How many trucks does a Taylor Swift tour need?

Taylor Swift has been dominating headlines recently, and for good reason. If you’re a “Swiftie”, you likely already know a great deal about her Eras Tour.

If you’re not, the scope of her tour and the logistics required to make it happen will likely impress you. Our sister site in the USA, Commercial Truck Trader, recently did a deep dive into everything there is to know about the remarkable Eras Tour that’s currently sweeping the world.

Keep reading to learn more about how Taylor Swift’s stage is transported, why her merch truck is so famous, and more.

After a four-year hiatus from touring, Taylor Swift emerged in March 2023 with her sixth headlining concert tour.

The Eras Tour is a tribute to all ten of her existing studio albums, each with its own unique set and variety of embellished costumes. Because three of her albums were released during COVID (when touring was not possible), the Eras Tour is a powerful comeback for the talented singer.

During each concert, she plays 44 songs, and the entire production lasts more than three hours. Overall, it’s rumoured to be one of the most expensive tours ever produced, and also one of the highest revenue-generating tours ever.

When the U.S. concert tour dates were initially released, fans were confused. In April, she had back-to-back weekend concerts in Texas, and then Florida, and then Texas again. Wasn’t it more logical to play in Florida first, and then play in Texas the next two weekends? Why was there so much back and forth?

One fan went to great lengths to analyse Taylor Swift’s tour route and why it was planned in such a way. After members of Taylor Swift’s production team confirmed that there are two totally separate stages and stage-crews that can operate simultaneously in different parts of the country, the route suddenly made more sense.

Basically, both stages are being set up, taken down, or moved at any given point in time. This allows Swift to perform in a different city each weekend, and it also gives her crew enough time to safely transport her stage to the next destination and build and prepare accordingly.

Speaking of transporting her stage – it’s a massive job that requires a significant amount of support and planning. It’s rumoured that 90 semis are required to transport her entire set from city to city.

That’s a slight increase from her Reputation Tour, which required around 80 trucks to transport her stage. When you think about everything that needs to be packed up – costumes, color-coded microphones, an illuminated stage (with a catwalk that’s almost the length of a football field), huge LED screens, speakers, lights, props, instruments, and so much more – that number starts to make sense.

Shomotion, a transport and logistics company based out of Denver, provides these services for Taylor Swift’s team. In fact, the company is tagged in several videos on TikTok that show their big rigs rolling up to different concert venues.

According to an article from the New York Post, the transport process begins more than a week before each show, when dozens of semis arrive at the stadium. It’s estimated that the entire operation takes two to three weeks to complete.

After everything is unloaded, constructed, and prepped, Swift plays for two or three nights. Then, the whole process begins again as her crew breaks down, loads, and moves the stage to a new location.

Taylor Swift’s merch truck is another hot topic amongst her fans right now. The decked out semi (one of the most widely recognised trucks in the United States right now) usually arrives on a Wednesday, opens the following Thursday, and offers everything from t-shirts and hoodies to tote bags and water bottles.

Merchandise is also available to anyone who would like to purchase it, not just fans who are attending the concert. Because of this, lines have been extremely long. Some fans have reported waiting in line for upwards of 11 hours to buy concert-exclusive sweatshirts, CDs, and posters. Such a long wait might turn some away, but Swift’s most loyal fans are undeterred, and popular items sell out quickly.

Ultimately, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is a complex, intricate production that’s made possible by the commercial vehicles that transport her stage from town to town and the crew that loads and unloads it each weekend. It’s fascinating to analyse and break down the logistics of such a massive show, especially one with so many moving parts.