Pilot wanted!!!

I have been considering becoming a pilot car operator. I know I am not perfect, but I m pretty sure I would not inspire new horror stories about lousy pilot car drivers. I have not been a pilot car driver before, and know there is a learning curve, but my 20 years OTR experience, mostly flatbed, should help it be a fairly short learning curve for me. My biggest concern isnt whether I could do a good job for my truck driver, but whether I could stay booked enough to feed the kids. Any advice you long time OD drivers could give, besides the obvious, of be on time, with a full tank of gas, with a good radio and a spare one just in case? I would be wanting to be an OTR pilot, so when I picked up a load, I could be with it awhile, not turn round at the state line and leave you to find a new guy.

 

Wow... hmmm.. If I don't find a cdl job pretty soon, I'll go to Dallas and Oklahoma and get a Pilot car license.
Went to a 200 hr school to get the cdl, but down here in Texas, everyone except the companies running cdl schools mostly want at least one yr, preferable 2 years of otr driving. Local jobs are ok, but since insurance companies don't count that as "real otr" won't do me much good anyway.

Those pilot car guys that show up with no gas... I panic when I'm down to 1/4 tank, let along "forget" to gas up! Especially on the bike.
How did they get certified and not know they're supposed to watch out for the driver. Hard enuf to see just when driving a regular 53'er.

Good luck,
Mary

 

Road Apples......!

 

Let' see.... escort can only go 200 miles per tank full....
Doesn't have money for motel so.... pitches a tent next to the load

a pair of college girls, rear one turns off the CB because it interferes with her phone conversations & I-pod tunes
next morning walk the parking lot to see which trucks they crashed (bedded down) in after partying all night

have flat tire but no spare

expired plates on pickup, & no insurance

no drivers license

wires for lights twisted together, overhead signs held on with vice grips

ping ding echo reverb toys on radio

lack of required equipment... not even a paddle sign or reflective vest

"Mule'n drugs for extra income..

Yup all from Com Data....

 

Knowing how to drive a non oversize over weight truck won't help at all. You have to first of all take classes for either your New York or Utah permits . If you don't go to New York . Get the Utah. That will suffice most states except New York. . You have a minimum equipment requirement,and a million liability insurance. You have to know what the trucks needs going down the road, in town or what ever. You get big money but there is no learning curve allowed . If you aren't good at it.. You go home. I along like most won't put up with incompetency. If we have to have a escort we expect them to know what's happening. I had an incompetent idiot going in the back country in West Virginia. Went around a curve and was facing almost head on a coal truck that he didn't warn . I stopped so fast that the load moved forward.. If I was smart. I would have fired him right on the spot. But we were only about 10 miles to the receiver. There are only a hand of good escorts.. And thousands of incompetent fools that think they can do it. Just like running pole car.. If you strike something, blow it off and I hit it.. It's your damaged load. And I will eat up a lot of that million and having to take that load back to get repaired. The point is it isn't as easy as you think it is.. A lot of responsibility, and if you aren't up to par.. You can get all the jobs you want .. But you will be fired after the day ends. If you want to learn get a job hauling oversize.. Like ATS. They start you off small and will work you up to bigger loads

 

As with everyone else, most of my experiences with pilot cars have been bad. I really hate to be negative and both of my posts on this thread were negative. So, I will do a positive post about a pilot I met, Jeff Younker.

Was pulling a load out of Laredo into New Jersey. Left Laredo on Friday. Not tall, just wide. 35, 410,35, to the OSOW route around Austin, back to 35 through the woods around Waco, back on 35 at Hillsboro, 35e,20,635,30 to Texarkana. Stopped in Texarkana for a restart. Sunday morning left out, took the Arkansas route around the construction on 30....120 freakin miles to Prescott! Back on 30 (ever been glad to see the interstate?),440,167,64, the usual Arkansas route. Stopped at the Petro in west Memphis til Monday.

struck out Monday after curfew, stopped at the Petro in Knoxville for the afternoon curfew. 6pm, hammer out and made it up to the Davy Crockett on 81 and stopped for the night. The next afternoon, delivered on 84, right past that scale.

Anyways, I normally cover a lot of miles. When it's time to drive, and as long as the sun allows me to drive, I am going to drive. I've had pilot cars that started to huff and puff because I will continue to drive after a curfew ends. Jeff was always ready to go, and he could keep up with me. Always ready to work and always in a good mood (you know...when you have that load from hell where everything keeps going wrong, and you're in a foul mood for days...it helps to have a good natured pilot car.)

i bought the meals. When I get a good car, I take care of them. When I need a car, Jeff is who I call first to see if he's available.

 

Nice thread! Opened my eyes to things I never even thought about when I see them on the road.

About some specialized fields you don't even know how much you don't know.

 

Thanks for your opinion on the quality of escorts on the road in 2013. Seems like your saying the same thing the NTSB,FHWA and SC&RA said 10 years ago trying to get escorts better trained. Yes we are mostly all certified as escorts now but just like new trucking school graduates, it doesn't mean you can perform the job flawlessly. Just a note on escort brokers. They are not regulated like truck brokers so their standards are to provide you with a "legal" escort and not much thought into experience levels. My only advice to truckers is that once you find a good escort that meets your needs use them as much as you can. The escort business has been flooded with thousands of new escorts ready to tackle any paying job regardless of experience. I read each reply and can say I feel for ya, BUT don't think that as escorts we also haven't seen our share of "truckers" that could use a little training and ethics. Did I ever tell you about the time ........
Good Luck to All of You in Your Travels and Yes I'm In the Book !

 

trucker ethics? Like making the escort be on that load well past dark, curfew, and the list goes on. Or make the escort go off route? Indianapolis in. All oversize goes the loop south. This escort guy was telling me that this trucker wanted to go north with a big boat. Took off the flying bridge on a low overpass going on the north loop, because it was shorter. I bet about 50% of the escorts that I have had were up to par to be able to do the job correctly. I don't want my pole car on my front bumper.. But want my rear escort not tailgating but right up there. I've heard of trucks speeding like 10-15 mph over the speed limit.. Not stopping for the pilot car girl at a gas station to go pee, but making them go all day.. I guess I'm different. Gotta go? Ok let's find a place for you.. Gotta get gas.. Ok.. But I'm not a go and blow think this is a refer load of perishables type of guy. I try to stay on route.. Got lost on freeway in Louisville once.. But were safe trying to get out of it. The load needs to pay good enough that you don't need to get in a rush.. And if it doesn't.. It's not the escorts fault.. But it sure is yours.