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Transport/haulage companies


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Hi all,

 

I'm looking for recommendations for transport/haulage companies for small to midsize daily touring projects.

 

I have a client with daily touring shows that are bigger than “a band in a splitter van” but smaller than going to a mainstream theatrical haulage company / overnight bus combination. I’m looking for a solution that can safely travel around the UK and handle transporting up to 3500kg ( although ideally more) of set and equipment in one vehicle plus a splitter van, coach or minibus to accommodate 6 cast members and 2 (ideally 3) technicians. Vehicles would not be self-drive hire but complete with two dedicated drivers, one for each.

 

It's a tricky area to find cost-effective reliable solutions for. I’m adamant that whatever solution we find does not require cast or crew to drive at any point.

 

Any advice or experience in this kind of set up would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks so much!

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I was on a longish tour as CSM to mid scale and bigger venues with these people providing the transport: CEG Logistics, they specialise in up to 3.5T. I found them reliable and friendly / helpful. I don't know if they could do the personnel movement - cast and crew on my split-week tour were all on the train - but probably worth a conversation.
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At 3.5t of kit you’ll be over the load capacity for most 7.5t trucks, as they top out around 2.25t load capacity, a few can get more in. At that point you’re looking at 12t or 18t trucks.

 

If it’s proper touring then I’d look at the likes of R Jameson’s, Trucking By Bryan Yeardley, JT Event Truck or Fly By Nite, as they all have smaller units in their fleets and understand touring logistics.

 

Afraid I can’t point you in any directions for buses other than the names I’ve seen on site, as I’ve never personally booked that side of the job.

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Sorry, I misread the post, so my suggestion of CEG logistics probably isn't suitable - their small fleet goes up to Luton Transit size, which I think is 3.5T all up, not 3.5T payload. They do have low-loaders, so no tail lift to take into consideration. I seem to recall a conversation with them that they had considered going up to 7.5T but decided not to....

 

I'm sure that in the dim and distant past I used to drive round devon and cornwall in a 7.5T Ford Iveco panel van (and occasionally Merc equivalent) with a payload of close to 4T, but with the change in license categories, this sort of vehicle doesn't seem to be very common any more.

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You could *almost* do 3.5t between a large van and trailer, but only using very specific vehicles, and a lot depends on the size of the load.

If this was a semi-permanent thing it might be worth looking into getting the right combination, if only to avoid O-licence etc., but for a one-off of short duration it probably isn't worth the hassle.

 

Looking at the OP's description, you could potentially have a splitter with trailer, and a large van with trailer. 1250kg in each trailer is quite feasible, leaving 1000kg to go in the van. But if you have drivers with the right licence categories to tow those combinations, they could be driving 7 tonners anyway.

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once you start towing trailers with vans for business your entering taco territory and all that involves

 

If you're hiring dedicated drivers, keeping within tacho regs and drivers' hours shouldn't be too difficult. (Certainly compared to crew/cast doing the driving)

 

At least you avoid the cost and hassle of an O licence, and the increased testing for vehicles over 3.5t gross.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Everyone

 

A belated thank you to everyone who took the time to chime in on my info request. All very useful and some great suggestions.

 

And, to clarify, IM definitely ( trying!) to rule out self-drive!

 

I'm in the process of pulling numerous quotes and options together. The advice received was really helpful.

 

cheers,

 

M

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you're still resolving this try giving these guys a call;

info@thewickedcompany.co.uk | 01325 789382 | 07725 164507

They are industry experienced and provide artics, but operate smaller vehicles too. They may well have the exact combination that you require.

Good luck

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