Tridem Cowboys: TV show celebrates honest-to-goodness truckin’

TORONTO -- Hey Ice Road Truckers! Get over to the granny lane.

Coming up in your rear-view mirror is American Trucker, a new reality TV program that shows trucking as she’s really done. Kinda sorta.

The new program, hosted by truck fanatic and artist Robb Mariani, hits the airwaves on the Speed network in February and yes, it’s a Californicated version of the freight-moving business, but our spidey sense (not to mention the few episodes we’ve watched) tells us that American Trucker is a lot truer to the real McCoy than that other show in the far north, which is widely entertaining, but exaggerates one of the least glamorous types of hauling ever.

We won’t go into the details here but among other things, American Trucker will introduce viewers to guys like Paul Sagehorn, a likeable truck nut who takes it upon himself to track down and refurbish the original Kenworth cabover and reefer that became a household item in the famous “BJ & the Bear” TV show.

In another episode called “Band on the Run,” Mariani travels with and documents the dozens of trucks on the road with a Country & Western band.

Then, in “Big Rig Tech,” he’ll be visiting one of the most advanced truck design facilities in the world as they create the next generation of futuristic big rigs.

Fact is, American Trucker appears to be a show even truckers will get into.

Go figure.