We’re sure that “Shipping Wars” was one of your favorite shows at some point. Since its inception in 2012, the show brought us the best of a group of independent Texan truckers who did almost everything to transport some difficult but highly-valuable loads, and defeat their fellow drivers.
While the show’s format was all about how much money every driver could get, the good-humored and funny vibe of “Shipping Wars” surely gained the cast more than just a juicy auction, remaining in the hearts of their audience for several years to come.
One of those memorable “Shipping Wars” stars was definitely Roy Garber, who left his fans with too many open questions related to his sudden death in 2014.
So whatever happened to Roy? What was the cause of his death? What about the future of “Shipping Wars” and its remaining cast? Keep with us to discover all!
What Happened To Roy Garber?
It’s been a while since Roy Garger unfortunately passed away in 2014. Though details about his health weren’t revealed, it’s known that he had been suffering heart problems for some time, resulting in his death from a heart attack on 17 January that year, at 49 years old.
Although Roy apparently didn’t have biological children, he was mourned by his adopted son Travis and a long-time girlfriend of name unknown. Fans of “Shipping Wars” were also very saddened by the news of his parting, leaving thousands of condolences on his online obituary.
As well, “Shipping Wars” network A&E posted their condolences to the man who had been one of the show’s main stars: ‘Our thoughts are with Roy’s loved ones during this difficult time. He will be missed’, the official statement read.
Unfortunately, not a lot is known about the whereabouts of Roy’s surviving family, including the fate of his beloved cat Muffy, also a fan favorite from appearing quite often in the show.
The cat was said to be passed down to Roy’s mother after his death, but was apparently stolen from the pet transportation service the family hired.
Regardless of that, it’s for sure that Roy is still warmly remembered by his family and fans.
Where Is The Cast Now?
Given that Roy Garber died in 2014, he was only able to film a couple of episodes of “Shipping Wars” sixth season. Nonetheless, the show didn’t have a long way to go afterwards, as it took an indefinite hiatus following the end of its eighth season in early 2015. So where is the rest of the cast now?
Jarrett Joyce
There are many reasons why Jarret Joyce was one of the most memorable stars of “Shipping Wars”. Besides being one of the original cast members, the show’s so-called “Rookie” had quite an interesting personality, not caring that much about making some mistakes in order to become a top shipper, even if that meant exposing his inexperience on screen.
Nonetheless, it’s well known that Jarrett is quite a skillful businessman off-camera. As seen on his social media and interviews, Jarret is actually very thoughtful and careful about his business, unlike the character we usually saw on TV.
As well, he’s the owner of Southern Shipping, offering his clients a wide variety of shipping options, including common cars, trucks, boats, vans and buses. According to his company’s online profile, shipping isn’t his main activity anymore, but he apparently still does it from time to time, even if that means to be truthful with his clients about his role in “Shipping Wars”: ‘if you’ve never seen it don’t look it up, you may decide not to use me!’.
Jarrett is apparently now established in Delaware, with his wife Tindall, with whom he tied the knot in May 2020.
Marc Springer
Definitely a name to remember for every fan of “Shipping Wars” is that of Marc Springer, one of the show’s veteran shippers and quite the interesting character.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZkakTSJibh/
Marc’s personality, trademark long white beard and eye-catching style made him hardly-forgettable, but his skillful ways at bidding in the show gained him a well-deserved place as a fan favorite.
Unbeknownst to many, the so-called “Big Rig” of shipping actually had his beginnings in the sales world, by selling Harley-Davison bike parts. However, despite being a motor-head and knowing how the business worked, Marc left that world when making ends meet became hard, just as his family grew. The opportunity to step up his game came as he found out that the shipping business was quite profitable, after transporting two bikes across the country.
His following shipping gigs were enough to convince him of dropping sales altogether, putting his whole focus on growing his newly-established business Snortn’ Boar Transport.
However, while it’s unknown if the company is still active nowadays, Marc works nowadays as a snow groomer and was even hired to promote a pain relief cream manufactured by Mother Trucker Yoga, an online course aimed at improving the health of drivers in all fields.
Jennifer Brennan
Also known as the “Cowgirl”, there’s a good reason why Jennifer Brennan holds a special place in the hearts of “Shipping Wars” fans. Growing up in a rodeo, Jennifer grew up used to making the best out of every opportunity, whether it was hauling food or livestock.
Her experience in this field and desire to become a business woman resulted in the establishment of Tie ‘Em Down Transport, her independent shipping company specialized in animal transportation. Nonetheless, Jennifer expanded beyond that, and was proud to become a transporter who could haul ‘anything from farm animals to a million-dollar Ferrari’.
Nonetheless, it seems that her shipping adventures were meant to end at some point. As seen on her social media, Jennifer no longer works in the transportation field, and now gives her undivided attention to Topanga Scents, her cleaning products distributor entrepreneurship.
Regarding her personal life, many viewers of “Shipping Wars” might remember that her marriage to Todd Foster ended while the show still aired. Even so, the couple welcomed sons Grey and Jordan, who they apparently raise conjointly nowadays. As Jennifer revealed on social media, she’s re-married in recent years, but has been careful enough to keep her new husband’s name a secret.
Christopher Hanna and Robbie Welsh
Given their lifestyle and good-looking appearances, one really questions why Christopher Hanna and Robbie Welsh were nicknamed the “hotshot couple” by the show.
However, what’s most interesting about this marriage isn’t their looks, but the way they kept their relationship together when many others have failed, being business partners and TV co-workers.
Despite joining “Shipping Wars” in the second season, Chris and Robbie’s fame grew so quickly that no one blamed the audience for being extremely disappointed when they left the show in 2014. Nonetheless, the mystery surrounding their exit from “Shipping Wars” is still unsolved to this day, as the couple was nowhere in sight when the show’s sixth season aired, despite being promoted as part of the cast. When asked about the subject by her fans on social media, Robbie didn’t have a lot to say: ‘I know you want an explanation & I would love to give you one, but I’m waiting on a few explanations myself so #bepatient’, she tweeted.
Nowadays, Chris and Robbie own Palmetto Yacht Management, a high-cost transportation and hauling company based in Florida. As well, Robbie’s career as an influencer has grown steadily in the last couple of years, amassing over 60,000 followers on both Instagram and Facebook, besides having quite a large audience on the exclusive subscription site OnlyFans.
Dusty Davie
If this name doesn’t sound familiar to you, it means you weren’t a dedicated “Shipping Wars” fan. Dusty Davie – also known as the “Prodigy” – joined the series in the sixth season and stayed in it until the seventh season wrapped up.
While “Shipping Wars” promoted Dusty’s company as Flatbed Express, in real life the transportation company belongs to his family; Dusty actually owned the Nebraska-based trucking business Omaha Truck Kustomz.
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of information about Dusty’s whereabouts. His official Facebook page with over 2,000 followers is rarely updated anymore, except for a couple of truck pics Dusty shares from time to time. Regarding his personal life, since 2016 Dusty has been married to Jessie Davie, with whom he welcomed a son in 2018.
Jessica Samko
Though Jessica Samko appeared in “Shipping Wars” for just two seasons, she quickly gained huge fame for being one of the few female drivers in the series.
While most of her time on screen was spent bidding, or having some sort of drama going on for the rest of the cast, Jessica was quite dedicated to her job in Darren M Smith Transport, the Pennsylvania-based trucking company she worked for.
Unfortunately, there’s little information about Jessica’s professional whereabouts these days.
As she posted on her public Facebook page in February 2022, she is still working as a driver, but it’s unknown if she’s on her own or employed by a company: ‘I got a roof over my head, a good job, my boys are healthy, and I’m close to my family’, she commented.
Regarding her personal life, she has publicly affirmed her wish to stay single for the time being, apparently being too focused on her career and taking care of her dogs to pay attention to romance.
Suzanne and Scott Bawcom
Veteran shippers Suzanne and Scott Bawcom were definitely favorite stars in “Shipping Wars”, even though they only appeared in the show during the first season.
The fact that Suzanne and Scott work so well together shouldn’t surprise anyone, though. As seen in the show, the couple has been together for several decades, and have managed to keep a stable business and equal work dynamic, while keeping their marriage together.
Although there’s no way to know why the Bawcoms left the show after only one season, they’re surely remembered by some people for confusing the location of a customer’s business to be in Cleveland, when it was actually in California. The mistake would have probably gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the fact the incident was even reported by local Cleveland newspapers such as the Dayton Daily News.
Nowadays, the profile of their company Dream Time Transportation no longer exists online, and Scott’s Facebook page points out that he has a management position in a tech company, inevitably making us think Suzanne and him have left the transportation business for good.
Lawsuit
We know that “Shipping Wars” surely brings you very good memories of its cast and the comedic situations featured in it.
However, it isn’t a good show if it doesn’t have at least a little bit of drama, which in “Shipping Wars” case even surpassed the TV screen.
As it happens, in 2016 the show’s former producer Jocelyn Schutte sued the producing companies Megalomedia Inc. and Mansfield Films LLC for unpaid wages. According to Schutte, she worked for the show for 40 hours a week, but her payment never included those extra hours she did.
Nonetheless, failing to pay wasn’t the only accusation on her part – as the lawsuit papers stated, the company purposefully mislabeled her job position, not acknowledging her as a producer but as an ‘independent contractor’ as a way to avoid the requirements stated by the Fair Labor Standards Act, stripping away from her the right to ask for her overtime payment. After complaining with her superiors, Schutte claimed she wasn’t only dismissed, but also discriminated against because of gender.
Despite the seriousness of the case, no information about its resolution is found, meaning it was probably settled out-of-court.
Is The Show Back?
When a TV show returns after being on an extended hiatus, the normal reaction from fans is happiness. However, when it was announced that “Shipping Wars” was returning to TV in late 2021, the news was received with mixed feelings.
As it happens, no one from the series’ original cast was invited to join the reboot. The exact reason for leaving such memorable drivers and bidders behind is unknown, but it’s logical to think that given that many former “Shipping Wars” stars are no longer involved with the transportation business, the show’s producers simply decided to renovate the cast altogether.
The new seven-person cast is formed by new names such as Natasha Schneider, Doug Smith, Tamara Brock and the couples Dwight and Tyesha Fountain, and Molly and Russell Rivero.
Could this new cast become as successful as the previous one? That’s still yet to know, but unless you were a hardcore fan of the former stars, the new “Shipping Wars” would surely still be a good source of entertainment for fans.
