Enjoying Life OTR

#51 Backstage Pass into Rock 'n Roll Trucking with Dino Grigoriadis

• Cindy Tunstall and Dino Grigoriadis • Episode 51

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Dive into the fast-paced world of entertainment trucking with veteran driver Dino Grigoriadis. With over 20 years of experience hauling for some of the biggest names in music, Dino shares insider stories from life on the road with rock legends like Bruce Springsteen, ACDC, and Kenny Chesney. Learn about the unique challenges and rewards of concert freight, from tight schedules and high-stakes deliveries to exclusive after-parties with stars. Discover how entertainment trucking differs from traditional freight, the skills needed to succeed in this niche, and tips for maintaining work-life balance during long tours. Whether you're a trucker considering a switch to entertainment freight or simply curious about the logistics behind your favorite concerts, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of the music industry's complex supply chain. Join us for an unforgettable ride through the world of concert trucking, filled with celebrity encounters, practical insights, and the unsung heroes who keep the show on the road.
Questions for Dino?   Find him in the Enjoying Life OTR Facebook group.

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Enjoying Life OTR—because LIVING WELL is worth the effort. We’re sparking curiosity, adventure, & resilience while honoring drivers and embracing a healthier trucking life. Discover creative life hacks & practical strategies to make the most of your time on the road. Join the movement!Explore, enjoy the food, snap the pic, and share tips on saving money along the way.

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Speaker 1:

Ever wondered what it's like to haul equipment for the biggest names in music? Well, today we're going behind the scenes of the entertainment trucking world with Dino Gregoriatis. He's a veteran concert hauler with over 20 years of experience From touring with rock legends like Bruce Springsteen, acdc, kenny Chesney to hauling comedy shows and Broadway productions. Dino shares the thrills, the challenges and the insider secrets of this unique trucking niche. He tells about meeting Alice Cooper and after parties with stars like Kelly Clarkson and Chris Martin from Coldplay at the exclusive after party touring events. Whether you're curious about breaking into the entertainment freight or just want to hear some wild stories from life on tour with the stars, stay tuned for a fascinating peek into the fast-paced world of concert trucking.

Speaker 1:

Enjoy in Life OTR conversations that inspire curiosity, adventure and resilience. We're honoring drivers and sharing their adventures and becoming healthier truckers. We're honoring drivers and sharing their adventures and becoming healthier truckers. Stay tuned to discover creative life hacks and practical strategies for enhancing our well-being and making the most of our time on the road. So many exciting things are happening in our community and we are grateful that you are a part of it. Welcome to Enjoying Life OTR. Welcome to the show, dino. Oh, thank you for having me. Well, so our audience can get to know you, why don't you tell us a little bit about what type of freight you're running, what type of rig, and you know kind of where you're running, and so they could have a little idea about your background?

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, for sure. I run Entertainment Freight, basically a concert hauler. We do some Broadway shows, comedians, stuff like that. I've been doing this for close to 20 years now. We run all over all 48, all Canada, sometimes a little bit more. You know, like they'll put us on a ferry going to New Finland or to Victoria Island, stuff like that.

Speaker 1:

So fun. I can't wait to learn more about this. So do you ever get to meet the stars of the freight that you're running? I'm one of the big names. Do you ever have opportunity?

Speaker 2:

Awesome, for sure, for sure, we're actually part of the crew once you, because you don't do just one or two shows, you basically go on tour. So you become part of the crew, you get your credentials, stuff like that, and you just basically work backstage.

Speaker 1:

Awesome, I love that. So tell us a little bit about some of the people that you've been able to meet in your line of work, any stories that you want to share with the audience.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, I've worked with Kenny Chesney in the past. I've worked with ACDC. That one was kind of a short one, I didn't really get to meet those guys.

Speaker 1:

Probably one of my favorites is working with Alice Cooper Really nice guy, awesome, very, very mellow, backstage Good group to work with. And have you had any experience where that, when you've met the you know the, I guess the star, I guess you would call it that where you were, their impression of you and what you thought of them prior to meeting them was drastically changed after the meeting. Any stories like that you want to share? I?

Speaker 2:

have impressions of anybody, um, but I. They formed their impressions the way they acted around because for the most part the uh artists are are very good with the crew. They know that without the crew they they've pretty much got a crappy show. You know so. But there are some artists and I'm not going to name which ones but they act like like total divas, Like dude, here's a Snickers bar Relax.

Speaker 1:

What's your? You've been doing this kind of freight for a long time. What's the appeal for you? Tell me about the life and you know this type of work. What? What's the attraction for you? And like, tell us a little bit about, like, the pace of the work that you do compared to like a you know drive-in driver who's you know bumping docks all the time. Tell us a little bit about the work.

Speaker 2:

Sure, it's kind of more laid back in a way, but it's a lot harder at the drives, harder at the drives in certain assets. I mean it's because it's more laid back, because we don't do as much mileage as as freight haulers. We don't sit at the uh, distribution centers, stuff like that, but we spend a whole lot more time on the road compared to a freight hauler, for instance. Okay, uh, freight haulers usually go what? At three, four, six weeks, two months. I'm on the road all year long. I go home once, maybe twice a year if I'm lucky, and I go home for about three or four weeks and then I go back out. Um, the drives are very time sensitive. For instance, I could have a show it's say new york, and then I'll have to do an overnight to philly, which is nothing. But then the next show it'll be an overnight to say South Carolina or Georgia. So now you've got to really haul ass through the night to make the show.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, have you ever had problems like you've had a problem with your truck? You get a flat tire or something like that. What happens in a situation like that when you've had a problem with the truck? I mean, I'm sure you've run into that some over the years.

Speaker 2:

We have. We've had trucks that have gotten involved in accidents, breakdowns, you know, major breakdowns, stuff like that. Basically we'll call a road service truck out. You know TA loves whoever. If they can make it get the truck going, that's fine. If not, they get a tow truck. The trucks that do continue on to the venue. We don't all travel at once. For this reason One, it's a security issue because if they see a convoy they know it's a show. Two, if the first one that loads leaves right away, they can haul us to the next venue, leaves right away, they can haul us to the next venue. And if we have enough time he can drop a trailer at the venue, backtrack, rescue a trailer so the show could go on. I see, and then that gives the driver who had the breakdown or the accident enough time to either get another truck or get it repaired and get to the venue, or even buy us some time to find a power only unit to at least do one or two of the shows till our truck gets back on.

Speaker 1:

So talk to me about, you know, spending so much time away from your family. I mean, you're married, Is that right? You have a oh yeah, yeah, 26 years.

Speaker 1:

Okay, awesome, I love that. Okay, so tell me how. Could you tell us a little bit about how you're maintaining your relationship with so much time away I mean, because even for drivers that are gone three weeks at a time I mean you know, a shorter amount of time that's still a challenge for them and then staying reconnected. Do you have any strategies or things that you guys have worked out over the years that might help a driver that's kind of struggling with their relationship because of the amount of time on the road?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, buy her a pony, no, seriously, we have a farm. She stays extremely busy with the farm and this job allowed me to do my part, alongside her job, to help her build what she wants to do, and that's train horses. And she does other things too, but no, seriously, we do a lot of video calling.

Speaker 1:

That helps a lot.

Speaker 2:

I'm fortunate enough that when I go to a venue, say we do a show for three shows in one city, I'm down for three days, I can fly her to me.

Speaker 1:

And spend some time. Yeah, I like that.

Speaker 2:

We don't get to do it too often, but you know, we do have the opportunity. But I think the last full year I did was in 2018, when I was uh with upstaging. At the time, who was the uh? Who's the big dog in the show hauling industry? Um, I left the house April 5th house April 5th 2018. I'm sorry, april 1st 2018. And I didn't pull my driveway until April 5th 2019. And in that whole 370 days or whatever it was, I only saw my wife a total of 19 and a half hours because she came to Tampa to one of the shows and I got to spend the day with her.

Speaker 1:

Wow, wow, I just didn't think about that. And what about kids? Do you have children or no?

Speaker 2:

Uh, our kids are grown and gone. She, she has uh three kids from previous marriage. Okay, and basically I'm, you know they're my stepkids, but I love them nonetheless.

Speaker 1:

Right, okay, tell me about the schedule for yourself personally. If you have that three days, could you leave your truck and then you leave the city, or you have to stay with your rig that whole time.

Speaker 2:

I don't have to stay with the rig, but I can't leave the city, basically. So they'll park us up at the venue, whatever venue we're at, and then we can do whatever we want. We can go sightseeing, we can rent a car, drive around for a while, not really go too too far, because we have to be within you know, an hour, I guess an hour or two, to get back to the venue. If something happens, and I got to go move a truck, for instance, so have you been able to do much sightseeing on the road?

Speaker 1:

Do you take advantage of that downtime Like, what's the schedule like? Is, like you said, occasionally there'll be a long several days where you're at a city. How, what's the pace like? Do you get to do much sightseeing?

Speaker 2:

depends on the tour I'm on. If I am on, uh say, a stadium show, then chances are yeah, because those trucks that do stadium shows are usually there two, three, four days. Um, when you do a short, like a small tour, that's only two or three, four days. When you do a short, like a small tour, that's only two or three. Trucks that does theaters or small arenas or amphitheaters, not so much, because we're usually going from city to city every day, so there's not a lot of time, unless there's something very close by and we can catch, you know, get a couple of hours before we go to sleep, for instance, because we will unload about seven or eight o'clock, depending on the venue, uh, depending on the crew and the union, the local unions.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, um, I usually. We usually go to sleep at about um two or three o'clock and then wake up at about 10 to get the trucks ready for the next drive. So if we have that little bit of time between you know, once we load out, loan in, and before we go to sleep, yeah, some of us may break away for a little bit, do a museum or, you know, go somewhere nice to eat and just relax a little bit, walk around town, check out the sights.

Speaker 1:

And so you're running with the same crew usually. So you guys have relationship, I guess, with other drivers that are running that tour with you. Do you see, like all hopping to Uber together and go out to?

Speaker 2:

dinner or something. Yeah, either that, or we may even just all pile into one truck and bobtail PC.

Speaker 1:

Have you been able to do something fun, like what's one of the fun things you've been able to do outside the truck, and I like to talk about trucking adventures.

Speaker 2:

Oh God, we've done hockey games, we've done comedy shows. Um, we, actually we did a show. Uh, about two years ago I was, with a third eye, blind and we were in Austin at the racetrack, and next door to the racetrack is a formula one go-kart track and the band wanted to go, so I got to actually bump fenders with the band.

Speaker 1:

So fun yeah.

Speaker 2:

Of course they tell you know the crew and production manager like you got to let them win.

Speaker 1:

You're an advantage, a professional driver.

Speaker 2:

Yeah right, oh man, I guess I'll come in second, all right totally could have taken that taking him out I had my chances, but so fun.

Speaker 1:

I would love to do that. That sounds so great. What else? What else you've been able to do while you're out there? You've been driving a long time. You got a lot of time on your hands when you're out on the road, yeah I've done.

Speaker 2:

I've done the drive the the tour thing for about 18, 19 years, Like I said, almost 20. But I've had my CDL for 34. I got it when I was 18, when I lived in New York and I was going to be interstate. But three months before my 18th birthday was when the law changed from a chauffeur's license to CDL and it pushed the interstate back to 21. So I went from three months to three years, but I was still able to get it and drive locally.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Third generation guy my father, my grandfather in Europe, my brother drives in entertainment. He's, he's right now he's touring with Def Leppard. How fun.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, okay, dino, everybody's going to be wondering you know what's been your favorite show you've run and one of your best experience you've had out there doing the entertainment haul. You got a good story to share with us.

Speaker 2:

Probably one of my favorite, most favorite ones, and this was great because this artist was on my bucket list and I got to work with him last year.

Speaker 2:

It was, uh, bruce Frankstein, the boss we had a couple we had a couple of venues where he got ill and we had to postpone the dates. Uh, three of them in a row, and in those three days, um, I was. You know, I follow them. There's a page called spring nuts. It's run by a he's a good friend, now a Howie, and they've got hundreds of people in there. I don't I really don't even know the exact how many numbers, but it's probably the biggest fan club in the world for for Bruce. Anyways, I got invited to go on their show by my I mean on their page by my brother from another mother, and I just started following him. Well, when those three days came about where he got ill and we didn't have the shows, we still went to each venue just in case he felt better to do the show.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Well, the last one that got postponed was Albany and our next one was Philadelphia. So now I'm following the page on Philadelphia and everybody's asking are we still a go for Philly? Are we doing this? Has anybody seen anything? Blah, blah, blah. And they're all. At one point there were people starting to make claims that were not true. You know like one guy says oh, I seen the trucks are there and they've already set up. Blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, well, that's funny, because I'm still on a New York state thruway and I'm still on a New York State thruway and I'm actually carrying the stage on my truck. So I get there.

Speaker 2:

The show was, I believe it was a Friday. We had Thursday off. We were going to go in early Thursday, but we were able to park the trucks late Wednesday night, which is what I did. So one guy I can't remember who it was was like yeah, yeah, the trucks are there. I verified them. I said, really, really, show me a picture of the truck that you saw. And he sends me a picture right away. And I knew he was in the area because that picture was taken right at that moment. I I could tell by the way the the light was, you know the, the sunlight, the moonlight, whatever you want to call it. Yeah, um, and he says these trucks here. And I said, dude, I hate to burst your bubble, but those trucks are mobile studios for hockey night because it was NHL season. And he goes no, no, I have it on good authority that that these are Bruce's trucks and that the stage is already set up. Well, and then I'm like, okay, now I'm going to get stupid, I'm going to burst your bubble. I said, look, I have it on great authority that the trucks are not there yet, because I drive the stage truck and nothing gets set up without a stage. So it was basically a mic drop moment.

Speaker 2:

After that, when I left, I got sarcastic when we were loading out of Philadelphia. I get on, you know live on Facebook, and I go hey guys, look, just checking in with you so you guys don't get false information. We're leaving Philadelphia now and we're heading to State College, pennsylvania, where Penn State is. I will let you guys know when we get there. So by the time in that overnight drive, by the time I got there in the morning like 4 in the morning, I think it was 5 in the morning my Facebook had blown up and people were where's Dino? I don't see. I see trucks but I don't know which one's Dino, and going on and on and I'm like, oh my God, what the heck did I just start? So I started getting this 15 minutes of fame where people were walking up to the fence in the area to security, and security's like look, we can't let you in, the artist is there. We're like we don't care about the artist, we want to know where Dino's at. I'm like, oh god, other truck drivers like, hey, dino man, you want to come to the fence, people are looking for you.

Speaker 2:

So I get to New York for the show there in Brooklyn and Howie lives in New York, you know to their little get-together before and I was actually made an honorary spring nut. So for for the last month, month and a half of the tour, it was a lot of fun. Every city I went to was was great. You know, like they were all wanting to come hang with me. And before the show and I'm like, okay, I'm not gonna get no sleep. It's a good thing. I have a day off after every show, basically, so I can just pull out and sleep somewhere.

Speaker 2:

But there was one instance with this group that I was in Cleveland. No, I'm sorry, detroit. I was in Detroit. I'm having dinner with one of the people from the group and I'm upstairs on the second floor sitting up against the window of the restaurant. People came in off the street and were like are you Dina? I'm like, yeah, like we saw you from down in the street, we just had to come meet you. I'm like are you Dino? I'm like yeah, we saw you from down in the street, we just had to come meet you. I'm like, oh God, that's so fun. There was actually a hashtag going around. I don't know how real the hashtag was, but someone screenshotted it and sent it to me through Facebook and it says hashtag put Dino on stage with the boss.

Speaker 1:

I love it, that's so fun. So, Hashtag, put Dino on stage with the boss. I love it. That's so fun. So when you're out on a tour, does the artist, like you didn't tell? You haven't told us what the tour you're running now, but typically are you not you know? Are you discreet about who you're running and where you're running and the schedule? Because of the fan following?

Speaker 2:

No, really, I post on my personal Facebook where I'm at and those who are my friends know where I'm at. I don't make it really known because production actually they don't line up to a certain degree. So basically, if you can see it from outside, it's fair game. I cannot disclose any information. I cannot disclose any interior pictures, stuff like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

If I step outside of the venue and I'm hanging with people and they're like, hey, you know how's the show going, I'm like, oh, it's going great. But you know I can, I can talk anything else, but I can't get too involved while the tour is going on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, it's so fun. I love hearing about the life that you're living out there. It's so great. I love that story. Old, you know, I'm only I'll be 52 in.

Speaker 2:

December. But I'm getting to an age where I'm thinking now like you know how much time do I got left. You know I want to be able to do stuff with my wife, while my body can still handle it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, we talk a lot about health and wellness on the show, so are you experiencing health challenges, or how are you? How are you taking care of yourself out there with that schedule?

Speaker 2:

Well, we stay active with the loading and unloading. We do a lot of walking. Some guys go out on bike rides. If we have time, we'll Uber or Bob Dale to a gym. I have a membership with Planet Fitness, yeah, you know, and not only for the gym part, because sometimes we may get into such a hectic schedule that we may not grab a shower for two or three days, as bad as we want one, you know. So if I have time on a drive, I'll pull into a planet fitness and do like 10 minutes on a treadmill. Go grab a shower.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, a lot of drivers do that. I think it's a great hack actually for OTR drivers.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, a lot of drivers do that. I think it's a great hack actually for OTR drivers. Yeah, for $20 or $25 a month, it's so worth it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think so too. And what about cooking on the truck? You cook on your truck, you have a fridge and you're just doing.

Speaker 2:

When the crew's working inside the venue, we actually have catering. So, meals are supplied. Nice Outside of that. Yeah, we have a microwave. Some of us have barbecue grills strapped to the catwalk, Others have electric frying pans. You know, in the truck we, you know, we have a small fridge. All our trucks have a small fridge with a little bit of a freezer. So we'll put a couple of steaks, you know, some frozen vegetables, stuff like that, in there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So if somebody wanted to get into entertainment hauling, I mean I hear it's a really tough market to get into for a driver. So is there any tips or tricks for somebody that wants to get into that kind of freight hauling?

Speaker 2:

It is. It's easier for an owner-operator to get in because there are brokers that deal with tours. But if you're a company guy and you want to get into it, it depends on the company. Some of them will hire you with one year experience or a year and a half. Those are the smaller mom-and-pop operations that basically pick up the scraps of the tour world. But then you got more reputable companies apps of the tour world, um. But then you got, you know more reputable companies, um like uh, there's 46 logistics, there's SET, there's source seven, there's truck and roll out of Canada, um stage door out of Canada. You've got stage call out of Arizona, uh, upstaging out of Illinois. Uh, taylor transportation out of Tennessee. Uh, we based out of Pennsylvania, where I'm at now. But the more reputable, the bigger the company, the more experience they want.

Speaker 1:

And typically how much experience.

Speaker 2:

Usually, if you have at least three years 300,000 miles, they'll entertain your application. I mean they will and we are hurting for drivers out there. I mean, if I had to put a percentage on it, I'd probably say about 30% of the trucks that are on tour are owner-operators, that are broker trucks, okay.

Speaker 1:

I would think there's like to me that kind of freight, like I've done a little bit of um, you know that type of freight myself and I I like you like describe it as it's much more casual, laid back the scheduling, and obviously it's tight, a little bit pressure on the deadlines, for sure being there on time and making appointments. So definitely some pressure there. But the actual loading and loading and then the crew that you work, work with, it's just a whole different vibe. It feels so much more laid back. Everybody seems to like really enjoy what they're doing.

Speaker 1:

You know they've chosen this type of work versus like being on docks and some people are grumbling and they're all kind of can be shitty to each other and you know just like you could tell they're just hating life out there. I'm like go do a different job, dude, you know. But for freighting I find that it's my most enjoyable type of work that I've run and for that reason like people seem to just be having fun and you know there's a camaraderie that I don't know just makes it very pleasant to me. But I can see the challenge for that. I mean I would enjoy that. But being on the road like all the time. That could be a challenging, you know, for most people, like if you have family back home, you have to have a special type of driver that can, you know, run that long.

Speaker 2:

And it is. It's not a knock on the everyday guys, because without those guys, you know, this country would stop.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

We've used our experience, We've paid our dues to get where we are. It used to be. You know, five years, 500,000 miles to get in when I got in, but it's, it's, it's slayed back as far as you know the mileage that you put in.

Speaker 2:

I mean, don't get me wrong, there's weeks that we, we will pump some miles out right you know, next week I'm putting in some serious miles because we're doing ohio to california in three days. Okay, wow, so that's that's quite a push, yeah, but yes, it's, it's laid back as that's as far, as far as that sense. But the actual work that we do, like the loading, and we don't put our hands on the freight, the local union guys do that. All we do is break straps and move load bars, okay, but the whole process is very fast paced, it's very high paced.

Speaker 2:

Um, the lead driver, which is the uh, the senior guy, one that's been assigned by the company to be the go-to guy between the drivers and production, he will back every truck in. Basically, he's on a handheld radio. He will get you in and out of every building and it doesn't matter what you think, what you see, you can close your eyes, trust your lead driver. He'll get you in the dock blindfolded. That's how intricate loading and unloading and getting in and out of the venues are, um. So, yeah, it is very, very uh, fast-paced, but laid back, uh. The other thing is it's a different beast, um, a lot of the drivers that come that want to get into it don't realize what it takes to be a rock and roll driver, if you want to call it that. So we't realize what it takes to be a rock and roll driver, if you want to call it that. So we have guys that come from other companies and they're like okay, when do I go home? We're like, what's that dude? You don't see your house till the end of the year.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

You know, our season usually starts March, april, you know. So we get to go home for January, february. Some guys you know get to go home for December. We take a month or two or even three months off, but when we hit the road, that's it. You're on the road. I started May 2nd with this company. I moved over I'd actually retired, tried to get out of it and I was home for a year and I'm like, yeah, I got to go back. Local freight wasn't paying anything and this job affords you a lifestyle that now you got the upkeep on and that is, I've got five acres, I've got the house, I've got the farm for my wife and you know, just a local job just wasn't keeping up with it. So I came back out after about a year. So I flew out May 2nd and they tell me, hey, just don't, just don't worry about going home until at least end of the year or beginning of January. Fall tours, then we got Christmas shows and they go back to back to back to back.

Speaker 1:

So tell me about your life personally, like how you're managing work-life balance when you're out that long, like you obviously have a rhythm out there for you yourself personally as a you know, as an employee, you know. Then you have your downtime. What's, how are you managing that, um, that work-life balance when you're, you know, gone for so long? Any tips or strategies that have you've discovered over the years that are working really well for you that might help a driver that's kind of struggling to find some sanity outside of the work.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when I go home after such a long stretch, I'll go home, I'll relax for two, three, four days, then I'll start piddling around the farm trying to fix some fences, you know whatever else needs tending to After about two or three weeks. Tending to after about two or three weeks. Then I I called my old local job, which is, uh, I'm out of Brooksville, florida. So I work for a company called lasso record service and I drive one of their heavy haul trucks or one of their heavy records. When I'm home, um, but I'll, I won't go full time, I'll be like, hey man, I'm home for this stretch. I can fill in one or two days a week. If somebody wants to take a day off and I'll throw that in there, just because I don't like to sit for too long.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

You know. So I'll do that, I'll find a hobby, I'll drive down and go see my mom. There's always, when you're on the road, that long you go home for two months. It's never enough, because there was always a list that you got to take care of.

Speaker 1:

Well, what about the times when you're out, though? I mean, how are you? You know what's your personal life outside of work, you know when you're on the road for a year. So I mean, how are you managing your downtime? And you know, know what's it like? What are your hobbies? Like what are you doing to fill your downtime when you're out on the road, when you're on a long trip? So, like, what's that?

Speaker 2:

rhythm, like, personally, I do a little bit of photography, but basically with my, with my phone I'll go get some weird shots or stuff like that. Um, I do have a drone that I do like to do some aerial photography with it. Other guys like to just go to the gym and work out. Some guys even carry a tote with all their equipment in the trail and then just work out all day long. Other guys don't do anything and just want to sit in a truck and watch TV all day or play video games or just take a walk around town, do some, you know, like I said, go to a museum or something. That's their hobby.

Speaker 2:

But you know we don't have that much time. You know, really to say dedicate to a hobby full time. It's basically just filling your time gaps. You know there's guys that do plastic models. There's guys that do remote control. You know, like cars, helicopters, planes, stuff like that. I mean, I looked into one guy's truck from the ground. I looked through his windshield and he had a uh, a remote control airplane that had like a four foot wingspan sitting in the top bunk.

Speaker 1:

Oh, wow.

Speaker 2:

And I'm like wow, you actually got time to do that.

Speaker 1:

Good for you.

Speaker 2:

I know right how does that?

Speaker 2:

work. I like to keep myself busy because I used to be a lead driver myself. So when you do the position of lead work you basically don't have a lot of time to yourself Because you're up for the whole time when you're dealing with all the trucks. Once the trucks are all set, then you got to go into production, make sure everything's good, and the lead driver probably doesn't get to slow down until about noon when everybody else can be done by 10 or 11. But then you might have the bigger tours that take all day to unload. But it's funny because they could take, say, six hours to unload it up but they could break that show down and stuff it back in the trucks in two hours.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's crazy pace yeah.

Speaker 2:

Like for us. Yesterday we were at a festival in Wisconsin. Right now I'm running with Shinedown and I think they unloaded and set the stage up in three hours.

Speaker 1:

That's incredible Really. How many, how many trucks are usually running a tour with you. I guess it would just depend on the show, I mean, but typically like are you with the same people like all the time, or?

Speaker 2:

No, no, no, I've. I mean I do run with some of the guys you know different times, but it's not consistent because they may have I may go from, say, a 10 truck tour to a two truck tour. So now you got to split the guys up. They go on that tour, but those tours that are later may not all finish at the same time, so you may not be able to reconnect at another tour. So it may take a year or two before you reconnect with some of the drivers you've already run with.

Speaker 1:

And then how much time between tours, like do you get to pick a tour that you're going to go on, or how does that work being a company driver?

Speaker 2:

We definitely do not pick tours. It's assigned to us. They don't even tell us till the last minute because in the past there have been drivers. I mean they talk about you know, hey, I'm going on this tour and then you'll have drivers that will call the office Well, why does he get to go on this tour and not me? So the companies have now pretty much said, all right, well, you'll know when you're ready to hit the road, or when you finish this tour and you do your returns returning equipment to the stage company or lighting company or audio company then we'll let you know what you're doing next.

Speaker 1:

And I've had times where I've gone unloaded one day and the next day I'm picking up for the next door, oh wow.

Speaker 2:

But then there's been times where I'll have a week off but they want to stage me close by, in case I got to go in early to pick equipment, for instance.

Speaker 1:

And then how do they pay on that, since you have downtime? I mean, obviously you're not paid by the miles, I would guess. So how like are you a salary position?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's a daily pay, um, you get a certain amount, depending on your experience. You get a certain amount per day. You also get a per diem, uh, for your food stuff, like that. Um, on nights that the crew gets hotels, uh, the drivers get what's called a hotel buyout, so you'll get, depending on the company, $50 for that night or $75 for that night, and it'll add to your check at the end of the week or every two weeks. Whenever each company pays, everybody's different. So, for instance, they may pay and this is only an example. They may pay you, and this is only an example. They may pay. You, say, 200 a day. Now you're getting another 50 for per diem, so you're up to 250. And now you get another 50 for hotel buyers, so now you're up to $300 a day.

Speaker 1:

I see.

Speaker 2:

And that's whether you drive a hundred miles or 3000 miles. You get your. That's a. You can bank on that amount just about every week, give or take a few bucks because of the hotel, buyouts are set up.

Speaker 1:

I see Wow.

Speaker 2:

But your base salary, that initial, you know, and like I said, it's not set in stone, but that initial 200 or 250, whatever the company starts you at, that's a guarantee every day.

Speaker 1:

And then what makes it change? Like what would be like when it would vary, like you always get the hotel buyout option, so you know that going in, that you're going to, you know potentially be making $300 a day. Like how, what? What's the fluctuation?

Speaker 2:

Well, some companies will pay you a hotel buyout on the days that the crew gets the hotel. Okay, some companies will pay less of a buyout, but they'll pay you straight through, from the first show to the last show. You know, it all depends on how the company writes up their contracts for each tour.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Wow. So I'm fortunate enough to work for a really good guy. The company's called Ego Trips. Nick Weathers is the owner, really great guy and, like I said, I'm fortunate to work for him takes care of us. Equipment is kept very well, you know, because there's companies out there that do shows that don't have great equipment. Those are the ones that you gotta worry about on tour that break down because the owner, operators and the smaller companies those are the ones they worry, because if your truck causes a show to either be delayed like postponed to another date, or canceled, you just bought every ticket in the house.

Speaker 1:

Oh, wow, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So if you get put on a tour let's say a stadium tour okay, and this is we kind of were playing with the numbers when I was with Chesney If one of the trucks, if one of the shows got canceled at a stadium and let's just use MetLife Stadium in New Jersey where the Giants play, okay, if a show there gets canceled. You're talking 50,000 to 60,000 seats, all right. For us it was 53,000 or 54,000. The average ticket price was a little over $300. And that's from the nosebleed all the way down you know average a little over $300.

Speaker 2:

You're talking $17 million in ticket sales for that one show.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's crazy.

Speaker 2:

So you better have a hell of an insurance plan yeah or a backup plan. You know someone else that could get to your your trailer yeah, yeah or do what you got to do to fix it today. I mean, there's times that you know where we pay a higher price for repairs, but they, basically they will bump your truck to the front of the line.

Speaker 1:

Right, well, and how are you doing your regular maintenance on your trucks when you guys are running that kind of schedule? How is that working?

Speaker 2:

Day off. Yeah, I mean, if we get a day off, you know, you know we may not get the oil change right at 10,000 miles or 15,000 miles, whatever the interval the company sets at thousand miles, or fifteen thousand miles, whatever the interval the company sets at. But like we'll pull, like if we got two days to get somewhere, we'll stop at a ta. I'll do my 10 hour at a ta or the loves, and I'll just say all right, here you go, put me in line, I drop the trailer, I'm parked next to the building, just tell me when to pull in and I'll just creep it in.

Speaker 1:

Let them do their thing yeah, yeah, I was thinking about that too. It's like's like because of the pace that you're running, with the work, it's like you're really not having a lot of downtime. I mean because you're going to have to take care of the truck in there as well, I mean, which is true for everybody, but more so with the pace that you're running. So it's good. Anything else you want to share with our audience, any fun stories that you've had, experiences out there that you want to share with the audience before we wrap up, no, we do have a lot of fun.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I can't really pinpoint. I got to think about that one for a minute, but we do have a lot, a lot of cool things that we do. A lot of the tours will, one or two nights before the end of the tour, they will say hey, man, we're going to this, we rented this venue, for instance, or a restaurant or whatever. Everybody's going to be, the whole crew get there, the artist will get there, you know, and most of the times the artist is there.

Speaker 2:

I've been to crew parties and the tour crew parties. Where you know, when I was with Kelly Clarkson, she showed up, was dancing along with everybody, so fun crew parties. Uh, where you know, when I was with kelly clarkson, she showed up, was dancing along with everybody, so fun. Um, I just I just finished a tour with uh with a comedian I can't say who just yet because he's still out on tour, but he was there, you know. Um, I've been to a party at the house of blues in chicago. When I finished, uh, I was getting close to finishing with uh coldplay. So chris martin came there at the time. He was married to Gwyneth Paltrow, so you do get to rub elbows here and there, but you also have a lot of fun on tour. You know practical jokes. You know pranking other.

Speaker 1:

You know everybody on tour you got to when you're on the road that long it becomes a family.

Speaker 2:

You got to do something to to keep it going and it's a hell of a camaraderie. I mean, I've tried to leave the industry a couple of times just to go home and not drive anymore, and it's other than the pay. The camaraderie is the one thing I miss the most. That gets me back.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that. Tell me about some of the branks you've seen pulled out, some of the what I'm sorry, the pranks. Tell me about some of the pranks you've seen pulled down the road, some of the what I'm sorry, the pranks. Tell me about some of the pranks.

Speaker 2:

Oh God, we had one time where there was a venue that had a pool and one of those bubbly hot tubs at the end of the pool.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And we put dish soap in there. It like foamed everywhere. You know we'll sit down at a restaurant. The driver will, you know, every once in a while we'll go all eat together. One guy will get up and, you know, go to the bathroom. I'll grab his straw and fill it with salt and put it back in his drink. You know what I mean, and it goes from one to like another. We may catch a driver with us, you know, in a stupid pose, and we'll snap that picture discreetly.

Speaker 1:

and then do something funny like a meme or a poster, and then make copies and plaster it all over the venue. Well, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun out there. Anything else you want?

Speaker 2:

to share before we wrap up. No, I think I'm good, but yeah, if anybody ever has any questions, man, just contact me through your page and I'd be happy to answer whatever questions.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Dino's in Enjoying Life, OTR, so you can find him in the group and I'll have you know his link on there. Are you on social media? Do you want to share your Instagram or anything with the audience how they can see what you're doing out there?

Speaker 2:

I am. I am on Instagram. I believe my, I guess handle I'll say CB handle on Instagram is RodiDinoG and on Facebook I believe it's my full name. So if anybody sees me on your page, on the OTR page, just click the name, send me a message because I have to talk to you first because I sent my friend request on private.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that sounds good and I'll have your links in the show notes too. Well, thanks so much for coming on the show. It's fascinating the work that you're doing. I love getting a little inside peek and what's going on behind the scenes, and I'm really grateful for your time and really just a pleasure talking to you, hopefully we'll get to have you on the show again.

Speaker 2:

I'll look forward to it talking to you. Hopefully we'll get to have you on the show again.

Speaker 1:

I'll look forward to it. Well, that wraps up our fascinating journey into the world of entertainment. Trucking with Dino, we've learned about the unique challenges and the rewards of hauling for concerts and shows, and the importance of camaraderie while on the road, and how to balance our demanding careers with our personal life. Remember, whether you're hauling stage equipment or consumer goods, it's crucial to find ways to stay connected to our loved ones and to maintain work-life balance Well, as much as we can. Speaking of which tune in next week, so we dive into the important topic of maintaining healthier intimacy with our partners, even when we're spending so much time over the road.

Speaker 1:

So subscribe to our show, because you're not going to want to miss that episode. It's a great show. You're going to love it. So if you're enjoying this episode and you want to connect with other drivers like Dina, we invite you to join our Facebook group, enjoying Life OTR, as well as our Healthier Truckers Facebook group. Both communities are great places to share experiences, get advice and connect with fellow drivers. Lastly, if you found today's episode valuable and I hope you did please take a moment to like, share and review our podcast. Your support helps us to reach more drivers and build a stronger, healthier trucking community. So until next time, y'all take care out there and by all means enjoy the journey.

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Cindy Tunstall

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