Planning, Preparation Key to Success In Hauling Floors to Final Four Sites
Millions of Americans will watch the NCAA Final Four to see what team will clinch the title, but few people at home or in the arena are aware of the critical role of trucking in making the event happen.
The basketball courts for the men’s and women’s games are trucked to the destinations of the championships.
Doug Andrus Distributing Inc. hauled the men’s and women’s floors this year — its first time hauling the court for the Final Four. Previously, the company’s involvement included transporting floors for the tournament games leading up to the Final Four.
Both of this year’s Final Four courts were assembled by United Services Inc. in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The men will be playing at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona and the women at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Multiple trucks were used because of the size and complexity of the loading, and the weight of the pieces, which are strapped into place to protect against damage. The pieces were stacked on the trucks in a specific order based on how they will be unloaded at the destination, according to Doug Andrus Flatbed Manager Robb La Pier Jr.
“Each pallet is labeled and goes into a specific spot. It’s all mapped out ahead of time. Each one ranges from 1,800 to 2,000 pounds per pallet with about 50 to 100 pallets in total,” he said. “We usually start planning logistics in December or early January with several calls or meetings about the location of the rounds [of the NCAA tournament]. A lot of people don’t understand all the time and effort that goes into planning and transportation.”
The men’s basketball court involves almost 400 separately cut, stained and painted wood pieces. After about eight months of work on the design and painting, the floor is taken by truck to the arena for final assembly.
On March 20, United Services took five hours to load the men’s floor into three dry vans for the nearly 900-mile trip from Idaho Falls to Phoenix. United Services Project Manager Trent Tracy told Transport Topics that the loading was delicate and required a stable weight distribution of the flooring in the trailer.
Fox 59 via YouTubeFor the men, two courts were shipped on three trailers to Arizona: one for the Final Four — which lays out at 140 feet by 70 feet — and another for the Buick Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center — which is 120 feet by 60 feet. The trucks were due to arrive at the convention center March 23 and at University of Phoenix stadium in nearby Glendale on March 24.
The women’s Final Four game court was on two trailers March 22 and expected to arrive in Dallas by March 27.
After working on a design, United Services receives blank wood panels from Connor Sports Flooring in November. Tracy told Transport Topics that the individual pieces are about 4 feet by 8 feet and 2 inches thick. Most NCAA tournament floors, including the women’s Final Four, consist of 15 to 17 panels, but the men’s Final Four court has 20 panels.
“We lay them down, put them together, sand them down, stain them, seal them, paint logos and other artwork and put on a top coating. When we’re done, we break them down for transportation,” Tracy said. “We’ve been preparing for this one ever since May or June.”
While many drivers at Doug Andrus Distributing asked for the longhaul assignment, senior drivers with NCAA tournament experience received the job.
“It’s really cool to be able to see the floors at the truck stops or on television. We are very proud and thankful for this opportunity. I’m definitely going to watch both Final Fours and say, ‘Hey, we hauled that!” La Pier said.
Once the tournament ends, the floors will be trucked back to Idaho, and the winning school is offered an opportunity to purchase the floors at a discount.
