Patrick Swayze went through a real truck driving school to earn his Class A CDL (commercial driver's license).
On January 6, 1998, three Special Effects 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 sixteen thousand eight hundred dollars by the state. These scenes that were filmed in downtown Wilmington, were not used in the final release.
The truck used in The Black Dog movie is a Peterbilt 379
The last film of stunt driver Carey Loftin, who had a long and successful career as a stuntman. Loftin passed after the film finished production.