Becoming pilot driver (wife)

He doesn’t carry it far. Truck runs low, we grab a lace to park. He runs to fuel the slip, comes back and he empties it into the truck. He gets additional payment everytime he does this. He might make an additional $200 per run. It’s pretty common in wind. There are very few places we can bring the truck into to fuel. Because of the weight in the trailer neck, dropping is difficult and more and more customers are writing it into our contracts we can’t drop a loaded trailer.

 

Thanks for explaining that. And those windmill hauls sure are long. I never even thought about the problems you guys would have getting into some of the smaller fuel stops.

 

My main pilots run f250 pickups with a 100 gallon tank plumbed directly into their main tank. Not having to stop for pilot fuel during the day is nice. We can take our breaks at places we already have to stop, is scales with big parking areas.

 

Thank you! Maybe I need to consider a larger auxiliary tank? It just makes sense to be able to run all day without stopping for fuel. Are you running diesel or gasoline on the f250s?

 

One other thing. Are your 250s 2 or 4 wheel drive?

 

@2old ...You might add a bunch of air line quick splices to your spare part list. They're hard to find sometimes and a few on hand can save your whole day.

 

Good idea... Airlines and fittings are a nightmare and a few brass ferrules and standard fittings as well some quick splices would be good to add. Thanks!

 

Here's the thing. I don't claim to know it all and I don't tend to argue with anyone but ... I'm old school. I don't stand around (sit around) when something needs tending. If I can help, I'm gonna offer assistance. I've been in trucking since 1973 and I've seen alot. So it just makes sense to me to try to be prepared to assist and to carry a few things that are a common cause to breakdown. NO.. I don't intend to be a rolling truck parts store but through the years, I've gotten myself out of many breakdowns buy just carring a basic tool set and a few incidentals. It kept me from sitting and waiting for roadside assistance or a wrecker many times. I have been fortunate enough to work for the largest oil company in the world and I hoisted my tool bag in and out of the truck every day. And they don't even know how many times I got myself out of trouble. It's just a matter of personal pride and the old Boy Scout motto .. "Be Prepared"

So I have a lot to learn and I learn fast. I figure, once I get with the right outfit that they will see that 2old is a good guy to have around.

 

I’m not Sure if it’s been mentioned or not, but the most important spares to have are the ones for your pilot car. A spare serpentine belt, alternator, Coolant hoses, and maybe even a water pump. We fixed mini a pilot car in a truckstop parking lot, or at the hotels. I remember one time a pilot car tossed a serpentine belt about 10 miles before pulling into the scale of Tennessee. By the time I had shown my permit to the scalemaster he had already replace the belt and we are ready to go. Now that’s service..

A mix of both, although I believe most of them are 2 Wheel drive. For a while the guy that runs the pilot car company was buying every clean 99 to 2002 F250 four-door with the 7.3 powerstroke he could find. They are just dead nuts reliable, one of his main trucks has over 700,000 miles on the original engine.

 

Great post thank you!