TV role becomes reality
“Reality television” is often synonymous with 15 minutes of fame.
Based upon much of the genre’s programming, you can see why that distinction has become many people’s perception.
Of course that’s not an absolute.
OOIDA Board Member Doug Smith’s appearance on A&E’s “Shipping Wars” wasn’t something he sought. It started with a conversation he had several years ago with a friend’s daughter who was assigned to find truck drivers.
But that was nearly a decade ago, and that ship had sailed, right?
Well, the call came and Smith, who has more than 50 years of trucking experience, chose to use the television exposure to create a lasting image of his trucking career.
Which totally makes sense when you find out Smith still drives for the family business – the Ralph Smith Co., out of Bountiful, Utah.
The family transformed this trucking company from a three-truck fleet into a 100-plus truck operation supplying some of the largest construction companies in the western United States.
“I have six kids and 17 grandkids,” Smith said. “Here is a chance to see some professional videography of old grandpa Smith. Thirty years from now these videos will still be around. That was a big driving force to me agreeing to this. Wouldn’t you like to dial up a program and watch your grandpa?”
This wasn’t a money-making venture, in fact, it actually took money out of his pocket to be on the show. However, the payoff came from the mouth of Smith’s 18-month-old grandson.
As the family watched an episode, the toddler began yelling, “Pop” as he saw Smith appear on screen.
Truly a moment money can’t buy.
Yet, Smith hopes the television spot will connect with those even outside of his family.
Smith sought to make a how-to of sorts while he completed various jobs assigned by the show.
“The tasks I had to do weren’t much of an issue for someone with experience,” Smith said. “But I’m also looking at it like if there’s other truckers watching this, they might learn something. Even something as simple as putting a twist in a strap so it won’t damage a load. I wanted to show the public what the industry is really about and help as many new or inexperienced truckers as I could.”
As for the show itself, Smith said it was largely unscripted. This created some unusual circumstances by trucking industry standards but par for the course when filming a television show. That is, until the potential for misinformation becomes too great.
“I was asked to say something about getting loaded and unloaded quickly, and if the wheels aren’t turning then I’m not earning,” Smith said. “You have people falling in love with the romance of the business, and it is fun. But this is a misconception that gets the industry a bad name.”
Smith remained in conversation with producers about the need to be authentic. His persistence paid off in a conversation about his career, which was aired.
“After a while they turned me loose and I was able to improvise,” Smith said. “In one of the episodes, a guy asks me how long I’ve been doing this. I told him 50 years or so, and I’ll keep doing it until it’s not fun anymore. They sent me a text message saying that line was gold. It was totally unscripted.”
Once the kinks were worked out, Smith said he largely enjoyed the experience and all that came with it.
“They didn’t tell you exactly what you were doing, they just said to be at a certain place at a certain time,” Smith said. “They might give you a little more information then, but they mostly wanted you to see the problem and solve it. Did you make interesting TV? I enjoyed the challenge of it, because I love driving a truck. Otherwise I wouldn’t still be doing it. If you hate the work you do, what a miserable life that would be.”
The people Smith met also made a lasting impression.
“I really enjoyed working with two different camera crews,” Smith said. “They became like my sons. We’d go to dinner at night and got to know each other pretty well. We even still stay in contact. Honestly, it was hard to tell them goodbye when it was time to go home.”
The good news is that in addition to his trucking legacy and the how-to guide for fellow truckers, the show will provide lasting memories of the wonderful people Smith met during his television foray. LL