Pilot wanted!!!

Oh boy...can of worms...

I was running blades out to Calumet, OK from Little Rock...gravy, I know. We were routed 440,40,us75 to some road west, then south, then back to 40. We stopped over at the Firelake Casino in Shawnee, OK Saturday afternoon. My rookie (blade rookie, not a "rookie" rookie) jumps out of his truck yelling at his front car

Rookie: Do you have a radio?
Pilot: Yes! (Holds up a handheld CB)
Rookie: No, do you have a CB radio?
Pilot: Yes! (Holds up his handheld again)
Rookie: Thats not a radio. You need to buy a real radio. The steerman and I can't hear you. If you don't have a real radio by Monday, don't bother coming back.
Pilot: Where do I buy a CB radio?
Six: Any truckstop. Or go to WalMart...you can get a Cobra 19 for 40 bucks, and a magnetic mount antenna.

Monday morning, 5 am, Rookie is still looking at the backs of his eyelids. My 2nd truck and I decide to grab some cholesterol. I see Rookie's front car messing with his new GPS. I knock on his door and invite him inside ( good steaks there)

Six: Have you ever driven a truck before?
Pilot: Yes! I used to supervise this operation in...
Six: Have YOU ever driven a truck before?
Pilot:Yes, I used to supervised a trucking company in...
Six: (sigh) Have you ever driven a truck cross country?
Pilot: No.
Six: That narrow 2 lane we were running down yesterday....if Rookie was going around a left hand curve and he had his right steer on the shoulder, where would that trailer be? (BTW, there was a 30 ft overhand)
Pilot: I don't know.
Driver2: in the oncoming lane.
Six: So, what would a driver want to know if he was pulling a blde down a narrow curvy two lane road?
Pilot:.....
Driver2: I would want to know about any and every traffic coming from the other direction.
Six: I would want to know if there was someone checking their mailbox. Do you have a pilot car directory?
Pilot: No. (I gave him one of mine)
Sixo you have a commercial vehicle road atlas?
Pilot: No. They didn't tell me I needed all of this at the pilot car school.
Six: I'm telling you now. Did you read the Oklahoma permit?
Pilot: Yes!
Six: Did you read about the part where there's a curfew in Oklahoma county til 0900?
Pilot: Yes!
Six: Where is Oklahoma county from here
Pilot : I don't know.
Six: I need you to find out.

 

PART. 2.

30 minutes later, this pilot car tells me that the Oklahoma county line is 3 miles from us.

Six: Very good. Do you know the route like the back of your hand? (40, 240w, 44e, 40 w)
Pilot: Yes!

well, we take off. I grab the last spot just in case my rookie gets into a bind, then I can help him. I get to the 240 loop and see Rookie sitting on the right shoulder.

Six: Rookie, you okay over there?
Rookie That idiot missed i the turn!
six: How the hell did he miss the 240 loop? It's a big fork in the middle of the road.
Rookie : He says that he didn't see it.
Six: How the hell do you miss the 240 loop around Okie City?

 

I have been fortunate over the years to have pretty good pilot cars, other than once or twice. At least that I can recall.

 

ComData Pilot Cars - THE ABSOLUTE WORST!

In all seriousness, I use pilot cars on average once a week. Of course I have my regulars that I go direct to but when they are busy sometimes I have to start calling and when I get to ComData I know I'm going to waste a day firing them one by one till one finally shows up that has a kernel of a clue as to what a pilot is supposed to do.

Just Monday I was taking an 18' wide to Dallas, a nice easy 1 day trip and I called a regular broker I use for cars. He sent a couple of guys and the lead pilot had his act together. The rear escort however had to be reminded EVERY SINGLE TIME I came to a ramp or put a turn signal on or after passing something on the shoulder that I COULDN'T SEE BEHIND MYSELF TO CHANGE LANES!!! Half way through the trip and in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma and wanting to get to Dallas before curfew I stopped and without saying a word I put my extended mirrors on with the longest extensions I have, adjusted them so I could at least see a truck length behind me in the lane next to me and took off again.

Now I have a pre-trip huddle checklist I go over with each pilot prior to moving and on pilots I have not used before I go over it every morning of the trip with them. I outlines exactly what I want to know about, what I want called out, what I expect from my pilots and in turn what they expect from me. Some people get it and others forget what was just said as soon as they put the car in gear. They think they're getting paid to just follow the truck down the road to provide blinking lights at the back of the load. I HAVE PLENTY OF LIGHTS, I need eyes!!

I don't use my pilots as personal Taxi cabs, don't view their hotel room as my shower, don't expect them to wrench on things but I do expect them to do what they're hired to do. If I say I'm leaving at 06:13 that doesn't mean show up at 06:14 then get out and fuel, put signs and flags on etc. That means that I'm pushing the parking brake buttons in at 06:12 and the tires on the truck are rolling at 06:13! I will fire a pilot faster than anything for showing up late. If I find them in a bar or find out they have been out drinking at night I will fire them and my biggest pet peeve, FILL YOUR TANKS BEFORE WE GO NOT 50 MILES DOWN THE ROAD. I'll stop whenever necessary for a pilot to go to the bathroom, get gas, etc. but I won't tolerate a pilot who gets on the radio 30 minutes after we're rolling and saying "Oh I forgot to get gas, we need to stop". We'll stop alright but it will be for me to wait on a new pilot to arrive.

I could go on for hours but the problems seem to always be the same, someone thinks they can put a light or two and a sign on their broke down POS car and get paid to follow a truck around. I pay well above average for pilots and expect above average returns.

 

Some pilot cars are better than others. It sounds like you have had some pretty bad experiences. I do like to have a meeting before starting to go over the route and what we need to do. That way, everyone is on the same page.

 

Another thing that will get me ticked is when a pilot is more concerned with his or her dog than the load. I tried to pretrip with one female pilot and she started talking to her dog.

"Nevermind. Go on back home and take Mr Pickles with you."

"What?"

"Youre done. I don't need you. I have another on the way."

Not meaning to be a prick, but it's MY career on the line. I have a job to do and a small window of opportunity to do it in, and it will get done on time.

 

I do not miss those days..
Had a few good ones over the years, but here lately it has been a crap shoot.
Running my little setup now, very seldom do I use them like I used too.

 

How bout asking for 'professional pilot vehicle O/O's'??