When the set is built, you have to load the empty boxes back on the truck. “They’re building the set as they’re unloading, so they want the carpet and toolboxes loaded last so they come off the truck first. “You have to load it in order so it comes off in order,” he says. Arnold has done shows where stage crews loaded and unloaded everything, but his time with “American Idol” was more demanding. The company pays these drivers $1.35 per mile plus a fuel surcharge. “At the end of the day, I gross about the same, but I keep a little bit more of that because I burn less fuel, I have less wear and tear on the truck, and my loads are generally lighter,” he says.Ībout 30 percent of Stage Call’s trucking needs are not dedicated touring, but typically are hauls such as moving lighting and sound equipment from a warehouse to a convention center. Mesh drives about 80,000 miles annually but says he grosses about the same as drivers hauling general freight and driving 120,000-plus miles a year. Because they drive fewer miles, they have lower maintenance costs, which usually results in higher net pay than most general freight haulers, Watkins says. Stage Call owner-operators gross about $170,000 a year.

The day rate averages $390 plus a fuel surcharge. The 120-truck concert-hauling fleet pays its drivers by the day because the miles are lower. “I can’t imagine what that would cost,” Buchs says.īecause the loads are one-way and Buchs operates as an independent, he has to pay for his unloaded miles getting to the venue and then to his next load after delivering the equipment on Mondays. If a delivery is late the next day, the carrier could be required to “buy the house,” which means they would have to pay for all of the tickets to the show and pay the staff and everyone involved. “You have to plan ahead and manage your hours to stay legal.” “A lot of owner-operators don’t want to work those kinds of hours,” he says. When I do those loads, I’m getting paid for my work time, driving time, loading time and everything else.”īuchs then usually drives through the night to get to the next venue Monday morning. The shows don’t end until later, so it’s often midnight or later when I get loaded. With the loads I do, I bobtail to a venue and usually have to arrive around 8 or 9 p.m. “There’s a lot of detention time involved, but it’s built into the rate. “You can spend 30 hours on a 120- mile load,” Buchs says.

How Much Do Wwe Truck Drivers Make