PALMETTO, Fla. — Monster Jam trucks are born to roar and roll and cause a whole lot of joyful mayhem.
But these big-wheeled beasts — the most famous being Grave Digger, of course — also need a whole lotta TLC.
There are 42 Monster Jam trucks tearing up the dirt all over the globe. They're born at the massive Feld Entertainment campus in Palmetto and they get patched up there too.
"So basically, in the Monster Jam fleet shop, we do everything from the ground up," said Dustin Brown, director of operations. "We build brand-new trucks. We do everything from building engines, servicing the trucks, building chassis, keeping them going to be able to go out and perform every weekend. Everything originates from this shop here."
Monster Jam will invade Amalie Arena this weekend. (For tickets, go here.) Many of the trucks performing the local shows are still being souped up and serviced in Palmetto by dozens of skilled craftspeople. This includes getting brand-new bodies and fresh paint jobs.
"Generally speaking, we try to get two-and-a-half events out of a body," said Bob Gnos, director of the body shop.
He added that some drivers are tougher on trucks than others.
"But I won't mention any names," he said with a smile.
For more on Monster Jam, go here.
