What you drive depends on the class
Local 399's wage schedule sorts drivers by what they are licensed to operate, and that also describes how the department is staffed. At the bottom are cars, station wagons, and minivans carrying 9 or fewer passengers. The next groups cover vehicles that need a Class C or Class B license, such as crew cabs, 5-ton trucks, maxivans of 10 or more passengers, and buses. The heaviest groups cover Class A vehicles (including vehicles towing trailers over 6,000 lbs. and tractors) and a special equipment line whose description includes honeywagons and 10-station hair/makeup trailers. Separate lines exist for camera car drivers, production van driver/operators, dispatchers, and wranglers.
On a typical feature, that means a mix like this:
| Driver type | Typical assignment |
|---|---|
| Van driver | Cast pickups, crew shuttles, runs to the production office |
| Stake bed or 5-ton driver | Art department and set dressing hauls |
| Class A driver | Grip, electric, and camera tractors; honeywagon; star trailers |
| Camera car driver | Towing or driving the rig for moving shots |
| Picture car driver | Moving the vehicles that appear on camera, picture vehicles in the breakdown |
A driver's day, hour by hour
Here's a van driver's Tuesday on a location shoot with a 7:00 a.m. crew call:
- 5:30a: Pick up van at the transportation yard, check fuel and tires
- 6:00a: Hotel pickup, cast #2 and cast #5 to base camp
- 6:30a to 7:30a: Crew shuttle loop from crew parking to set
- 9:00a: Run to the prop house for a replacement lamp the set decorator called in
- 12:30p: Lunch
- 2:00p: Pick up a day player at the airport
- 6:30p: Shuttle loop again as crew wraps
- 7:45p: Drive cast #2 and cast #5 back to the hotel
- 8:30p: Van returned, time card signed
A Class A driver's day looks different. They might drive the grip tractor to location at 4:30 a.m., stage it where the key grip wants it, and then wait for hours with the truck until the company move. Some drivers are also assigned as hyphenates: Local 399's schedule includes a "hyphenate" driver/craftsperson classification for crew who drive a truck and also work in another department.
The math on a long day
Under the 2024 to 2027 Local 399 schedule, a daily driver of cars, station wagons, and minivans has a studio minimum of $48.08 an hour starting August 2, 2026, with time and a half after 8 hours and/or 40 hours in a week. The minimum call is 8 hours. For an 11-hour day at minimum:
- 8 hours x $48.08 = $384.64
- 3 hours x $72.12 = $216.36
- Day total: $601.00, before fringe contributions
Drivers of certain special equipment are at $54.28 an hour for the same period. Distant location work runs on a separate schedule with a 9 1/2 hour minimum call, and episodic, basic cable, and low budget theatrical productions have their own sheets on the Local 399 site. The crew rate lookup is useful for rough budgeting, but the union sheet is what payroll uses.
Who drivers work with
The transportation captain gives out assignments and is the first call when something goes wrong. Department heads direct what goes on or comes off a truck. Cast and their assistants ride with van drivers, so drivers hear a lot and repeat none of it. The 2nd AD's department tracks pickups on the call sheet, and a driver who knows a pickup will be late tells the captain before the ADs find out.
Getting hired
Non-union work is where most drivers start: commercials, music videos, and indie features that need a van driver with a clean record. Union features and series in Los Angeles hire Local 399 members. Contract Services, which administers the Industry Experience Roster, lists Teamsters Local 399 among the unions whose members can be placed on the roster, and signatory producers use it as an employment resource. Placement requirements come from the collective bargaining agreement, so check with Local 399 before counting days. A commercial license opens up better-paid Class A assignments.
Paperwork a driver handles
Time cards, vehicle inspection sheets, fuel receipts, mileage logs, and accident or damage reports. On productions that track vehicles per scene, the driver moving picture cars should also know which scenes each car appears in, since continuity matters when a car has been dented on camera. Storiara lists vehicles pulled from the script in its Assets module, so the picture car list can start from the breakdown.