Teamster Scott Pierson pulls the grip trailer, shown here, which holds all the equipment used by the camera and electrical assistants (called grips). In his 28-year career, Pierson has met many big-name actors, including Bruce Willis and John Wayne.

Next time you watch a movie, take a closer look at the credits rolling across the screen at the end. Look for titles like “honey wagon driver” and “generator operator,” and you’ll see the names of truckers whose jobs are in many ways like the average over-the-road driver – and yet incredibly different.

Dusty Saunders is a transportation coordinator. Sounds like a normal trucking job until you hear where he does it – on movie sets all over the United States.

Saunders is in charge of all the transportation on a movie set – trucks filled with props, electrical equipment and dressing rooms; vans that carry actors and crew where they need to go; and background vehicles called picture cars (see Making the Scene on page 26) to help create the movie’s setting.

When a movie starts production, Saunders handpicks his team of drivers by seniority and reputation from the roster list of the Teamsters Local 399 union in Los Angeles and the Teamsters unions around the shooting area. He and the drivers hop from studio to studio. They have to follow DOT rules and fill out log books, just like regular truckers – though they might only drive three total hours in a full day of work.

“Throughout the picture, nine times out of 10 the drivers are on the set each day,” Saunders says. “We move locations. The drivers are there full-time, and they stay with the truck. They move them around, so it’s easier for the crew.” The drivers are also responsible for packing up and moving the necessary equipment from location to location.