Pilot Car Rates?

Interested as well. Have a friend running pilot car who is trying to get me to do it with him. He seems to be making better money than I do driving heavy commercial wrecker and lowbed, etc. I've done quite a few local oversized moves, so I've got an idea what it's about.

 

I have been in and around trucking for over 25 years. I also ran a pilot car service for over 10 years. When you're running an oversize load through different states both pilot car and truck driver should know the route the height and the size of each obstacle that your going to come across. It's a team effort. The lead car if you're running pole should at least be a half a mile ahead of the load with a good radio. And you buy the maps from each state that has all the county roads and the height of the bridges. You do not use GPS for any of it that will get you in trouble. Then you should have a good rig. Nothing that has to plug into the cigarette lighter or be magnet on the vehicle. You need to have a good set-up or you don't take your job serious. I ran a pole car for over 8 years and never had a load hit a bridge. But I will tell you this I have seen it both ways. Where the pilot car or the truck driver wasn't worth a ####. I have seen it where the truck driver did not listen to the pilot car or what the pilot car was saying. And I've also seen with a pilot car didn't do his job staying far enough ahead of the truck and radio back the height of the bridges. I am now looking to get out of the trucking side of it and back in the Pilot Car full-time. I have never charge dead head unless the load was over 300 miles away. And day rates are per day. And we did charge one over night if we were over 500 miles from home bass. I hardly ever got return loads. 99% of the time we dead headed back home. I work strictly for companies and not brokers. As a professional you get what you pay for. If you want to get a pilot car that only charges you a dollar a mile then that's up to you but you would be taking a big risk. I believe a car that running High pole should be very experienced around High loads. Not just someone that started yesterday. And being on time when you're meeting your load is 45 minutes to an hour early. You will need time to talk with a driver to see what he wants and to map out your route for the day. May everyone have a Merry Christmas.

 

$1.30 chase, $1.45 pole, $1.90+ for a steer. Overnight $65. All tolls paid.

Before the trip I need to see valid insurance, a good radio/antenna setup, safety equipment, stop signs, perminant mounted lights, good signs and a hand held radio. VHF is a big plus.

And for Jeebus sake do not run channel 19 as your pilot channel.

 

IN Ref;to you guys and please not to be offensive we are a New York based trucking co where most of our work is from N J north into New England ALOT in NY CITY AND BOURGHS AGAIN NO OFFENCE YOU GUYS WORK FOR NOTHING most of our work is strictly by the hour and job QUOTES depending on job WE have a large customer base but only use a broker IF---we have to get out of our area but rairly sine there is enough to cover deadhead..now as for escorts my step dad did demencial for 42 years so there is plenty of experience he in florida now looking to do a little escorting but the rates are terrible we have almost new equiptment but there are alot of ###### in the trucking industry our rates in NY are .85 deadhead and 1.85 per mile over 100 miles plus 200.00 for layover or for local jobs it is 2.50 for the day if we finish in the same day you guys must remember the customer pays the frieght not the broker The old man Kevin's HEAVY TRUCKING AND HEAVY TRUCK REPAIR N Y

 

Once again showing trucker just work for peanuts, for doing most of the hauling.

 

Great reading here! While I love the challenge of a goo OS load I can not stand being a one man show and running them so I am done for now. I was already charging a lot but I see it was still not enough! Sooo much planning, scrutiny from the LEO's, possible situations, stipulations, bla bla bla.

I ever do it again it is ALL I will do.....wait for OS and not move until I get one....and big bucks whether 9' or 12' wide.

I don't ever ever foresee doing anything over height! I ain't winding up on some youtube vid!!!

 

We are a pilot car service in the OK panhandle - G & S Escort Service (580-516-1467). We have a lot of runs from the TX/OK (Kerric) statelines to the CO/OK state lines and we charge a flate rate of $150. We had heard there were a couple of companies charging over $200 and I know a lot of the others are always making snide remarks about us under cutting them, but we try to charge a fair price because of the high permit costs.

 

I run that route often and need a pilot, I've been charged as much as 275 to get across there. Right now I use Corbin's out of Campo but I'll save your number for the future.

 

rockwood said
Passport,T.W.I.C. , Fastcard, Nexus card and 47 years of O.T.R
Oh yes drivers I know what a Truck Driver makes as I did it for many years Oversize and Tankers this is great for retired Truckers ( Because you know what our pensions include ZERO) You stop cheap freight by not hauling it!!!!!

Well put rockwood!! I only have a little over 29 years on the road so I bowe to your experience, however, after reading some of the posts in this thread (sorry to say I just found it), I'm very happy to read what you said. I'm very new to the pilot car business and looking for something to get into in a couple of years when I'm ready to give up hauling gasoline.

No doubt that some whom escort are, shall we say, less than qualified to claim to be professional and NOT fully equipped to handle the responsibility. That said, it is refreshing to read what a a guy like you is equipped to do, as well, knows what he is entitled to charge.

I'm certainly not in your league and I'm anxious to learn what I can from you. I have a long way to go before I can say I'm a professional pilot car operator, so hopefully this thread will give me valuable insite.

Until now, and for the passed several weeks, I've been lucky to get some of my niave questions answered by the heavy haulers in the thread
How do you become a Pilot/Escort vehicle for oversized loads?
Now I have two threads to follow. So I thank you and everyone else who might be willing to indulge me.

 

My response is to Eagleone313 and anyone else who wants to chime in.

1. There's no substitute for experience
2. There seems to be an unwritten rule regarding starting time. I get it! Allow time to review the route and whatever else needs reviewing. So why not move the starting/meeting time back an hour? Or is this vagueness kind of a loose way of giving the hauler some kind of cushion in case he isn't ready? Either way, leaving it up to the pilot to be 45 min. to an hour early seems to be a serious bone of contention for the hauler, and easily fixed by being specific about the starting time.
3. It seems that the "rates" are all over the place. Geographically speaking, motel rates might vary but the cost per mile is the same. So who's working for a buck a mile? Oh! Is that the guy/gal in the flip flops and the crappy old car, who showed up late? Hey I think Eagleone and several others have said it correctly. "You get what you pay for" ..so maybe some companies like buying bridges??? Hey what do I know? I'm just a newbie.