What's the point of this?

No. We run with the same pilots all the way from Texas to Ontario.

 

The back car is exactly where he is supposed to be on the interstate. When I or the front door says I need lane one, I need it now not when the three cars next to him get clear. Once I’m in control of lane one the back door needs to block two to keep an idiot from running into my multi million dollar load.

A few months ago we had two airplane wings running back to back like we always do in Kentucky I believe. We came out of a long construction zone and we’re pulling away from traffic in lane two and the shoulder. There were two broken down trucks on the shoulder with repair trucks so I moved too lane one and my pilot blocked lane two. An suv decided to pass on the right shoulder between the load and the broken down trucks at 90+ miles an hour. We are surrounded by impatient morons.

 

No, pilot car drivers are not required to have a CDL. They do have some sort of certification they have to go through. It is fairly common for Pilot car drivers to be former (or occasionally even current) truck drivers, which I think is a good thing.

 

Not if they worked for bottom of the barrel companies.
Then they have no idea what the job entails.

When I pull the pin in a few years, I'll have time to write my book,
"Escorts from He**"...............
Be sure to look for it in the very scary book aisle. Lol

 

In NY, it's just a written test. You pay $40, pass the test and you're a NYS certified escort. There is also a list of required equipment that you have to carry with you... And you'd best have it all because escorts can get DOT'd right along with the load they're working for. A ratty rusty escort vehicle might possibly get as much scrutiny from a cop as a driver with an older truck.
Different states have possibly higher or lower standards for certification, but I guess an escort can sit in on a seminar and be certified for a whole group of the tougher states.
I'm not familiar with how often these certifications have to be renewed but I'm pretty sure there are more and more states that like the idea of this "money grab"
I was thinking of getting certified here in NY so I could do my own route surveys, but then I retired instead...

 

Rear escort should always be close to the trailer. Front escort needs to have some distance. The rear is there to block, call out trucks, bears and seat covers to the driver.

Escorts are required to carry basic safety equipment, fire putter outer, flags, triangles and they carry commercial insurance just like the drivers.

Some states require additional certifications like New Mexico. It's really just a safety inspection and it expires the same month and year as your commercial insurance does.

Some states, Florida, will often DOT an escort. Almost every scale I came to last time the dot would leave me on the scale and walk straight to my escort. Check his equipment and send us through.

Some escorts do not take it seriously. Poorly maintained vehicles, shotty lights and flags and questionable work ethics. There are many that are more professional than the drivers they escort for. When you get into bigger stuff, you find the good escorts. Front doors, pole cars, steer cars and chase cars. Those guys are worth their weight in printer ink. They also do not suffer fools and will not work with a driver that doesn't have his stuff together.