To keep our team growing, we’re continuously looking for ways to create innovative solutions for our customers that also provide opportunities for our associates. A great example of that is On Tour Logistics (OTL), our specialized service focused on the concert and special events markets.
Since its launch in 2012, OTL has grown rapidly, bringing more opportunities to our team. Just like our traditional transportation services, with OTL, tour promoters can make just one call to cover all of the transportation for their equipment and gear.
On Tour Logistics, the touring division of Averitt Express, it is a different mindset. On Tour Logistics is not dealing with concert touring. It's a live event. If it draws a crowd and there's sound, light, video or stage, then we'll haul it. Let me tell you a little bit about On tour and logistics. You work for artists. You could do concerts, events, theater. A lot of times you're in a family environment, a team environment. You have a lead driver. You have like four, five, ten, fifteen other trucks that you're working with, or you could be a single driver on a one truck tour. We're basically truckload drivers but we're in a division under truckload. I like this a lot better than I do truckload because the schedule doesn't change as much as it does in truckload. It's still truck driving, it's still traveling, but we are not hauling boxes. Everything that we haul is on wheels. It is musical equipment. It is electronic equipment. It is staging. So it's a different mindset from driving to securing the load. You're driving at night most of the time, and you're always part of a team. It's got a lot of benefits to it. It's hard work at times, but it's a lot of fun too. It is hard work. You will be active in helping supervise, unload and load the trailers. Dealing with many other people, you have to be a good team player. An ideal OTL driver in my mind would be someone that is easygoing, can be good with change, because things can change on the drop of a dime. You could be out for a week, two weeks, a month. I've been out for nine months, but it wasn't nine months straight. It was tours back to back. And I had the option. They asked me if I want to do it, and I tell them yes, because I love my job. It's not for every person, but I loved it and I still love it and I'll do it until I get ready to retire. It is a different type of truck driving and the timeframes that you're required to be gone from home are different. But if you're willing to do that, it's a very rewarding job financially, personally. I still have a lot of fun with it. If you're interested in a good company that's family oriented, tight knit, give OTL a shot.
If a driver qualifies, then he or she can be selected to attend an OTL training class. In this course, OTL drivers learn various elements of touring and entertainment production procedures, such as backstage terminology, loading, securement and blind-side radio-controlled backing.
OTL has two types of loads for which we need drivers: production and tours.
Production runs are one-time moves that can be one-ways or round-trips, which could include layovers. On production runs, drivers get their current rate of pay, plus stops and other accessorial pay.
Tours could be for 4 weeks or up to 7 months – it just depends what the customer needs. Drivers on tours are typically placed on a weekly salary that is pro-rated on partial weeks, averaging $1,800 per week (with growth opportunities) and $93,600 per year.
While on a tour, most of the driving is done at night after a show is over and the staging is torn down and loaded. Drivers selected for a tour receive a special OTL uniform package.
To be considered for an OTL position there are several requirements drivers must meet:
