On 10 January 2012, the world stood in awe of a new A&E reality TV series, that showcased something never before seen – shipping, but bigger and better than anyone thought possible.
Do you have a massive garden gnome, so big that it’s literally the size of three pick-up trucks? No one’s really going to ship it; traditional carriers will outright refuse the request to transport something of that size, over any distance. Their standard rates would nowhere near cover the shipping costs, and even in a higher price range, it’s just not worth their time.
However, this same garden gnome that graced the cover of that brand new reality TV show would go the distance anyway, thanks to the cast of “Shipping Wars.” Whatever it was, wherever it had to be, it would get there. The sky was the limit. Not only were these people able to transport literally anything, they were so good at it that the competition was through the floor.
This made for great television, but, like all great things, the show eventually had to come to an end, finishing with 100 episodes, the last of which was broadcast on 29 April 2015, concluding its eighth season.
So, how did “Shipping Wars” work?
The system that brought a massive fortune to A&E and the cast was fairly simple to understand, which further contributed to the show’s popularity. The shippers would bid on two uShip deliveries. Besides placing the bid itself, the shippers would also add comments, such as what the risk of the delivery is, and how cost-effective their route would be, explaining their pricing in detail. At the auction’s close, the delivery would be awarded to the lowest bidder, though that wasn’t always the only factor.
Having a good delivery reputation and experience with similar objects sometimes allowed a shipper who bid a higher price to still get the job. This is why accuracy and professionalism were very important among the crew, as the best would always get the spoils, which created a highly competitive atmosphere that was quite entertaining to the viewers.
The shippers would then make the delivery, normally within the time limit set by the customer, and preferably in pristine condition. They would be rated by their employers at the end, and near the finish of every episode their total expenditures would be tallied on screen, listing all the expenses next to the bid amount, so as to calculate the potential profit.
Did “Shipping Wars” really end?
The reality TV series got a reboot and a ninth season on 30 November 2021, but with an entirely new cast and significant changes when it comes to the bidding process. It’s safe to say that the latest season of “Shipping Wars” simply isn’t it. The fun and convivial group of shippers from the first eight seasons has disappeared, so the fans naturally didn’t receive it well – “Shipping Wars” isn’t “Shipping Wars” without the legends that made up the cast.
So, while the show continued after the eighth season, its diminished success with the new cast simply wasn’t up to par with expectations, and so for now it remains discontinued, although this decision isn’t final.
Meet the legends
When the name “Shipping Wars” is mentioned, usually only six people come to mind. Roy Garber was somewhat of a main character in the series, nicknamed ‘The Handyman,’ heading the shipping company known as Arbie’s Team Transport. Next, Jarrett ‘The Rookie’ Joyce of the Southern Shipping company, followed by Marc ‘The Big Rig’ Springer of Snortn’ Boar Transport; Jennifer ‘The Cowgirl’ Brennan of Tie ‘Em Down Transport; and finally Christopher Hanna and Robbie Welsh, also known as ‘The Hotshot Couple,’ of Loaded Transport. This is generally the cast that kept the show together for eight seasons, though not all of them appeared in every season – only Jarrett, Marc and Jennifer stuck through all eight seasons.
Suzanne and Scott Bawcom, also known as ‘The Veterans,’ of the Dream Time Transportation company, were only there in season one, while Dusty ‘The Prodigy’ Davies of Flatbed Express, Jessica ‘The Road Warrior’ Samko of Deren. M Smith Transport, and Todd and Tamera Sturgis, nicknamed ‘The Double Threat,’ of He Is With Her Transport, graced the screen in seasons six through eight.
https://www.facebook.com/uShip/posts/152755231503520
The tragedy that changed the show
First and foremost, by far one of most unfortunate events in the show, which was possibly the greatest contributory factor to A&E canceling the production after season eight, was the sudden passing of Roy ‘The Handyman’ Garber.
Roy had filmed episode one and two of season six of the show, after which he was rushed to the hospital due to a severe heart attack, but passed shortly after arriving. Relatively young, at only 49 years of age, Roy succumbed to a long-time heart condition that his family revealed to the public after his death. The event came as a shock to his colleagues and fans alike, forever changing the show for its regular viewers.
His son Travis then dropped out of the show, to continue running the family shipping business in New Hampshire. The A&E network stated ‘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.’ Besides delivering nigh impossible shipments, Roy loved to fish and go scuba diving.
Jarrett Joyce’s new path
‘The Rookie’ dropped out after season eight, but didn’t leave the profession. In mid-2022 he still ships various objects, though mostly cars and motorcycles. His company, Southern Shipping LLC, built its own name after the eighth season, allowing him to venture out on his own.
Jarrett’s Instagram page description stating ‘I ship things. I like grit cakes.’ perfectly describes his current state of affairs. He’s still active in the business, just generally off camera. He also continues learning new things, according to his Instagram post which states that he’d just picked up lock-picking! He’s still married to his wife Tindall Joyce, and frequently posts pictures of her with heartwarming descriptions. Though no longer on the screen, Jarrett seems to be having the time of his life, doing what he loves.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Chliza_MLGH/
Marc Springer’s career after “Shipping Wars”
Much like Jarrett, ‘The Big Rig’ continues his business solo, taking his mutton chops and iconic truck away from the limelight and onto the road. As stated on his Twitter profile, Marc Springer still operates Snortn’ Boar Transport throughout the US and Canada.
He spends his free time retweeting posts of his brand, and his friends’ trucking videos. Aside from that, he’s a busy man as usual, bidding for the biggest and most unusual shipments, just like the fans remembering him doing. It seems that leaving the show in 2015 did absolutely nothing to disturb the work ethic and dedication of ‘The Big Rig,’ and surely, if he’s re-invited to the screen, the fans have a lot to look forward to.
Jennifer Brennan’s life in 2022
‘The Cowgirl’ isn’t known for being out of business for too long. As she used to mostly ship cattle in the show, it seems that’s what she would be doing now as well, except there’s no evidence to suggest it. Her Instagram page is full of family and fashion posts, while she also likes to let everyone know she still works out.
Her page still has the description that she created during the show, so with it being over, it looks like Jennifer still enjoys the good old days that she spent competing with the other legends of “Shipping Wars.” On her profile she mentions that she’s ‘Brenn from Shipping Wars A&E.’
Aside from that, she also loves to post pictures of her son Brennan Grey Foster, whom she had on 23 October 2013. Regarding any relationship, after apparently ending her engagement to Todd Foster, the female star of the former reality TV series seems to be disinterested in a partner at the moment. She still lives in Austin, but her current profession is unknown.
Robbie Welsh and Chris Hanna’s path to glory
The most famous “Shipping Wars” duo, also known as ‘The Hotshot Couple’, are enjoying their life together with two children. Chris initially shipped solo, and his wife joined him in 2008. They moved shipments with their company Loaded Transport from season two to six, and were the favorite team among most fans.
They left the show two seasons earlier than most of their legendary colleagues, though not for any controversial reasons, simply wanting to focus more on their own business, and simply didn’t want to mix with A&E’s idea of doing the work, and thus decided to wing it together.
Headed to Boston in the AM! I sure will miss @IamRobbieee but I'm stoked to show off my new grille @rollingbigpower pic.twitter.com/lWlUstsQ
— Chris Hanna (@ShipWarsChris) January 7, 2013
Unlike the company they ran in the show, their private business is called Palmetto Yacht Management, and on its website they offer a wide array of luxury boat transportation services, including storage for up to a year. This is apparently a much more lucrative version of what they were doing in the reality TV series, and the couple’s leisurely lifestyle displayed on their Instagram profiles fits that assumption.
Besides the family business, Robbie Welsh has her own website, which contains links to a number of other sites that she remains engaged on, including TikTok and even OnlyFans. Hence, Welsh is her own entrepreneur as well, relying on many types of income, and steadily growing her net worth.
Lastly, a very negative rumor arose in February 2020, when a man by the name of Chris Hanna was listed on FBI’s website as an arrested child pornography distributor. However, this is a completely different person from the “Shipping Wars” star, seeing as the man’s age is stated as 46, while Robbie’s husband was in the second half of his 30’s at the time of this posting.
https://www.facebook.com/RobbieWelshandChrisHannaShippingWars/posts/pfbid0sC7g39acmzvFUC6ky1Tgaa2vqfDQeqikojPPggS8og5TfgU2Vj8ecXDNnfJizoyhl
The first couple’s latest ventures
Suzanne and Scott Bawcom, ‘The Veterans’ of Dream Time Transportation, left the show after season one. Their presence wasn’t long, but still quite memorable, being the only couple who started the show, as Robbie and Chris joined in season two.
They’re about twice as old as ‘The Hotshot Couple,’ having a son and daughter around the same age of Welsh and Hanna. Scott actually defused mines in Iraq, prior to becoming a shipper, after which he employed his wife as well, and their daughter Ashley provided customer service for the company. They also have a son named Josh.
Seeing as their company website has been shut down since 2012, which is the time when they left the show, it’s safe to assume they retired after the first season. Susan’s Twitter account profile picture shows the couple holding their grandchildren, meaning they probably just spend time with their family now, enjoying the fruits of their careers.
Where ‘The Road Warrior’ went
Jessica Samko is one of the very few women to have graced the show, sticking between seasons six and eight. She was noticed after entering Overdrive’s Most Beautiful contest as a female trucker, at the suggestion of her boyfriend Derek. At the time, she was working for his company DMS Transport LLC.
The producers of A&E quickly caught sight of her, casting her into the show not long afterwards. She joined with her trusty Volvo 780 truck, which she’s had since 2008. After leaving the show in 2015, Samko started her own shipping company – JMS Transport LLC. This is where she is thought to work even in mid-2022, apparently with a better profit than in the TV series. Her Twitter page seems untouched since 2014, meaning she prefers to stay out of the limelight, and focus on her career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5k1NV7ta6k
Is anyone going to come back?
Following the not-so-enviable reception of season nine, which didn’t feature any of the initial popular characters, it isn’t very likely that A&E will renew the show with another season. However, there’s still some hope, seeing as they rebooted it six years after the eighth installment in 2015.
Possibly, though not very likely, season 10 might gather some of the greatest truckers seen on A&E for a legendary come-back. Without an official confirmation by the network, the fans can only speculate.
