Lucky is another word for prepared
Hey, Nikki here.
Keith Heyward always figured you had to know somebody to drive entertainer coaches. He didn’t know anybody.
He did have 30 years of driving trucks and charter buses, plus a charter company he and his wife grew to five buses through the pandemic. In early 2024, he shut it down and started applying cold. About a month into his first tour, he was lead driver on Jordan Davis’s tour.
Why this one matters:
Keith calls himself “probably the luckiest entertainer driver known to man.” I pushed back on that when we recorded.
A camp doesn’t hand someone the star car unless they trust him, and that trust comes from the hang, the prep, and the leadership as much as the driving.
#1 Keep checking in
Keith started applying in January 2024, the slow season, when nobody was hiring drivers. He called one company every week to ask about his application. On one of those calls, he was told to email the decision-maker and explain his background.
That email got him to an orientation and driving test in Nashville. He came a day early and visited every company he’d applied to in person. More than one hired him.
Takeaway: A polite check-in every week keeps you on someone’s list.
Try this: Send a short check-in on one lead that’s gone quiet, with one line on what you bring.
#2 “Good drivers do their homework”
Keith looks at every route a day or two before he drives it. He runs a trucker GPS that flags low bridges, and when he isn’t sure about a clearance, he checks it on Street View. If he’s still not sure, he goes another way. “There’s no guessing at this. Everything is intentional.”
Takeaway: What feels smooth from the back lounge was decided before you got on the bus.
Try this: Before your next show, settle the one thing most likely to surprise you (the dock, the parking, the load-in path).
#3 Roll out the red carpet
For Keith, the star car comes with a little more responsibility. That means a fresh bottle of water and a blue towel waiting in the booth, getting as close as he can at airport pickups, and changing the driving plans for the day at an artist’s request, without a complaint.
His advice for new drivers starts there: you’ll be around people you’ve seen on TV. Be normal. Be a team player.
Takeaway: How you take care of the person in your seat is part of the craft.
Try this: On your next gig, have one small thing ready before the person you support has to ask.
If you want the full conversation, watch Ep #75 of The Giggs Podcast with Keith Heyward.
— Nikki
P.S. One line I loved: “Everybody can be coached. Be willing to be coached.” Keith thought he was already a smooth driver until he learned from the legend, Neville Shende. There’s a different level of smooth that takes practice.
