Film Locations Glossary
Truck line
What is the truck line?
Also called truck order, or vehicle line.
The truck line is the arrangement of production vehicles along a curb or lot at a location, ordered so departments can work and so the unit can leave in sequence.
Its length is a hard number that decides whether a street can hold the show, and it is what a site plan has to represent honestly. Getting the order wrong traps the grip truck behind catering until lunch is over.
Example
Twelve vehicles need 400 feet of curb, ordered so grip and electric are nearest set and catering can leave first. Get the order wrong and the grip truck is trapped behind the caterer until lunch has finished.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Drawn on the site plan and set by locations with transportation before the first call.
Common mistake
Ordering the truck line by arrival time instead of by department need and departure order. Get it wrong and the grip truck is boxed in behind catering until lunch is over.
Related questions
- How is the truck line ordered?
- By department need and departure order: grip and electric nearest set, catering placed so it can leave first, and nothing parked where it boxes another truck in.
- Why does the truck line decide whether a street works?
- Because its length is a hard number. If the street cannot hold it, the vehicles stage offsite and the day absorbs the shuttling.