Taylor Swift gives truck drivers R1,9 million EACH!

August 17, 2023

American pop star Taylor Swift has just finished the American leg of her Eras Tour. ttm.nl has reported that she has given each of the truck drivers who worked on the tour a bonus of US$100,000, or just over R1.9 million (R1,904,572.00 at the current exchange rate).

Swift stunned the tour’s trucking staff by giving each driver the extremely generous gift, Michael Scherkenbach, founder and CEO of Denver, Colorado-based trucking company Shomotion told CNN.

Shomotion is one of two transportation companies used by the tour. “My company handles transportation of the stage and structure, pretty much the skeleton that everything hangs on at the concert venue,” said Scherkenbach.

He described the gift as a “life-changing” amount of money, which would enable the truck drivers to buy a home. “These men and women, they live on the road. They sleep during the day and work all night,” he told CNN. “It’s a gruelling task. They leave their families, young children for weeks. For Taylor’s tour, they’ve been away from home for 24 weeks.”

It’s not uncommon for bonuses to be handed out after a tour, according to Scherkenbach. “But then it is about $5,000 or $10,000. These high amounts are unbelievable.”

At the end of the tour, the drivers were called together for what they thought was a normal production meeting. During the meeting, Scott Swift, Taylor’s father, suddenly entered. He said that he had consulted with his daughter and that together they had decided to give everyone a bonus.

Taylor had written a note for everyone, which they received along with a sealed envelope. The amount of the bonus was stated on the envelope. “The drivers didn’t want to be too rude and look at it. But one looked and thought it said $1,000, another driver saw it as $10,000 and then the third said ‘Well this must be a joke!’,” Scherkenbach revealed.

Other crew members have also received a bonus, including the catering and lighting staff. Swift gave away a total of nearly US$55 million (about R1 billion) in bonuses!

We imagine that, in future, truck drivers will be lining up to work for her!