Tricked out and truckin’

R od and Kevin Pickett already roll like rock stars in their chromed-out, customized Peterbilt 359 semi truck.

It’s an instant conversation starter, one that turns a simple trip to the gas station into a two-hour question-and-answer session about their one-of-a-kind creation.

Dan Bates / The Herald Rod Pickett (left) and his brother, Kevin Pickett, trick out trucks for a living at Pickett Custom Trucks in Arlington.

Now the Marysville brothers are on the brink of rolling like TV stars as they take centerstage in a new national show, “Trick My Truck,” on Country Music Television.

The first two half-hour installments of the eight-episode season air at 8 p.m. Friday. Check your listings for the channel number.

The potential for TV stardom isn’t exactly going to the Pickett brothers’ heads.

“I don’t even really think of it that way,” said Rod Pickett, owner of Pickett Custom Trucks, as he munched on a McDonald’s cheeseburger in his shop last week. “It’s not like I’m going to go to the grocery store and everyone’s going to recognize me.”

Maybe, but the show is already gaining a truckload of steam, gracing the covers of some national trucking magazines and getting big-time promotion on CMT, particularly during last week’s coverage of the Miss America Pageant – the most-watched program in Country Music Television’s history.

Rod Pickett, 35, has been customizing anything he could get his hands on for years and opened his shop nearly 10 years ago. He and brother, Kevin, 31, have created some of the most distinctive rides around.

About two years ago, at a custom truck show in Reno, Nev., their TV future began to take shape. A producer was looking to put together a cast for a reality show. The Picketts’ award-winning work stood out and soon became cornerstones of the show’s “Chrome Shop Mafia.”

“When we put together the Chrome Shop Mafia, we wanted to make sure we had a group of truly authentic custom truck builders,” said Melanie Moreau, a CMT executive in charge of new shows. “It wasn’t just about casting guys to stand there and look good.”

The Picketts’ image and personality was just a bonus.

“You meet those two and it’s obvious that they were made for TV,” Moreau said. “They’re just real genuine guys.”

The show was mostly filmed in Joplin, Mo., home of 4 State Trucks, a shop that also customizes trucks. Chief mechanic Brian Martin serves as the ringleader.

In each episode, the gang “steals” a truck from its owner at a truck stop, gives him or her a loaner and gets to work.

Viewers get a glimpse into the story of each trucker who has been nominated for a truck makeover by a friend or relative.

On TV, it all plays out in half an hour, but the crew was working on multiple projects at a time, putting in 18-hour days to get the jobs done.

Kevin Pickett guessed that about three weeks of work goes into each project.

The filming required the Picketts to put their own jobs on hold for a couple of weeks at a time while they traveled to Missouri.

“I had a good time, but it was a lot of work,” Rod Pickett said. “We did the filming and we worked on those trucks all night.”

The cast mostly got along, the brothers said, with the exception of a few moments that might not make it onto your TV screen.

“We had a few go-rounds,” Kevin Pickett said. “I don’t know if you’ve been to Missouri, but those dudes are in low gear.”

All bumps aside, though, the Pickett brothers enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to the chance to reach the kind of success that shows such as Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper” and “Monster Garage” and MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” have seen – although they’re not giving up their day jobs.

“I’d just like to sell some T-shirts,” Rod Pickett said. “But I think it’ll be pretty big, actually.”

The brothers plan to take their wives and some other friends and family members to Missouri for the premiere, when they turn the ignition on their TV careers.

“You never really know until it goes on the air,” Rod Pickett said. “If you look at the (Orange Coast Choppers crew on “American Choppers”), it kind of happened to them overnight.”

Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.