Diesel Brothers Explained

Genre:Reality
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:6
Num Episodes:49
Runtime:42 minutes
Channel:Discovery Channel

Diesel Brothers is an American reality television series. The series premiered on January 4, 2016, on Discovery Channel.[1] [2] The program follows a group of friends in Utah who repair and customize pickup trucks.

Despite the name and physical resemblance to one another, the Diesel Brothers are not actually brothers. Friends David "Heavy D" Sparks and David "Diesel Dave" Kiley started a fix-it shop for all types of vehicles and brought in two other men as shop helpers.[3] They posted various videos on YouTube, one of which led to an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Subsequently the Discovery Channel contacted the Diesel Brothers.[4]

On November 15, 2019, the series was renewed for a sixth season which premiered on December 9, 2019.[5]

On July 16, 2020, it was announced that a three-hour TV special titled Diesel Brothers: Monster Jam Breaking World Records would premiere on August 8, 2020.[6]

Lawsuit

In 2016, a Utah advocacy group called Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment filed a civil lawsuit against the Diesel Brothers, alleging they engaged in "significant, repeated and ongoing violations of federal law" by modifying vehicles to create black smoke from the exhaust systems, which the group characterizes as "one of the most toxic types of pollution there is".[7] The physicians group bought a modified truck from Sparks Motors, and independent testing confirmed that without required emissions features, the truck produced 36 times the pollutants and 21 times the particulate matter compared to a stock truck.

In June 2018, after hearing testimony from an emissions inspector based in Davis County, Utah that a Diesel Brothers truck had been illegally modified, a judge issued an injunction prohibiting any similar modifications in the future.[8] Sparks stated he was modifying trucks only for off-road use under the belief it was legal and was working with the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure compliance.[8]

In March 2020, three of the Diesel Brothers (Sparks, Keaton Hoskins and Joshua Stuart) and their various companies were fined a total of $850,000[9] [10] [11] after Federal Judge Robert J. Shelby determined they had violated the Clean Air Act on hundreds of occasions and also had violated the earlier injunction. The fine was less than the maximum possible, as Judge Shelby recognized various mitigating factors.[10]

The Diesel Brothers filed an appeal in April 2020, with their attorney arguing the case fell under a split circuit with contradictory Federal rulings.[12] In 2021 the appeals court upheld the verdict and noted "flagrant misconduct" by the Diesel Brothers, but also ordered Shelby to re-calculate the fine to eliminate penalties associated with trucks or components which were sold outside Utah.[13]

Episodes

Season 7 (2020)

Source:[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Petski. Denise. Discovery Revs Up With 'Diesel Brothers' Series For January Premiere. Deadline Hollywood. 2015-12-08. 2016-10-07.
  2. Web site: Kimberly Nordyke. Discovery Extends 'Diesel Brothers' Order (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. 2016-02-03. 2016-10-07.
  3. Web site: Are the Diesel Brothers really brothers?. Patriot-Tire.com.
  4. Web site: Inside the Story: Four friends turn love of diesel trucks into hit TV show. Dan. Rascon. May 5, 2016. KUTV.
  5. Web site: Discovery's "Diesel Brothers" Is Back for a New Season of Super-Sized Firsts When It Debuts December 9. The Futon Critic. November 15, 2019.
  6. Web site: An Epic Night of Family Fun as Discovery and Feld Entertainment Partner on "Diesel Brothers: Monster Jam(R) Breaking World Records". The Futon Critic. July 16, 2020.
  7. Trevor Mason (August 2016) Diesel Brothers Might Be In Legal Trouble DieselTechMag.com, accessed 10 March 2016
  8. Tom Quimby (June 20, 2018) Diesel Brothers hit with injunction to stop modifying emissions HardWorkingTrucks.com, accessed 10 March 2020
  9. Lauren Bennett (2020-03-10) Judge orders 'Diesel Brothers' to pay $850K for violating Clean Air Act, KSL.com, accessed 10 March 2020
  10. Mark Shenenfelt (2019) Judge hits Diesel Brothers with $848,000 in penalties for air pollution violations . The Ogden Standard-Examiner, accessed 10 March 2020
  11. https://www.thedrive.com/news/32533/diesel-brothers-hit-with-850000-fine-for-tampering-with-truck-emissions Diesel Brothers Hit With $850,000 Fine for Tampering With Truck Emissions
  12. Mark Shenfelt (April 13, 2020). Diesel Brothers appeal $848,000 federal Clean Air Act violation judgment The Ogden Standard-Examiner, accessed 30 July 2020
  13. https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2021/12/29/appeals-court-affirms/
  14. Web site: Diesel Brothers Season 7 - Google Search . 2023-08-02 . www.google.com.