Production Live! 2026: Transportation – Trucks, Buses, Planes in ‘26

Production Live! 2026: Transportation – Trucks, Buses, Planes in ‘26

Moderator:
Chance Stahlhut, Chief Operating Officer, Concert Stuff Group

Speakers:
Julie Black, Director, Premier Aviation
Justin Carbone, Executive Vice President – Live Touring at Rock-it Cargo
Doug Oliver, General Manager, Pioneer Coach

With gas price surging across the United States because of the U.S./Iran war, transportation has been on just about everyone’s mind, regardless of what sector you work in. So naturally, the Production Live! panel “Transportation – Trucks, Buses, Planes in ‘26” kicked off with moderator Chance Stahlhut, Chief Operating Officer at Concert Stuff Group, noting that we can’t talk about transportation without addressing the current political situation.  

Justin Carbone, Executive Vice President – Live Touring at Rock-it Cargo, noted that the country has seen recent fuel crises before this, including during Hurricane Katrina, the financial crisis and in 2022 with the Russia/Ukraine conflict – but that this one is different in that it came without warning. 

“The industry is seeing the spikes. … March 2026 was the largest increase in any month since 1967. Seeing it at the pump, in airline tickets; we’re seeing it everywhere,” Carbone said.

He explained that the only way to get through a crisis like this is by being transparent with clients. The more difficult conversations with clients are those where the tour budgets were set prior to February and they’re not expecting an increase in cost. Some artists have had to adjust their plans by not bringing as much freight on the road or cutting a date or two on the routing. 

Doug Oliver, General Manager at Pioneer Coach, echoed Carbone in regards to the importance of transparency and communication. He noted that nobody wants to get an email about a higher rate, but “being in dialogue with partners and clients is key.” 

Later in the conversation, Carbone added that in addition to affecting fuel and ticket prices in the U.S., the Middle East conflict is having an effect around the world as far as airport activity being limited and ports being closed in the Red Sea, forcing ships to go around Africa.

 Aside from the U.S./Iran war another focus of topic during the panel was breakdowns in communication and the importance of communicating earlier on. Julie Black, Director at Premier Aviation, shared a story of how a tour wasn’t able to fly from one Asian country to another but how the company “could have made a difference if we talked earlier.”

Looking ahead, the panelists pondered how transportation could change in the next decade from further consolidation to AI and sustainability.

Oliver encouraged his fellow panelists and attendees that taking care of the fans and remember what you’re delivering for is the most important. 

Black added, “We’re selling mental health and joy to 80,000 people jumping up and down in Santiago.”