Great Freight: Gearing Up For The Road, Cargo Makes Strides As Live Music’s Backbone

Trucking and cargo are arguably the backbone of the live touring industry. While the artist always needs to make it to their set for a show to happen, there won’t be much of a show if their production gear doesn’t arrive in time or in one piece.

Drivers will criss-cross across the country, hauling gear from venue to venue and ensuring all the equipment arrives ahead of each show. All-nighters on far stretches aren’t uncommon for even smaller tours.

Roadshow Services has been doing this job since 1982 and the company’s clients include Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Deftones, Ringo Starr and more. David Kiely, president of Roadshow Services, started his career working with famed Bay Area promoter Bill Graham, and then began working as a truck driver for Santana.
Kiely decided to launch his own company and Roadshow Services’ first jobs included the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and providing trucks for The Rolling Stones.

“What we do is sometimes like a fine-tuned ballet,” Kiely says. “One truck comes out as the other guy is going in, and we’re moving around pillars, lighting, trucks, video screens and what have you. There’s a lot of precision.”

While fine-tuning the process for a more efficient haul, Kiely discovered an easier way for touring crews to ensure they don’t get bogged down on the scales is by foregoing box trucks and utilizing pup trailers.

“When a guy goes across the scales in a box truck, the first thing they’re going to ask is, ‘Are you driving commercially?’ If the guy says yes, they’re going to ask for the log books. Now, you have to buy a permit going through each state,” Kiely explains. “They’ve become much more restrictive and more of a hassle. What we’re finding with the pup trailers is it’s easier for the band. It’s clean, it’s one check. The fuel, driver – everything is covered. And, it’s a lot faster.” Kiely emphasizes personality is essential for any touring truck driver.

“On a tour, you’re going to see that guy in catering at breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 90 days,” he says. “We look for guys with 10, 15 years experience minimum. And we try to understand who they are as a person. Are they going to fit? Are they friendly, but not too friendly? We talk to them about good hygiene, good manners, and that they’re part of a larger crew. These guys understand that they’re part of a larger team. And most of our drivers are older, they’ve done freight for most of their lives. This is
a better quality of life. They don’t run as hard, they eat very well. They’re treated with a lot of respect – don’t forget, the driver’s the first person you see in the morning and the last person you see at night.”

Companies will often send new drivers out on smaller projects before putting them on the road for major clients.

“Driver retention is a big challenge industry-wide, but we’ve been lucky in that area,” says Robin Shaw, co-founder of Upstaging, a trucking company that specializes in moving production sets and equipment. The company, which also offers lighting and production services, has worked with Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones and Taylor Swift.

She adds, “Our drivers tend to stay with us, and we’re able to bring in top-tier talent year after year. We offer strong pay, great benefits, and a company culture that people are proud to be part of — and that makes a huge difference in building long-term loyalty.”

Concert Stuff Group works with Sheryl Crow, Luke Combs, Charli xcx, Lynyrd Skynrd, and more, offering a multitude of services from audio, lighting, sound, production installation, staging, rigging, and, of course, freight. The company has 90 drivers on the trucking side, and 22 drivers for its buses, with 22 buses and 104 trucks.

“When we’re looking at drivers, we’re looking at their past job experience and safety record,” says Tom Moriarty, managing director of transportation at Concert Stuff Group. “We run into some tight situations, so backing skills are essential.”