform on which she has accumulated thousands of views, on top of creating exclusive content for the subscription platform OnlyFans.
While Robbie hasn’t returned to TV since the end of “Shipping Wars” eighth season in 2015, it’s clear that she does a good job of keeping in touch with her fans.
Is She Still With Christopher Hanna?
Those who watched the earliest “Shipping Wars” seasons surely remember that Robbie wasn’t alone in the show. Her husband Christopher Hanna was always there to team up together in their shipping quests, forming what was known as the Hotshot Couple in the show.
While Robbie and Christopher had their highs and lows while trying to make a name in the alternative shipping field, their relationship was certainly quite stable by TV standards. That being said, both of their social media posts let us see that not only the Hotshot Couple’s marriage is still in place, but also that they enjoy vacationing and lots of adventures together with their two kids.
Regarding their business, it’s apparent that Robbie and her husband have long left their shipping business to focus on the tourism business. According to Christopher’s social media, he’s currently the president of Palmetto Yacht Management, an East Coast based company dedicated to transporting, storing and even providing parts and technical service for yachts. On top of that, having accumulated almost 20,000 followers on social media allows Christopher to promote brands and local business on his Instagram account.
Though it’s unclear if the couple will give TV another try in the near future, it’s relieving to see that everything is going well for Christopher and Robbie’s professional and personal life nowadays.
What Happened To The Rest Of The Cast?
It’s great to know that Robbie Welsh and her family are doing well these days, but there are also lots of questions regarding the wellbeing of some other original “Shipping Wars” cast members.
Jarrett Joyce
After the end of the original airing of “Shipping Wars”, many cast members eventually strayed away from the shipping business, such as is the case of Jarrett Joyce. According to his LinkedIn profile, in 2019 Jarret closed his independent company Southern Shipping, which was famous for being featured in the show.
Apparently, Jarret briefly made a living as a loan originator in a real estate company, but soon found himself in the brewing business, and nowadays works for local beer producing companies in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he now resides. Whether he’ll return to the shipping business sometime in the future is unknown, but when asked about what happened to his truck by an Instagram commenter, Jarrett simply answered that he’d changed it ‘for a keg and a glass’.
Regarding his personal life, in 2020 Jarrett happily tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Tindall, who is involved in the brewery business as well. All in all, it seems that despite changing his business and staying away from TV, Jarrett is having a great time.
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Marc Springer
As one of the veteran drivers in the show, Marc Springer was one of the most unforgettable guys out of the “Shipping Wars” original cast.
That being said, it’s relieving to know that not only is Marc doing well these days, but also that he’s one of the few former show stars who’s still involved with the shipping business, though that’s only one of the things he does for a living. According to his Facebook page, Marc spends his days trucking, driving snow tractors, and even making leather accessories such as moccasins, keyholders, bags and others under the name Snortn Boar Leather Works.
Marc is also one of the faces of the brand Mother Trucker Yoga, promoting its pain relief products, and is also an actual member of the Minnesota-based Marcell Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club, with which he promotes trail trips during winter to his over 60,000 followers on Facebook.
Regarding a possible return to TV, in October 2021 Marc shut down any rumors about appearing in the “Shipping Wars” revival, by affirming in a video ‘I got a lot of stuff going on and I’m kind of busy’, but also saying that he wished lots of luck to the new show’s cast.
Jennifer Brennan
Known as the Texas Girl in the group, Jennifer Brennan is just as popular these days as she was back during “Shipping Wars” first airing. Her Facebook page has accumulated over 130,000 fans to date, added to the almost 40,000 followers on Instagram.
Jennifer’s online popularity has surely played in her favor, as she often promotes brands and businesses on her social media. Nonetheless, while it’s apparent that Jennifer doesn’t work in the shipping business anymore, it’s difficult to tell what she does for a living these days.
On the personal side, Jennifer has taken a liking to fitness in recent years, often sharing her workout progress on her Instagram and TikTok. The Texas native nowadays lives in Louisiana with her two kids and husband Cade Matte, a local firefighter who was awarded as his community’s Firefighter of the Year by the American Press. All in all, Jennifer’s seems to be pretty content these days.
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Suzanne and Scott Bawcom
Just like many former “Shipping Wars” cast members, Suzanne and Scott Bawcom aren’t involved with the shipping business anymore.
The once family-owned business Dream Time Transportation was closed back in 2012, which explains why the couple and their two kids left the show at the end of its first season. However, it’s unclear what might have led the Bawcoms’ business to shut down but financial problems are most-likely out of question given that as late as 2011, Dream Time Transportation was named a Power Provider on the platform uShip, as stated during an interview with Scott for PRWeb.
Regarding their whereabouts, a look into Suzanne’s rarely updated Facebook page lets us see that she enrolled in an adult education program in 2014, though further details about her career are unknown. Unlike his wife, Scott is much more active on social media – according to his Facebook, he’s currently working as a technician in international engineering, apparently traveling quite a lot around the world with Suzanne, as some of his posts point out.
That being said, Suzanne and Scott are surely living quite a good life despite the short-lived nature of the business which once gained them a place on TV.
Dusty Davie
Known as the Prodigy of the series, Dusty Davie appeared in “Shipping Wars” from the sixth to the eighth season, becoming quite popular while doing so. As the star driver of his family’s company Flatbed Express, Dusty wasn’t afraid to transport some of the high risk loads all around the country.
Nonetheless, while Flatbed is still in business, Dusty took a step away from his family’s business to start his own. These days he’s the owner of Omaha Truck Kustomz, a Nebraska-based body shop specialized in providing parts for heavy duty autos.
On the personal side, Dusty married his long-time girlfriend Jesse in 2016, with whom he welcomed a boy in 2019. Other than that, it’s difficult to tell what else Dusty is up to these days, but hopefully he’s doing well.
Jessica Samko
Regardless of being in the show for barely two seasons, Jessica Samko gained huge popularity thanks to her appearances in “Shipping Wars”. Nonetheless, the woman once known as The Road Warrior for her resourceful ways of shipping has left behind her days as an independent trucker in Deren. M Smith Transport. Instead, she’s now working as a truck driver for a traditional courier, and though the move is unexpected, her social media posts let us see that she enjoys her current job.
On the personal side, Jessica makes sure that all her followers know how much she loves her dogs Wilson, Ceasar and Sherma, but other than that, she keeps current details about her private life in secrecy.
Todd and Tamera Sturgis
The couple known as The Double Threat are one of the few former “Shipping Wars” cast members who still dedicate their life to the same business which gained them a place on TV. Ever since the end of the show’s eight seasons, the couple has kept their joint Facebook page quite active, updating their almost 5,000 followers on their personal life and trucking escapades.
Nonetheless, Tamera’s page Trucking Is Glamorous is notably more popular with over 40,000 likes. Although Tamera usually promotes brands, events and other business with said Facebook page, the platform has been perfect for her to expand her merchandise brand of the same name, specifically aimed at women in the trucking industry.
As if to prove Tamera’s popularity, she was a finalist in 2017 Overdrive’s “Most Beautiful” awards. In an interview with said magazine, Tamera revealed that she was quite pleased for representing a rarely acknowledged part of the field: ‘I like the idea of breaking stereotypes, and take any opportunity to be an advocate for the industry’, she admitted.
Despite not winning the contest, Tamera’s 25 years of experience in trucking surely speak for themselves. Meanwhile, though no news about her and Todd’s possible return to TV has been revealed, it’s clear that they’re doing quite well these days.
Roy Garber
While it’s apparent that every former star of “Shipping Wars” is doing well now, the unfortunate passing of Roy Garber is saddening for everyone who ever watched the series. The New Hampshire native was known as The Handyman in the show, due not only to his resourceful way of trucking and dealing with shipping, but also for having extensive knowledge in many fields.
Besides founding his own company, Arbie’s Team Transport, Roy was also involved with the building business, doing anything possible to support and raise his son Travis by himself.
However, Roy’s adventurous and admirable life came to an unfortunate end on 17 January 2014, the result of a heart attack. Although his son and girlfriend didn’t make a public statement, A&E lamented his passing with the following: ‘We are deeply saddened by the loss of a member of the A&E family. Our thoughts are with Roy’s loved ones during this difficult time. He will be missed’. At the time of his death, Roy was only 49 years old, and had filmed two episodes of the sixth season of “Shipping Wars”.
Why Was The Show Canceled?
Even though “Shipping Wars” was revived in late 2021 for a ninth season, there are many questions regarding what happened to the original series and why it suddenly ended.
However, there’s really no clear explanation as for why A&E decided to put the show on stand-by back in 2015. According to the show’s Facebook posts, at the time the network didn’t really inform those involved with it about a possible renewal, but somehow making clear that no new episodes would be airing.
Furthermore, a curious Facebook fan asked Tamara Sturgis about her and Todd’s availability to return to the show, to which she answered having ‘no say’ in such a decision, and also pointing out she and her husband didn’t receive money from the show’s syndication.
Overall, there’s really no explanation as to why the show wasn’t renewed for a long time, but seeing that most of the original stars left the shipping business in the last couple of years, it’s evident why the show’s producers preferred to invite a new cast altogether for “Shipping Wars” revival.
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