Load-In / Load-Out Timeline (Advance Checklist for Touring Crews)

The Fastest Way to Wreck a Show Day? Skip the Boring Questions Most bad show days don’t fall apart during the encore. They fall apart at the dock.

This post gives you two things you can reuse on every advance:

1. A pre-advance checklist to catch problems before wheels roll
2. A realistic load-in / load-out timeline you can adapt to any venue

No fluff. Just the questions that prevent delays, surprise costs, and chaos.

The Advance Checklist (Ask Before You Roll)

Venue Access

If the truck can’t get in cleanly, nothing else matters.

• Dock or truck access details (turn radius, height clearance, security)
• Parking plan (overnight, bus, van, trailer)
• Load-in door dimensions
• Ramp required or provided?

House Rules

These are where surprises usually hide.

• Curfew and noise restrictions
• Union or house labor rules
• Pyro, CO₂, haze, or confetti policies

Power & Technical

Assumptions here cost time and money.

• Power availability and distro requirements
• House console and patching specifics
• Internet availability (if show control, RF coordination, or streaming requires it)

Schedule (Confirm in Writing)

Never rely on “roughly.”

• Load-in time
• Soundcheck
• Doors
• Set time
• Curfew
• Load-out end time

A Realistic Load-In Timeline Template

This is a baseline. Adjust for room size, crew count, and complexity.

T-0: Arrival

• Confirm the dock is clear and ready
• Quick safety brief: ramps, pinch points, traffic flow

T+0:00–0:30 — First Wave

• Off truck: ramps, dollies, load bars, straps
• Push first-priority gear: power, distro, core stage racks

T+0:30–1:30 — Build

• Stage set and backline placement
• Patch and line check in parallel

T+1:30–2:30 — Soundcheck

• Lock in mic placements and RF
• Assign one person to watch cases, dock access, and foot traffic

Post-Show — Load-Out

• Strike in reverse priority
• Designate a single “pack leader” calling placement
• Use Crew View for consistency on future dates

Don’t Get Trapped: Load-Out Reality Checks

These mistakes cost more time than bad gear ever will.

• Keep ramps accessible until the last case is on the truck
• Leave trash, gaff, and tools out until you are completely done
• Don’t block the dock door with cases you still need to strap

FAQ (SEO)

What should I ask in a venue advance?

Access, schedule, power, house rules, and labor. Anything that can introduce delays, restrictions, or unexpected costs should be clarified before travel.

How do I speed up load-out?

Assign a pack leader, stage ramps and straps early, and load consistent case groups in a fixed, repeatable order.

Suggested Internal Links

• Touring truck pack list template
• Truck pack weight distribution basics

Call to Action

If you’re tired of re-building this from scratch for every venue, Truck Packer lets you store a standard advance template and apply tour-specific overrides so the boring questions get answered once, not at the dock.

The show day should be execution, not discovery.