Get there. Get home.
The gig is two hours out and the show ends at midnight. This is the kit in the trunk, the checks before a run, what to do on the shoulder, who comes and gets you across state lines — the van, the trailer and the bus included — and the drive home after the show. The sources are at the bottom of the page, with the date they were read.
What rides in the trunk
Pack it once, before the first run, and look at it every month. Tick what is already in the car — the ticks stay in this browser, on this device, and nowhere else. Every "Find one" is a search, so it shows what is on sale today rather than a product that went away.
The week before the first date
A breakdown you prevent in the driveway costs a morning. The same one at 1 a.m. between towns costs the night, the fee and maybe the next booking.
One message: where you are tonight, and what to do if you go quiet
Fill in tonight's run and copy the message to the one person who knows where you are. Nothing is sent from here — what you type stays in this browser so tomorrow's only needs the changes.
On the shoulder, in this order
Traffic is the danger, not the car. Everything below is about being seen, being out of the way, and getting the right truck to the right place.
Who comes and gets you, a long way from home
The two plans that answer anywhere in the States, side by side. AAA's figures come from the Automobile Club of Southern California's June 2026 member guide — AAA's regional clubs set their own terms, so check your own club's. Good Sam's come from its Platinum RV plan page. Both were read on , and both change: read yours before a tour.
The Department of Energy keeps a list of public charging stations, and D.O.C. uses it.
After the show, and the weather
The set is the easy part of a road gig. The drive back is the part with the numbers against it.
Driving solo, day and night
For anyone on the road alone — and for the things women on the road deal with more often. None of it is about being scared; all of it is about somebody knowing where you are.
Sources
The sources below were consulted on . Guidance without a listed source is D.O.C.'s own. Roadside assistance plans change their terms, and AAA's benefits differ from club to club, so check your own plan before a tour.