Pilot Car Rates?

I'm not sure rates per mile but we had a bunch on a move a few weeks ago that was billing 350/day

 

The last ones I had last summer were in Texas and charged $1.30 per mile each way.

 

Thats funny. They charge more per mile than alot of companys and o/os do.

 

I use them quite frequently Ron. Rates vary I can usually get chase cars for 1.35 a mile and pole cars for 1.45 a mile. On the west coast I've had to pay as much as 1.70 a mile just for a chase one thing though when you are negotiating be sure and stand firm on not paying any deadhead except for what it takes for them to get to you I absolutely refuse to pay them to go home especially when I kno that some of them have got loads lined up to go home.

 

That's actually cheap..... the pilot car assumes some insured risk in the event of a low clearance accident / other issue that's your responsibility. Your policy will be sued by the load owner / carrier if something happens that's your responsibility.

I took a look at this as something to do in planned retirement. The liability is tough and the risk is high. I didn't get to the part if you can bill the motels, food and fsc to the carrier or if you're covered under DOT. ( I think you are )

Startup is relitively low. Not including the pick up / whatever then you need about a couple of grand worth of stuff to outfit yourself plus the school.

Problem is, like small parking lots, dump trucks etc. the market is saturated and that drives prices down. I'm going to look at it again when I get closer to ret.

I'll be interested if anyone knows more about it.....

 

So the trucker pays? And I ddin't see that as enough per mile based on the liability quotes I was getting......What about DOT? FSC ? Do you pay their motels?

 

I pay their rate per mile plus deadhead to get to me plus an overnight charge usually not more than 70 dollars a car never usually any fsc and sometimes just a day rate if it's just a short move but not more than 400 a day. The one that really pisses me of is I get charged 225 to cross the 39 mile panhandle of OK after I've already paid 6 to 800 for a permit that's why I usually just say to he'll with Oklahoma nod go around if I can.

 

If a 1.45 a mile isn't enough then your not going to get much work. If a company takes a load for 5 dollars a mile which is cheap for OSOW the fuel costs are around 1 to 1.50 a mile and then you have drivers wage between 60 and 80cents a mile plus permits which average over a dollar a mile then if you want over 2 dollars a mile there isn't enough left to justify the move I generally try to get between 12 and 15 dollars a mile but I still won't pay deadhead home and not over 1.70 a mile for a pole car. BTW I've had pole cars not tell me about overhead obstructions and let me run into them and their insurance wasn't even worth the paper it was written on so if your going to rune a pole get decent coverage because that bridge is your responsibility.

 

I've always wondered about this how much does it cost if you hit a bridge?
what kind of damage was done?