Put your crew movement on one clear plan.

Start with who, where, what and when

A production transport plan starts with a simple question: who needs to be where, with what, and at what time? A passenger van can help organise crew movements, but the right request depends on the working schedule, the passenger list and the equipment travelling with them. CHS Fleet Rentals lists production experience on its production rentals page . Use this checklist to prepare the details your team needs to discuss before selecting a vehicle.

1. Turn the production schedule into a movement list

Start with the schedule your team is actually using. Pull out the movements that need a vehicle, rather than sending a full production schedule and expecting someone else to interpret it. Each movement should have a starting point, destination, passenger count and timing requirement.

Separate the time passengers must arrive from the time they should leave. A location call, a hotel departure and a vehicle collection appointment are different events. Mark which times are firm and which are still estimates so the rental discussion does not treat a tentative plan as a confirmed requirement.

• Production name and transport coordinator.
• Dates when the vehicle is needed.
• Pickup and return arrangements to discuss.
• Origin and destination for each planned movement.
• Required arrival time and proposed departure time.
• Passenger count and accompanying items for that movement.
• Open questions that could change the vehicle request.

Record whether a movement is a single transfer or a series of trips. If you expect repeated runs, show which groups board each run and when the vehicle is needed for the next assignment. Avoid building two simultaneous jobs into one vehicle’s schedule. Where timing is uncertain, identify the conflict for your coordinator to resolve.

Label the schedule with a version number or updated date. When the call sheet changes, your transport coordinator can identify which version everyone should follow.

2. Build a crew manifest for each movement

A total headcount for the production is useful background, but it does not tell you how many people will travel together. Build a manifest for each planned departure. Group people by destination and timing, and account for anyone joining later, leaving earlier or travelling independently.

Keep the working manifest practical: names, assigned movement and the contact information your coordinator needs. Share only the details needed for the rental request. Your internal crew list can stay separate from the summary you send to the rental team.

Check the busiest departure

The vehicle request should account for the largest confirmed group travelling at one time. Do not assume an empty seat on the morning trip solves an extra passenger on the evening trip. Review every departure, including wrap, when several departments may finish together.

If the passenger list is incomplete, state a confirmed count and identify the unresolved additions. Ask the team to review the resulting requirement when those additions become known.

3. Count people and equipment separately

Passenger capacity and equipment space answer different questions. A listed passenger count does not establish how much luggage, wardrobe, personal gear or production equipment will fit with that group. Prepare two lists: one for people and one for everything travelling in the same vehicle.

For the equipment list, describe the items in ordinary, specific terms. Include the number of cases or bags, approximate dimensions where useful, and anything unusually long or bulky. “Crew gear” is less helpful than a list someone can review against a proposed configuration.

• Personal bags for passengers.
• Suitcases for accommodation or travel-day movements.
• Wardrobe bags or boxed clothing.
• Camera, sound, lighting or other equipment cases.
• Supplies added during the working day.
• Items that need to travel separately from the passenger group.

Ask the rental team to confirm the actual seating and cargo arrangement. If the combined load does not match the available configuration, revise the transport plan before assigning people and equipment to that vehicle.

4. Discuss the vehicle using the actual load

Review the CHS fleet after you have a movement list and load summary. Featured options include a Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit vans in black and white, with featured passenger capacity up to 15. The listing is a starting point for a conversation; confirm the specific vehicle, configuration, cargo space and availability with the team.

If appearance matters for your production, include that requirement explicitly. For example, a request for the black Ford Transit should identify whether the colour is essential or simply preferred. That helps the team understand which parts of the request can change.

Use the passenger-van selection guide to organise your comparison, then bring the production-specific questions: the largest passenger group, the accompanying equipment and the changes expected across the rental period.

5. Confirm collection and working geography

CHS Fleet Rentals lists Charleston, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Charlotte as markets. Confirm the collection location directly for your request. The published North Charleston pickup address does not establish a collection point at a production base or a separate branch in each service market.

For work around Charleston, review the Charleston rental information and confirm the exact collection details. For a Wilmington production, use the Wilmington information as context, then ask how the requested rental would be arranged. Discuss any driver or delivery arrangement directly with the team.

Keep vehicle collection separate from the first crew movement in your schedule. Identify who will collect the vehicle, who will receive the handover and how it reaches the first departure point. Send actual addresses for discussion rather than relying on location nicknames used within the production.

6. Plan for changes between production days

A transport plan can look different from one day to the next. Create a short daily summary when passenger counts, destinations or equipment loads change. Highlight the differences so the team does not have to compare several long documents to find them.

At the end of each production day, compare the next day’s plan with the current vehicle assignment. Check whether overnight luggage, newly arrived crew or equipment collected during the day changes the load. Note where the vehicle needs to be the following morning and who is responsible for getting it there under the confirmed arrangements.

Choose one person to communicate rental changes. Department leads can send that person their updates, while the rental team receives one coordinated request. Record what was requested, what was confirmed and what still needs an answer.

7. Prepare the handover and return checklist

Before collection, make sure the person receiving the vehicle has the confirmed arrangements and the rental team’s contact details. They should know which vehicle is expected, the agreed collection time and any questions still awaiting confirmation. Keep that information accessible to whoever handles the return.

At the start of the rental

• Match the vehicle received to the confirmed request.
• Review seating and space against the planned passenger and item lists.
• Complete the team’s handover process and keep the paperwork together.
• Confirm whom to contact about a vehicle question or schedule change.

For a vehicle passing from one crew group to another, identify the transfer time and meeting point. Confirm who has the current manifest and who will report any changed arrangements. Clear responsibility matters when the people using the vehicle differ from those who arranged the rental.

Before returning the vehicle

• Reconfirm the return location and timing.
• Assign one person to check seats and storage areas for crew belongings.
• Account for equipment and supplies before leaving the vehicle.
• Keep the return record with the production’s rental paperwork.

If responsibility passes between coordinators, hand over the latest schedule, confirmed arrangements, open questions and contact details. A clear transfer prevents the incoming coordinator from having to reconstruct the plan.

8. Make billing details part of the request

Identify the person who approves the rental and the person who handles the paperwork. Confirm the production or company name, billing contact and any purchase-order or reference information your own team requires. Ask the rental team to explain the proposed pricing and terms for the actual dates and arrangements.

Keep requested changes linked to the original rental discussion. If dates or arrangements change, ask for the corresponding pricing details before circulating an updated cost internally. Give your accounts contact the final confirmed paperwork and a short note explaining any approved changes.

Prepare a request the team can review

Bring together the rental dates, movement schedule, busiest passenger count, equipment list, preferred vehicle, collection questions and billing contact. Add a short list of unresolved details. This gives the rental team a concrete starting point and makes follow-up questions easier to answer.

Use the rental request preview to prepare your details. This design-review website does not send an enquiry or reserve a vehicle. To discuss your production and confirm configuration, cargo space, any driver or delivery arrangement, pricing and availability, call CHS Fleet Rentals at 803.566.2499 .