Pilot Car Resources

It all makes sense to me. Here in New England there just seems to be so many junky little cars with junky light bars and whatever else, and sloppy looking operators that I just shake my head. Of coarse, what I see mostly are shanty shakers and NOT super loads.

I had a chance to talk with a little gal yesterday. She was escorting cement structures.. She was driving a late model VW diesel and her name was Debbie. So Debbie... if you're reading this I want you to know that you made a very nice impression on me and I'll always rember the things you told me.

Debbie was pretty picky about the loads she escorted as far as distance from her home and she explained that she tried to keep dead head miles to a minimum. She slso explained that fuel mileage was very important to her and that she took standard mileage deductions. Several days before that I spoke with 2 guys using full size Chevy pickups and they did have a bigger presence for sure. I complimented both of them on looking good. They claimed that all fuel was deductible. I just shook my head in agreement but I wonder: Is all fuel deductible? So, if it is then, why not go for the bigger vehicle? If it isn't, then I'd have to say that Debbie won the debate.

So which is it?

 

Great answer!

 

So something that puzzles me is "calling" on-coming vehicles. As I understand It the lead car should be about 1/4 mile or more ahead of the truck. But what I don't understand is, why time after time I see the lead car barely ahead of the truck and calling cars that the truck can clearly see. Roadside hazards I definitely understand but, cars/trucks in clear view makes no sense to me. Can someone please tell me why they do this?

 

Nice post. Good stuff!

 

Good points and kind of what I figured but nice to hear from someone with experience.

As much as I'd rather dive a pickup, I'm too tall to get a good night sleep in one.

Thanks

 

Those drivers and pilot cars that run right together on two lanes are morons. At that point the truck might as well strap a light bar to their grill, it would be about as effective as a pilot car on their front bumper.

We are usually working on VHF radio (if on CB I’m never on 19 with a pilot) so a lot of times we won’t know about another load until we see their pilot. That makes it hard to work with the other truck in finding a good spot to pull over.

Some states want pilots a certain distance from the truck, I tend to ignore that permit requirement. On two lanes I want my front car about a quarter to half mile ahead of me. Even further if I’m over 16’ wide or the road is very narrow or curvy, that way to can try to get oncoming traffic into the best wide spot available.

As far as calling traffic back, on relatively straight roads with good shoulders, I only want emergency vehicles or other oversize loads. On curvy roads I tend to want to know about all traffic and anything closer then 6k’ on the right shoulder (mail boxes, cat tails, phone poles, ect) that way I can try to time weaving in and out of the obstacles.

Some drivers may want more, I tend to want less then most, to much unneeded info gives me a headache by the end of the day. Thankfully I work with a few pilot cars regularly and we work well with each other, I don’t know how guys work with a new car every load.

 

Thank you. You explained that very nicely and I got alot out of it.

 

You mention VHF radios. Are they the Boafang

 

That is one of the cheap knockoff brands. We mainly run Kenwoods.

 

Those are great radios. Thank you!