Pilot Car Rates?

I'm fairly new to the business of being a pilot car driver.
The rates I've been getting (set by my brokers) are $1.35 per loaded mile with a min of $225.00 per day moving or not due to storms or permit issues etc. payable within 72 hrs after delivery. Plus $80 per day motel when loaded. I only get dead head pay when traveling empty to get to the load at $0.65 per mile unless it's under 100 miles then I don't charge.

If it's a full day (at least 7 hrs) but miles are low due to short runs that take long, I get $350.00 a day. Under 7 hrs I get $225.00 for the first 4 hrs and and $35 per hour after until it hits $350.00. I didn't set these rate. It's just what they pay.

 

I don't pay dead head miles..

 

We move quite a bit of OD and we use our own people and pickups for pilot cars. We have a couple of retired drivers who know what they're doing or we'll use a shop guy or even me in a pinch.
We had too many problems with pilot cars who showed up late, couldn't do the job when they got there, or were just plain bad. We had a couple show up drunk.
Better for us to do it ourselves.

 

Like the car I had the other week. Calls me the night before. I tell her where I'm at.. Easy, rest are in WV on I 68 at the Md. line
Easy right.. Nope 7am the next morning no car. Phone rings, Hey where are you at??? I'm same place as I told you last night. Explain again.. almost 40 miles away in Morgantown.. Ok, Shows up finally.
Has her signs mounted with shrink wrap tape front and back.. Hey at least it matched the color of the car.. Her flags were on those flag holders you mount on your car windows.. Magnet light and cb mount magnet also. Plus a passenger.. Nope not a pilot in training.
Gets better. Her light would go off. Yep cig. plug in hookup. Her knee or the person with her would bump it and the light and radio both quits...
I give her a copy of the permits and still almost miss turns.
Oh no map either.. Been doing this for 6 years she says.. Nope not again with me. Thank goodness I had an easy ld for size...

 

6 years and still can't do a decent job. That's the part that irks me. She's acting like she's on holiday, YET she expects to be paid. And has the gall to tell you how long she's been on holiday.

 

I know a couple of local guys that are retired oversize truck drivers that we use from time to time. There have been instances where they teach me a thing or two on a move. I more or less do exactly as they tell me and they never steer me wrong.

Other than that, we do or own escorts. We only run semi-local so that helps in always using the same people. It would be real hard for me to trust somebody out of the blue.

 

Who do you use for broker? I'm new to the pilot car business after doing hot shot.

 

I am interested in becoming a pilot car driver. Going to start first of year and looking possible ways to land some jobs how can I get started when ready

 

How can I keep in touch?