Maximizing Efficiency: How to Transport Your Marching Percussion Gear Like a Pro

You’ve prepped your gear for the season, worked on your fundamentals, and rehearsed in the heat. The students are getting excited for their first performance and the across town performance is fast approaching. Now is the time to think through how you will transport your gear so it’s done safely and efficiently every time.

How Are You Transporting Gear

Transporting your marching equipment requires storage space and the setup you use depends on your budget and the amount of equipment you need to transport. Here are the most common ways of transporting gear:

Cargo Trailer

Cargo trailers are fully enclosed and offer security and protection for your equipment. They can range from 12 to 28 feet in length and can have a single, tandem, or triple axle. These trailers use a hitch or gooseneck style setup.

• Pros

  • Sizes vary for your needs

  • Customizable Space

  • Trailers with side doors allow for students to enter through tailgate and exit through side door

  • No special license needed to tow trailer

• Cons

  • Limited to 28 feet in length

  • Requires 1/2 to 3/4 ton truck set up for towing the trailer

  • Difficulty loading and unloading due to limited access points

  • Requires driver with towing experience

Box Truck

This options puts the vehicle and cargo space together eliminating the need for a towing package on the vehicle. Cargo space ranges from 10 to 26 feet in length but floor heights do vary. Trucks can be outfitted with ramps or lift gates to make loading easier.

• Pros

  • No towing vehicle needed

  • Easier visibility and maneuvering

  • More vertical space for shelving compared to most cargo trailers

  • No need to store truck or do maintenance upkeep with rental truck

• Cons

  • Unable to customize rental trucks / wasted vertical space

  • Floor heights can be very high

  • Rental trucks may not be available on popular event weekends

  • No walk through capabilities

Semi-Trailer

Also known as dry van trailers, these are the largest of the enclosed trailers with cargo spaces ranging from 48 to 51 feet in length. These are great for those large bands with plenty of equipment to haul.

• Pros

  • Ample space vertically and horizontally for equipment

  • Customizable to fit your exact needs

  • Numerous access points for expedited loading/unloading

  • Custom wraps provide great advertising for your program and school district

  • Creates a great fundraising opportunity where local businesses can buy large advertising spots

• Cons

  • Requires driver with CDL endorsement

  • Requires semi-truck to tow trailer

  • Large up-front cost

  • Must have ample storage space for trailer

  • Difficult maneuverability on narrow streets

Designing Your Cargo Space

An organized and well thought out cargo space will allow the most amount of gear to be hauled at one time. Taking the time to plan out where you are going to put your gear will save you many headaches.

Common Types of Equipment

• Wind Instruments

  • Brass and Woodwind

• Audio Equipment

  • Speaker Cart, Mixer Cart, Synth Carts, Cables, etc.

• Percussion Gear

  • Timpani, Keyboards, Auxiliary Rack, Marching Drums, Toms, Cymbals, etc.

• Platforms

  • Podium(s), Risers, etc.

• Props & Sideline Screens

Organize, Organize, Organize

Tape off the dimensions of your cargo space on the floor of your band room and test out where equipment will go.

• Heavy equipment gets loaded first and lowest

  • The most amount of vertical movement on a truck or trailer is at the tailgate. Place the larger equipment towards the cab / towing vehicle to prevent damage from bouncing up and down

  • Placing heavy equipment in front of the rear axle keeps a trailer from swaying during transportation

    • 60% of the total weight should be in front of the axle

    • 40% of the total weight should be behind the axle

  • Keeping heavy equipment on the floor minimizes the chance of damage if it falls from a shelf

  • Secure these items in place with ratchet straps

    • Do not over tighten as a tiny bit of flexibility can prevent damage to your gear

• Keyboards

  • Should run lengthwise to prevent stress on the rails and suspension posts during stopping and starting

  • Load keyboards biggest to smallest to keep the heavier equipment towards the front of the cargo space

• Drums

  • Layout where your drums will be placed

  • Create shelving - see below

• Larger items

  • Can be placed under keyboards to save space and keep things tight

    • Watch out for resonators, pedals, and microphones

  • Beware of items that can shift

Shelving

Having your own box truck or trailer means you can customize the space with shelving. If you use a rental truck, designing a portable shelving system that can be attached to the wall or roll into the truck can give you that customized feel.

• Wood vs. Metal

  • Both materials work great for building shelving units and are customizable

  • Use rounded edges or padding on corners

• Shelves

  • Shelving should be high enough that keyboards can easily slide under them at full height

  • Shelves should tilt back at least 7 degrees to keep keep equipment on the shelf

• Tie Downs

  • Most trucks and trailers have tie down spots throughout the cargo area. Keep these tie down areas accessible for your larger equipment

Assigning Tasks

Once the cargo space has been designed and shelving has been put in place, it’s time to assign tasks. We recommend having students handle most of these tasks as it helps build responsibility over the care of the instruments.

Create a list of all the equipment that will be loaded on the truck in order from the first piece to the last piece.

• Pre-loaders

  • These people track down and prep the instruments to be loaded

  • Check for raised pedals, packing blankets or covers on the instruments, and loose cables or microphones

• Logistics

  • This person calls out which instrument is to be loaded next and tracks what has been loaded so nothing is left behind

  • Give this person a laminated checklist and a dry erase marker so they can mark equipment as is it enters the truck

  • Assigned the task of closing and locking the door when loading is complete

  • Have this person write down any repairs that the instrument(s) may need

• Loaders

  • These people physically load the gear onto the truck but they do not get the gear ready for transport

  • Supply these people with moving gloves

  • Teach proper lifting mechanics to prevent injury

• Organizers

  • These two people put each instrument in the correct place, lock wheels, and secure instruments to the truck or shelving

  • Assign responsible students for this task as securing your equipment for transportation will keep your gear from damages

  • Give these people a laminated diagram of where everything goes

• Management

  • Parents or staff member that are available in case of an emergency or a question.

Practice

You’ve designed your system and now it’s time to try it out. Have your loading team do several practice run throughs when there is ample time to rearrange your strategy and make adjustments to your setup.

Encourage students to take responsibility over their job and to find ways to make the system more efficient.

Bonus

You will find your own ways to customize the loading experience for your needs but here are a few we’ve found to be helpful. Let us know what you do to customize your loading game plan.

• Lighting

  • Providing lights in and around your truck or trailer not only makes it easier for people to navigate after those nighttime performances but it also creates a safer environment to prevent injuries or damage.

  • Forms of lighting

    • Headlamps for individual needs

    • Battery powered lights that can be placed around the loading zone and inside the truck or trailer

    • Fixed light on the inside and outside of the truck or trailer

      • Powered by generator or cab / truck

• Timpani

  • Use packing blankets underneath the timpani to absorb shock from the truck bouncing over bumps in the road

  • Put pedals halfway between heel down and toe down to prevent the mechanics of the drum from shifting during transportation

  • Move and secure timpani by the struts and not the counter hoop

• Unloading

  • Fold and organize packing blankets as part of the unloading routine. Place them in a spot easily accessible to the pre-loaders

  • Have students check all wing nuts as some may be loose after transport

• Toolkit

  • A toolkit with basic repair supplies should travel with you everywhere

Now you know how to efficiently transport your marching percussion equipment like a pro.

We’d love to know how you maximize efficiency - tell us your good ideas!