On 6 January 1998, 3 special-effect crew members were injured preparing a gas-based explosion in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Two of the crew were hospitalized with serious injuries and the third was treated and released. Improper safety measures that went against industry standards allowed for a premature explosion as the crew was setting up the shot. The battery used to trigger the explosion was stored inside a truck engine compartment rather than in the open. The battery was not disconnected when a cable touched the electrical contacts, causing detonation. Black Dog Productions was fined $16,800 by the state. These scenes that were filmed in downtown Wilmington were not used in the final release.
According to Vic Armstrong, was the stunt crew, including second unit director & stunt coordinator Gary Hymes fired from the film by the producers. They then called in Vic Armstrong to film the truck chase and finish the stunt scenes. Parts of the stunt crew remained on the set and was rehired by Armstrong. This explains why there are two stunt coordinators; assistant coordinators and second unit directors credited on this film.
In chapter 5 Junior drives the Peterbilt out of the shop it has short smoke stacks, then the truck is started up to back up to the trailer the camera shows black smoke flowing from tall stacks. They then stay long all through the movie.