It took nearly fifteen years for this film to finally materialize. The rights to the material passed back and forth between several hands over the years until Charles Meeker finally produced this sequel.
The moment of impact (during the finale of the film), in which Kari Wuhrer's character flies her Piper Aircraft into the cab of Jake Busey's Peterbilt semi-truck, was shot at dawn on 9-11-01, in Drumheller, Canada. The shot was completed, after which filming was halted for the week.
Hitcher 2 was mid-production during 9-11-2001. Actors flying from Los Angeles and Vancouver were unable to travel due to the tragedy. The ending, and numerous scenes were re-written, as a consequence. Mackenzie Gray's character of the Lieutenant is the only antagonist not killed-off in the final scene, due to the grounding of planes through-out North America during 9-11. The director cast him five years later in Joy Ride 2, where he finally met his demise.