who hauls for WWE?

Upstaging hauls a lot more than concerts...you'll find them moving anything in entertainment (music, theater, etc.), exhibits, trade shows, mobile marketing exhibits, and so on.
Yes, its pretty rare to find Clark Transfer doing anything other than theater or dance. That is pretty much their domain!

Its actually pretty rare to find a show that leases their own equipment! Well, any national act that is. I know of a lot of small one or two truck minor league "nobody" acts that do this. First, the trailers are usually very custom spec, cargo control everywhere, ramp carriers...not the kind of stuff Ryder or Penske has sitting around. Secondly, the tractors get waaaaaay more preventive maintenance than most other fleets out there and quite honestly, when it comes down to it, a tractor from Ryder/Penske just isn't as reliable as you need it to be when doing this sort of thing. I know of a lot of shows that haven't gone on, were late, or without of lot of equipment because their rental tractor was sitting on the side of the road broken!! Additionally, no show I know of wants the mess or hassle of managing their own fleets or dealing with the drivers or insurance. Best to leave that to the specialized trucking companies! Tour transportation is super expensive, but worth every single penny. The big guys do their job so very well...better to spend more money for the peace of mind than leave it to chance!

There are a few tours...Toby Keith is one of them, where they have brought their own trucks and set up their own trucking company just for themselves, but they have done this knowing that they are going to tour two times a year for the next how ever many years, so it was a worthwhile investment for them. You really need to have a rock solid long term plan for this to be a viable option...and the music business is just way to volatile. One minute your hot and the next your nobody! But yeah, owning (or very long term leasing) by the acts does happen, and I've really only seen it done by country acts, they typically enjoy the long term touring success that a lot rock acts can only dream of!

Back in the early days of what is now modern day touring it was common for acts to own your their own trucks (and their own stage equipment too!), but back then it was just a couple of trucks. Now a 20 - 30 truck show is considered small...lots of shows have topped 100 trucks. When you need that many trucks, it just isn't feasible to own your own!

 

you are correct sir. toby keith has since ditched their trucks and now use Stage Call as well.

 

For Clark, I have hauled things like Grease, hairspray, mama mia, Elmo's coloring book, For upstaging, I've hauled Sheryl Crow, Montgomery Gentry , john mayer just to name a few, you are right on the trailers being loaded with ramps, for the music concerts, plays and circuses that unload in the back lots and side streets, I should have said that Upstaging upgraded and expanded their fleet about 5 years ago(they bought the red 379's) they used companies like powersource and trailer transport for alot of their work until then, the big outfits like brooks and dunn, ozzy osborne, started to lease their trucks for the whole tour, from ryder, (hence their names on the side of the trucks and trailers with the vinyl signs that covered the whole side of the trailer that were easily removed or replaced ) their drivers are or used to be provided through the same agency (I have no idea what their name is)that hires out to certain racing circuits, some traveling shows like wwe and so on,
I was leased on to powersource for a number of years and hauled alot of that stuff, I liked doing it but there would be some really slow down cycles, especially when powersource lost the contract to barnum and bailey for a short time(they got it back), When Disney on Ice and Big apple circus would put up for the winter or leave the country we would have nothing

 

I never hauled any stage call loads and have not done entertaiment loads since '06, I am sure things have changed, I take it they are like Upstaging, that they set everything up, tear it down and what not?

 

"Stage Call is the carrier for WWE. There are O/O and company drivers on the tour. They are all veteran drivers as well. You could not hire on and just get placed on it. It's earned. Many think its glitz and glamour, but when it comes down to it, it's just a job.
Upstaging has owned their own trucks since the 80's....not 5 or 6 years ago...
Paramount has been out of business for a few years now
It is true, if you work in this field, say good bye to your home life."

They do require good drivers, I have hauled the porta john trailers and concession trailers to some NASCAR races, those team truck drivers are the ones that really have to be clean, they are not a very chatty bunch and usually are kept pretty busy but the ones I talked to say they had to live close to Charlotte and most of them have been driving almost as long as I have been alive

 

ozzy never leased trucks. brooks & Dunn were the only ones to do that and continue to do it. Montgomery Gentry has been a stage call gig since day one, but it was recently taken over by a company named xtreme. someone who is trying to ruin the industry so they can get a backstage pass.

 

I have never known Ozzy, well, the company promoting and running his tours to lease their own trucks. His shows, his big OzzFest tour is usually pretty much all Upstaging and a mixture of others for some of the smaller acts. I've never seen Mont Gentry with out Stage Call, and for the last couple of years his trailers have been wrapped with the tour sponsor...usually Jim Bean.

Right on about Xtreme!!!

 

well to all that think they know it all about the entertainment bussiness is so wrong there all cut throat haulers xtreme cuts stage calls throat to get montgomery gentry upstaging lost a big act this year with u2 going in for a season ending operation.. becareful who you work for in this bussiness drivers are sneaks most are drunks just looking for a home.. there office will tell you they dont tolerate that kind of behavior but will turn there heads to drivers that keep there mouth shut and are never late for a load in or out.. its a interesting bussiness toby kieth hauls with stage call .. And for your info about wwe its with stage call no one wants to do it but the extremly lazy drivers most want out of it you get a day rate and are forced to take hotels they do 2 shows a week thats it.. there is no glamour or money in wwe.. i known lead drivers that were on it and threatened to quit if they werent taken off it. You will do one offs all over the country for no money.. if you can live on below minimum wage whn not on tour this is the job for you.. Dont call the office with any ####### and complaints. and especially if every lead driver that warns you about a bad lead driver and you get put on that tour keep your mouth shut it goes deeper then them worrying about you..Its about the show never you.. And watch it the companies talk amongst each other and will black list you from the bussiness... Toby Kieth uses stage call rascal flatts gary allen lady gaga martina mc bride.. xtreme had jason aldene montgomery gentry brad paisley lady a there is a big strong hold on country music between only 2 companies sos wont touch country upstaging does multi big stars like tim and faith john mayer ozzie and they also do alot of trade shows they do there own lighting and have state of the art equipment. owned by them stage call and xtreme use ryder and penske junk you will spend alot of time in the shop with there junk they have apu on there trucks so you dont idle.. Again if your thinking about doing this bussines pack everything you own put it in storage and forget about home.. Dont ask to go home you will not get there.. the tour is number one priority.. And keep to yourself trust no one there all watching you and all have a opinion on how you should drive and what you should do.. as they pull a 6 pack out of there truck and drink feet away from production managers... ego trips is a rock and roll company out of the east and west coast... if you get lucky enough to be put on a tour and there are over drivers which is money they give you to drive over a certain amount of miles usually 450 or more you will get 200.00 per over drive and buy outs on hotels.. usually on country tours its 35.00 lil more for rock.. if they pay you cash no taxes if they pay you thru the office there will be taxed and it will be hefty.. you will get half your check in a per diem rate which means its money pre tax payed to you.. my belief is whne you get layed off at the end of the year you cant collect a high amount of unemployment and if you try to buy anything of value it will show you make no money.. SO watch the per diem....the only glory i really seen was when hot women pull up next to you to show you or approach you for back stage when your pulling a wrapped trailer.. other then that you have catering at alot of the bigger tours you eat for free thre square meals if you get access catering there great people.. i dont think i missed much about the bussiness and probably will get some back lash from know it all lead drivers if they read this.... upstaging is all company sos is all company road show is all company stage call is half owner operator and company drivers... the big thing is be prepared to sleep during the day and drive like hell at nite.. happy touring to all

 

hard rider you hit the nail on the head squarely...ive been in the entertainment buisness for over 10 years...there are good and bad companies in everyline of trucking....but there are more "unethical"companies in entertainment biz..The tour DOES come first..your almost NEVER home and the money ISNT that good...but if you can "PLAY THE GAME" it can be ALOT of fun and a decent living

 

Upstaging has had WWE for about a year now....

As far as WWE only doing two shows a week, that's correct, but, you do Monday RAW, then Tuesday it's SmackDown and NXT or whatever, (Usually within 250 miles.). Once a month you'll have a Pay Per View. But in between Tuesday night and the following Sunday or Monday, you may have to run coast to coast. It was that same way when I did WCW.