Truck Pack Labels

[NewmanTechnical]

Hi,

 

I am making up labels for our cases on tour in an attempt to make the load in and outs nice and smooth.

 

I want to ask people what they think is handy information for them have on them, and what info people think is too much.

Idiot proof is what I'm going for, but at the same time I don't want the locals to think I'm trying to teach them to suck eggs.

 

So far I'm thinking to have on there:

 

Show name (obviously)

Department

Load in Location (DS / SL / USR)

No. of people required to lift

Contents

Truck Pack Row

Truck Pack Row Location Diagram

 

Is there anything else I need?

Whats peoples thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Nick

[mac.calder]

International or national tour?

 

Name and number each case - instead of department, I would include that in the name - so "VX Projector #1" "LX Looms #3" "Audio Control #2" - if it is international and carnet is required, then also serialise the boxes with a unique number.

 

Put the weight on it, not just lifting number.

 

Unless it is really tight, I would not generally worry about a truck pack diagram. Perhaps having a couple of large printouts with truck-pack on it might be worthwhile but I have found that truck packs evolve over a tour as you get into the swing of it.

 

If you are printing all of these, where your locations are, shove a colour code onto it as well - so blue SL, Red SR, Green at FOH, Yellow DSC etc. That way you can quickly identify where things need to be. You can also tag un-cased items with locations easily that way too - a wrap of LX tape on the top of the truss for example.

[Pete McCrea]

For locals a big stripe of tape, different colour for each area, is probably more useful than heavily documented PAL labels. That way telling them that pink goes to the girls at FOH, green to stage left etc is quick and easy.

[MarkPAman]

Must not tip

Truck Number

[Modge]

If you are printing all of these, where your locations are, shove a colour code onto it as well - so blue SL, Red SR, Green at FOH, Yellow DSC etc. That way you can quickly identify where things need to be. You can also tag un-cased items with locations easily that way too - a wrap of LX tape on the top of the truss for example.

 

Colour codes, (I've normally seen tape used as well, but I can't see why it wouldn't work printed) are mighty handy when you have a bunch of locals. Also when you're trying to find your missing case, which has still, colours not withstanding, landed up in the wrong place.

[emsgeorge]

And if using both tape and coloured printed boxes on your labels, play around to make sure your printer colour settings match the tape you have.

 

A lot of confusion arose when the pink lx tape was pink, but the pink from the printer looked purple.

 

Cue half the pink boxes going to where purple was, and the other way round.

 

When I find who chose pink and purple ........... (and didn't marry up the tape with the labels to see if the colours matched)

[Young Johnstone]

I generally put things like stage positions and fixture numbers on 2 inch coloured tape or fluoro, making sure it's written big and bold. That way it can be seen really easily and fast from a distance.

The main things I want to know on a load in is where it's going and what it is!

 

So a red piece of tape with 716 + 717 would instantly tell me that it's for the front truss (red tape) they are Mac 700's (fixture numbers starting at 700) and the unit numbers are 716 + 717. That's my way of doing things but it's suprising how many people don't do that kind of thing.

 

Even if you have a colour code for areas, sometimes it's worth writing the location as well so you don't get asked every 2 mins what the colour means.

 

I'll stand on stage and organise kit on stage so the locals can concentrate on bringing it in and I know it goes to the correct place.

 

Weight wise, I write "75kg / 3+" but if it's stupidly heavy then I'll get it written on top and bottom so it's very obvious.

 

Everyone has there own way, I personally like mine.

[NewmanTechnical]

It's a national UK tour, pretty tight pack at the moment, producers want us to fit 4 trucks worth of Sound, LX, AV, Set, wardrobe and wigs on 3 trucks!

 

Thanks for all your suggestions and input, I think a hybrid of the above will be nice

 

Cheers

[johnhuson]

It's a national UK tour, pretty tight pack at the moment, producers want us to fit 4 trucks worth of Sound, LX, AV, Set, wardrobe and wigs on 3 trucks!

 

Thanks for all your suggestions and input, I think a hybrid of the above will be nice

 

Cheers

Seconded on the colour coding and clear numbering system is a massive help with local crew. The simpler, clearer and more logical you can make your system the quicker and easier your load in/out will be at stage level.

 

When it comes to truck loading, you can't replace a driver who knows what should be on their truck and how it packs. This may seem simple on the surface but there are certainly some drivers that get it better than others.

[dsharp7th]

For "Do Not Tip" labelled cases, a suitable admonishment expletive underneath can help reinforce the message!

[Stuart91]

For something really valuable/fragile, a battery powered alarm triggered by a mercury tilt switch?

[IRW]

For "Do Not Tip" labelled cases, a suitable admonishment expletive underneath can help reinforce the message!

 

Please don't write expletives on your flightcases. Some people find it offensive, and it's just unnecessary.

[Dave m]

I remember that the Ruts toured with an FOH mixer that said

"this is F*cking Heavy!" in large letters on all sides.

 

it was

[Stuart91]

Some companies I'm familiar with use the acronym "HAF" for "Heavy As..." It's at least relatively inoffensive to passers-by.

 

I also remember chuckling when I came across a case that had "Festoon Ya Goon" scrawled across a stripe of white gaffa.

[leofric]

Keep it simple very few local crew actually read labels, what's inside it and where it wants to be. the coloured labels that PRG do are very useful about 5 inches square and in a range of about ten colours. these make it easy to tell local crew where to send boxes or to group boxes together for a certain area.

 

I'm a bit concerned about the four trucks into three bit though, I worked for a producers who used to do that until a house crew 'somewhere in the south of england' refused to load the show if there wasn't another truck there Saturday night.It was one of the best favors any crew has done for us over the years. The Bectu/pact load in/out agreement and ATG's house health and safety policies attached to there tech information might help point your producers in the right direction.