Rob Richardson, 31, Oronogo, is trying to brighten up the highways.

He doesn’t clean up litter. He doesn’t make road signs and he’s not the guy who cleans the rest stops. No, Richardson works on cars – really big cars.

Richardson has tricked-out cars for 12 years and has moved on to semi trucks – installing CD and DVD players, televisions, speakers, CB radios and interior lighting. His talents have put him in the limelight for a new reality T.V. show about tricked-out trucks.

“It’ll probably be something like [MTV’s] ‘Pimp my ride,'” Richardson said. “That is, if everything goes through.”

Richardson is the shop manager for Creative Car Audio in Joplin. Through the shop, he went from installing systems in cars to semis. The work didn’t stop at stereo systems, though. Richardson began installing custom televisions, DVD players, interior lighting and CB radios.

After Richardson’s work was spotted at a national truck show, T.V. producers interviewed him about possibly doing a show which chronicles the truck make-over process.

“We met [the producers] at a truck show in Reno, Nev.,” said Bryan Martin, 37, Joplin. “We kind of bumped into each other.”

Martin is the general manager of Four State Trucks in Joplin and works alongside Richardson. His shop specializes in accessories for semi trucks.

Richardson said the producers came to visit and were impressed with the Joplin facilities.

Martin said most of the details have been worked out.

The show would go something like this: A trucker would drop off his truck for a determined amount of time. Richardson and Martin will go to work on the truck with a specific theme in mind. The owner will not be allowed to see the truck until it is finished and presented to him on camera.

“We’re going to be getting into some wild and exotic paints,” Martin said.

Themes for the truck are still a secret.

“You’ll just have to watch and find out,” Martin said.

A camera crew will film segments of work on the truck and edit their show to fit the time frame.

With the footage collected, a pilot episode of the show will be made. If the network approves the pilot, it will be aired on a cable network in January. Ratings and public interest will determine the final outcome.

If all goes well, five or six episodes will be shot and aired. Filming will take place in Joplin. Final details are still being set in place. Martin said he would know more about the specifics in a few weeks. Richardson plans to continue to work on trucks, regardless of the T.V. venture.

“This T.V. thing was just a bonus that fell on our lap,” Richardson said. “Hopefully it goes through. We don’t want to donate all our time and have money wrapped up in a truck that is someone else’s idea. They want to make this show pretty quick, but some things have to be ironed out first. Nothing is set in stone.”