Harry Monk:
TransAm will be taking on a lot of drivers from next month, Springsteen and Bon Jovi and both out at the same time this year and both will be very big tours.
and Roger Waters is touring The Wall again, which i am off to see around Europe…again.
I have also applied to Transam after some helpful advice from chilli, but my lack of Euro driving and left hand drive experience will go against me,; but you never know!!
All the comments from the boys are true enough & as a job it cannot be beaten in my view but remember one thing that hasn’t been mentioned! For a newby driver on tours unless you are very lucky don’t think you will be out & about for ever, at certain times you will go without work at all which means of course no pay, understandably the longer standing drivers will be kept working first whilst the other motors are parked up! Not trying to put anyone off but just stating how it can be sometimes & worth mentioning!
Steps are doing the reunion tour this year and I think this is gonna put a whole lot of vehicles on this job so its gonna be a busy year all round, I would have jumped at this one as I have "insider " help with the operators , but I have commitments that will keep me in the seat somewhere else these days 
Simple Minds are on tour or soon will be,great band live.
a friend of mine done a year with fly by nite, although he built up some good experience the money was s**t, £70 per day, £10 per night out, no holiday pay (dont know how they get away with that), was away for months on end as soon as it went quiet he was sent on his merry way with, we’ll call you when something comes in.
they do have some nice tack but that doesnt put food on the table, but if you’ve got no family commitments i think the experience would be fantastic, just dont expect to get rich and have something else lined up when it goes quiet.
jacko22:
All the comments from the boys are true enough & as a job it cannot be beaten in my view but remember one thing that hasn’t been mentioned! For a newby driver on tours unless you are very lucky don’t think you will be out & about for ever, at certain times you will go without work at all which means of course no pay, understandably the longer standing drivers will be kept working first whilst the other motors are parked up! Not trying to put anyone off but just stating how it can be sometimes & worth mentioning!
^This^
Easter-Star:
Steps are doing the reunion tour this year and I think this is gonna put a whole lot of vehicles on this job so its gonna be a busy year all round, I would have jumped at this one as I have "insider " help with the operators , but I have commitments that will keep me in the seat somewhere else these days
Easter-Star:
Steps are doing the reunion tour this year and I think this is gonna put a whole lot of vehicles on this job so its gonna be a busy year all round, I would have jumped at this one as I have "insider " help with the operators , but I have commitments that will keep me in the seat somewhere else these days
are you sure you are’nt foxy stars from the o/d thread??
70 a day surely they cant be paying that for a 15 hr spread?
do you get paid for days off when away from home?
Do these concerts have multiple stages equipment etc as going from venue to venue within a day or two it wouldn’t be possible just to have one bit of kit?
Do you have to unload and reload ?
If concert is for one night only at a venue how long are you at this venue as would imagine take a few days to set up the kit?
Is it all sleep in the cab or when waiting at venue s is it hotels they put u up in?
Are you able to dispose of your own time while waiting for a few days?
Is there food on site at each venue?
If you get sick etc on tour I presume they fly you home and fly another driver out to take over the truck.
Are they always double manned?
Do you get back stage during the performance or are u confinded to the dungeons 
I’ve never done it myself but the wages are normally made up with hotel buy-out money, and extras for working on the show, selling programmes, operating a spotlight etc and the bottom line is generally considered to be fairly good, but as mentioned you only get paid when you are actually working so you’d be lucky to get more than six month’s work in a year.
The problem has been over the years as with everything in life the people turning up prepared to do the job “just for the glory”.Prepared to give up the hotel buyout much to the bosses delight to get a tour! Imagine how much can be saved if a couple of drivers are willing to do a 2 month tour minus the £60 a day hotel deal! Multiply that by 30 trucks on the biggest tours!
Certain firms used to not pay their drivers when the trucks were empty. So running out to Schipol to load a tour would mean your first 2 days for free.
Also met 2 boys once weekended 35 miles from their yard- not allowed to waste the diesel to get back to the yard as they were reloading Monday afternoon where they were parked
You will find now though that all the major players have “fallen inline” as regards to methods of payment etc! The daily rate on each firm will differ slightly though & if it is true as some say £60 a day is a ■■■■ take even if you do get a hotel deal!!
nedflanders:
do you get paid for days off when away from home?
you get paid every day you are there, working or not.
nedflanders:
Do these concerts have multiple stages equipment etc as going from venue to venue within a day or two it wouldn’t be possible just to have one bit of kit?
depends on the size of the gig/band
nedflanders:
Do you have to unload and reload ?
no, but you can help, usually supervising and keeping an eye on everything
nedflanders:
If concert is for one night only at a venue how long are you at this venue as would imagine take a few days to set up the kit?
depends on the size of the show, and when you get there, AC/DC when i did it could be ready for a show in under a day.
nedflanders:
Is it all sleep in the cab or when waiting at venue s is it hotels they put u up in?
its up to you, if you want a hotel you will be paying for it, unless you are on a small show, you may be offered a room by production (and you may not)
nedflanders:
Are you able to dispose of your own time while waiting for a few days?
yes, as long as you are ready for load in/load out you can do what you like, i once spent 6 days in Stockholm between shows, my time was entirely mine to do what i wanted.
nedflanders:
Is there food on site at each venue?
yes, catering is the first thing to be set up at a gig, its top notch stuff, very very good indeed.
nedflanders:
If you get sick etc on tour I presume they fly you home and fly another driver out to take over the truck.
yep
nedflanders:
Are they always double manned?
no, only when they need to be.
nedflanders:
Do you get back stage during the performance or are u confinded to the dungeons
yes you can go backstage, thou most drivers will be sleeping, ready for the load out and the night drive to the next venue.
Muse are starting a UK Arena tour this year too. Here is a a time lapse video of them setting up
youtube.com/watch?v=nX7xNCwrRZM
That’s allot of gear that came from only 4 lorrys 
Hope you get a start & good luck to ya
kaode:
Muse are starting a UK Arena tour this year too. Here is a a time lapse video of them setting up
youtube.com/watch?v=nX7xNCwrRZMThat’s allot of gear that came from only 4 lorrys
you can only see 4 but there is also 3 loading docks in the MEN so the rest would be coming in from there. when i saw muse there was alot more then 4 lorrys on the tour
I think the whole point is that it’s more about being a lifestyle choice than a way of maximising your annual income.
I know people who do rock ‘n’ roll work and by doing eight months a year they will earn as much as somebody on general haulage will earn in twelve, and although some folk cannot get their heads around the concept, for some people doing a job they enjoy is more important than earning the absolute maximum possible amount.
Harry Monk:
I think the whole point is that it’s more about being a lifestyle choice than a way of maximising your annual income.I know people who do rock ‘n’ roll work and by doing eight months a year they will earn as much as somebody on general haulage will earn in twelve, and although some folk cannot get their heads around the concept, for some people doing a job they enjoy is more important than earning the absolute maximum possible amount.
I did backstage security for “Slade” and various other bands at a local music venue around 15 years ago now and i found the entertainment industry far more interesting , vibrant and enjoyable than any kind of industrial work, its a kind of buzz, i was never clock watching even though it was silly o clock finishes , it was the camaraderie, the laughs and the banter that made it enjoyable for me personally, not the arbitrary rate i was on . I would give the tour truck driving type of work a bash if i ever find myself single again.
If I was single I would love to do it. Don’t think the girl would be amused if I told her be back in 4 months lol.
Mrs Bigvern moans, cos’ I did 11 days, home for 1 then back out for 5. She’d go nuts if it was longer. But accepts it for what it is. HTH. 
if you are worried about the money your in the wrong job. love the time lapse video too. always wanted to do something like that at one of my tips.
get a nice view of the spots seat in that video too.
also the main point for driving in this idustry for me personally
i can turn up work a while and if i want a day a week or a month off i can i just say. there is no commitment the job is always different and i am not stuck in a 7-6 monday to friday etc
drivers can come in and do a bit on the side or can work full time all year round, its casual and that suits some people.
i know of drivers that live abroad and come over to work the season then fly home. cant do that at many places of work. plus less hassle then chasing up an agency.
yes the money is not great but it can be, if you are on regular tours you get fed in catering, you live in the truck and all you really spend is pocket money on odd things, add your PDS, spots, buy outs it is possible to earn a average yearly wage in half the time.
it also helps if your a bit of a music fan which i very much am