Pilots and Wrong way turns

I had a pilot car driver (female) quit on me in the middle of a job once. On Hwy 1 just north of Ragged Point on the way to Big Sur area. Said she was scared. I had to turn the PU around for her. Went the next 20 miles with the 8 by myself. Road was closed but I was still charging for the pilot til she quit on me! However, when I got home, there she was and she said as we were having dinner.......... " I will never pilot you again up there" lol

 

LOL good wife/gf/friend. So far nothing scares me. However, I won't say never. The Jeep and I have been some places that we shouldn't have been, but it was a lot of fun! Life is suppose to be an adventure.

 

It is indeed.

 

You just gotta put the doors back on the Jeep and get a good external speaker for your radio.

 

Where is the fun in that? Nothing better than being topless and doorless.

 

I guess that depends on what time of year it is. It's too cold to run around topless in most of the country right now.

 

I had one (female) quit as my front car after she missed a turn. She had tried to do her homework and entered the route on her laptop. But it was one of those Texas turns around some town where your hwy loops around the town. I wasn't mad, just told her that she went the wrong way, and to get turned around. She had a meltdown and started yelling and quit.

I had a driver had a steer that quit him after he had a hydraulic line break on the steering mechanism mid turn. She quit, my driver didn't know what to do. We took the hydraulic line off one of the other trailers and put it one and steered him into the truckstop. (Guys, whenever I say to you that the only person that can help you is another driver that's already been there, I say that for a reason. Only that driver that's been there will know the quickest fix. Bad things are going to happen.)

Now, I love dogs. I do. I like dogs better than I do people. But I do not like dogs in pilot car vehicles. Had one dog get out and run away, while my steer was trying to walk me around a tight turn. Every time he got out of the truck, he had to chase his dog. Had one that had 3 dogs in a truck, and one dog sick, and the air conditioning didn't work in south Texas one summer. Had one, when I tried to talk to her, she would hold her dog up and do a ventriloquist act with the dog.
I don't mean to be insensitive, but I have a job to do and I will be insensitive.

Now, I have seen a couple women pilots that were actually nice looking. Man, watch the bootysniffers and horndogs come out of the woods. Geez, is it the hi vis vest? Never seen a woman under 140lbs before? They do exist. Then again, there are so many horndogs and bootysniffers in this industry that even the 240lb behemoths think you're trying to dry hump. Drivers, do yourselves a favor, no horn dogging and no bootysniffing the pilot cars. I've only seen bad things happen. Many of them have been bootysniffed so much that they believe that everyone wants them. You will have some 275 lb buffarilla legend in her own mind calling your company because you won't let her run the show.<<<-----And I'm talking about the steer that had a meltdown when the hydraulic line blew one one of my trucks. Had to laugh at my driver. Told him to keep his crew drama free.

 

True. I'm in Florida so most of the year is good. Tomorrow will be our coldest day so far this year. Looking forward to it!

 

I know I shouldn't be laughing, but OH MY! Maybe I should just write a book on the experiences y'all are having. That is too funny. I have dogs, but they are not riding shotgun with me. I have a job to do. Again, too many variables. Professionalism seems to be something that is going by the waste side these days. In the past ten-fifteen years I have noticed a shift in truck drivers. They seem to be more professional and less "horndogs." Dressed neatly, clean, beard well maintained and so on. (I drive a lot and always get gas at the truck stops. So I've noticed.) Now with that being said, back in the day I know not all of them were that way, but that was the reputation. Things have come a long way.
I agree bad things are going to happen on the road. You have to be prepared. Now I am not a diesel mechanic so I am not going to be much help, but I am there for you and your loads safety. Which means no one goes home until the job is done. Now I am sure there are pilot companies out there that would disagree with my views. That's fine, but I won't work for them either. If I did this I know drivers would learn very quickly I don't play games and don't have time for BS. In other words, Don't sniff someone else's booty till you get to know them. I would have to start my own company. That way I know things would be consistent and professional. Thanks for the laugh @TripleSix Happy Friday!

 

That's why I like running my 8 axle setup. Very seldom do I need pilot car drivers any more. When I did wind towers and then running my 13 setup. I had to use them. For the most part I had good help. I dealt with one car for 2 days trying to deal with her. I'm grossing 250k. I told her this is a slow trk. In Ky and Tn on the hills I'm running like 10 mph. I can't see her can't her on the radio. My phone rings. Where are you she asks, me I'm at mp such and such. She was 10 in front of me. I'm like you have a rear view mirror use it.
Then in Nc she blows a turn we all had talked about and showed on the map
I'm waiting waiting. She calls she is almost 20 miles away. I got lost,she said. Well I got parked. She’s crying, I never yelled at her. Told her she was done. Seems her and her husband had been running blade b*#! €es. Run 70 mph up and down the hills. Couldn't understand why I couldn't, then even though I told her this trl . can't back up. She kept telling the other trls can and they steer
Man I don't miss those days