The Infrastructure
Behind Every Show

Concert logistics is the coordinated planning, transportation, and execution of equipment movement for live performances and tours. It covers city-to-city trucking, load-in and load-out sequencing, routing around venue windows, multi-truck fleet coordination, and real-time dispatch oversight — all built around show schedules, not flexible freight windows. Concert logistics companies build their entire operational model around the entertainment production calendar. See entertainment logistics for a broader overview.

Concert tours move equipment via dedicated tractor-trailer fleets coordinated by entertainment logistics companies. After load-out, drivers perform overnight moves between cities — often team-driving to meet tight turnarounds. Lead drivers communicate directly with venue dock managers, production managers, and tour managers to coordinate arrival windows, parking access, and load-in sequencing before the crew arrives. Learn how Janco handles load-in and load-out management.

Concert tours stay on schedule through advance routing built around curtain times, dedicated fleet oversight, direct driver-to-venue communication, team driving for tight city-to-city turnarounds, and 24/7 dispatch support. When issues arise — construction, traffic, mechanical — experienced logistics companies reroute proactively rather than reactively. Read more about how tours stay on time.

Standard freight carriers operate on flexible delivery windows. Concert logistics requires precision timing tied to performance schedules, venue dock access windows, load-in sequencing, union labor coordination, and direct production team communication. A late freight delivery gets rescheduled. A late tour truck means a compressed load-in window, a delayed sound check, and potentially a delayed show — with a sold-out room waiting. The operational models are fundamentally incompatible.

Truck count depends entirely on production scale. A club or small theater tour may run 1–2 trucks. A mid-sized touring production typically requires 3–6. Arena-level tours can require 10 or more coordinated trailers running simultaneously. Janco works with tour leadership early in the planning process to right-size the fleet — not upsell trucks that aren't needed. See tour trucking services for fleet details.

Concert tour trucking costs depend on fleet size, trailer configuration, total tour mileage, routing density, team driving requirements for tight turnarounds, and whether cross-border moves into Canada are involved. Janco provides all-inclusive pricing — no line items added after the fact for tolls, parking, or detention time. Waiting is built into our operational model, not billed separately. Request a direct quote for an accurate number based on your specific routing.

Yes. Entertainment logistics companies like Janco offer equipment storage between tour legs, during pre-production periods, and for seasonal breaks. Stored gear remains accessible for transport pickup when the next leg begins — keeping production timelines intact without the overhead of managing storage as a separate operation. See Janco's equipment storage services.

A late truck compresses the load-in window for the entire production team — affecting stage build, sound check, and show start. Experienced concert logistics companies prevent this through advance venue communication, proactive rerouting when issues arise, team driving on tight turnarounds, and 24/7 dispatch oversight. Janco drivers know venue dock access issues, city-specific parking restrictions, and site routing before they arrive — because lead drivers do that advance work on every production.

Box trucks handle smaller touring productions and theater runs where production volume is limited. Tractor-trailers are standard for mid-size to arena-level tours carrying full stage rigs, sound systems, and lighting packages. Some productions use drop-deck trailers when set pieces require additional vertical clearance. Janco works with production teams to match the trailer to the cargo. See tour trucking services →

Arena-level tours typically begin logistics planning 6–8 months out. Smaller or regional runs can be planned in weeks. Starting early allows routing to be built around venue access windows, cross-border requirements, and crew rest cycles — which protects the production plan when unexpected changes arise.

Yes — Janco supports complex multi-city tours across the United States and Canada, including cross-border routing, customs coordination, and schedule planning for US/Canada runs. Hubs in New York, LA, Nashville, Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Dallas, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal support routing across the full North American touring circuit. See touring logistics services →

Look for an owned fleet rather than a broker model, so accountability doesn't diffuse through a third party. Look for drivers with real touring experience and mentorship infrastructure — not CDL holders repurposed from freight. Look for 24/7 dispatch staffed by people who understand production timelines. And look for a track record across multiple production types: arena tours, theater runs, festivals, and Broadway. Janco has operated exclusively in entertainment since 1975 across all of these categories. Read Why Janco or our full story.

Janco has operated exclusively in entertainment logistics since 1975 — 50 years focused entirely on concerts, tours, and live productions. We own and operate our own fleet rather than brokering freight, which means direct accountability on every move. All-inclusive pricing with no surprise charges for tolls, parking, or detention time. Three generations of Mallow family ownership. Read Why Janco and 50 Years of Janco (1975–2025).