Actually, if  you’ve already done all that, you are putting the cart before the horse!  I mean to say that there are other things you need to consider before all the expense of equipping your vehicle.  After you read this, you may not want to get into this business.

This is NOT an easy life!  First of all, if you are the homebody type, you really need to think seriously about the pilot car industry.  There are some people who can stay at home and take short day runs or maybe one or two day runs, and make a decent living.  In my experience, those folks are in the minority.  On the other hand, if you like to travel, this might just be your special place.  Just don’t get the idea that this is a way to pay for a vacation.  If you want to earn a living, you must stay busy-always lining up a follow on load and then rushing to get there in time for the load to move.

If you want to make a good living, you’re gonna have to live like a truck driver-only without the sleeper.  Do the math:  let’s assume that your rate is $1.50 per mile.  Your actual out of pocket expenses (not counting vehicle payment, insurance, payment to yourself, etc.) is going to be about 40% of what you get paid.  In round numbers, that leaves you about $0.90/per mile in gross profit (that’s what you have left BEFORE you start paying your other expenses.  You’re gonna have to pay all those hidden expenses out of what is left.  That figure varies by person, based upon their credit rating, where they live, and lots of other variables.  You can figure that your cost per mile, counting all related expenses, to be in the range of $0.80-$0.90 per mile, leaving you with about $0.60 per mile as net profit.  So, you’ve got to decide how much net profit you want to make over a one year period.  If you want to earn $60,000 in net profit, then you are going to have to drive about 100 thousand miles a year.  That’s about what long haul truck drivers put in each year.  The point is that if you have a family at home that needs you nearby, this is not the business for you. 

If you are the kind of person who needs 8 hours of sleep, this is not the business for you.  Here’s why:  In most states, oversize loads can move from a half hour before sunrise to a half hour after sunset.  In the summertime, that means the load can be moving for 15 hours per day.  If you have breakfast before the load and dinner afterwards, you only have about 7 hours of the day left and you haven’t even gotten to your motel room.  What happens if you travel all day and then get to an area where you have to move at night…the SAME night?  The winter hours are shorter, of course.

If you need to go “potty” every hour, or stop to get a fresh drink and a snack every couple of hours, this isn’t the life for you.  It is not uncommon for the load to stop only for refueling during the day.  Many drivers will consider your needs, but you cannot plan on it.  What’s more, if the load has to stop often, you will get a bad reputation and no one will want to hire you to escort their loads.  Most drivers are like us, they make their money by putting on the miles.  Every time that load has to stop, it is the equivalent of cutting about 45 minutes out of the day (about 45 miles), according to some truck drivers.

If you are a timid or courteous driver, or sensitive to other four wheel drivers cursing you or flashing one fingered signals at you, you should reconsider getting into this business.  That was the hardest thing for me to change about myself.  When I got started in this business, when my driver said he needed the left lane, I would wait until there was a gap in traffic.  Sometimes the driver couldn’t wait for that, so I had to learn to be an assertive driver and claim that left lane almost immediately.  If the load needs to weave through railroad crossarms, or traffic signals, sometimes the escort must put themselves into the oncoming traffic to provide a safe avenue for the load.  It is a frightening and dangerous experience and very stressful.  So, you need to consider all of these things before you choose to enter this career field.

Now, let’s talk about training.  I know some people who just flagged up and went forth and escorted and did a fine job.  They have been successful in this business for years.  Those people are the exception, not the rule.  I’ve never asked them, but I would venture to say that they would not advise doing what they did.  Your best bet is to find someone near you who already has been in this business several years and is willing to let you ride with them.  I have trained a couple of people, and I required them to travel about 1000 PAID miles with me.  For the first several hundred miles, they sat in the right seat and observed and listened.  When I felt they had the general concepts in mind, I put them in the driver’s seat and I observed and made recommendations and suggestions.  All of this training only qualified them to lead or chase a “normal” oversized load.  It did not qualify them to operate with a high pole, perform route surveys, or escort “superloads”.  Those things require many many more miles before I would recommend a new person take on one of those loads.  Just how long varies from person to person.  There are some people who never will qualify for anything more than lead/chase for the smaller oversize loads.  I know others who have been capable of running high pole, superloads, and route surveys after only about three months on the road.  Even truck drivers who want to get into this business need to have at least SOME training.  They do have the advantage of having that “road sense” that is so important in this business, but it is an entirely different thing to “intimidate” other four wheelers with a big truck or another four wheeler with lights and flags.  When I trained other people, we shared motel rooms and they paid for their own meals.  It varies from person to person, but I don’t personally know of anyone who has paid a trainee during this time.

If you plan to take long haul oversize loads, you will need to get some certifications.  There is a growing trend among the states to require “best practices guidelines” certification training.  Generally, that entails taking an 8 hour classroom course.  This is not something you can do online.  You actually must physically go to the classes.  Currently the states that require that certification are Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Florida, and Washington.  At present, only one state-Utah-has traveling classes.  You can check uspilotcar.com to see where they will be and when.  Costs of these classes vary.

Other states require certifications in their states.  For example, New York state has a certification that is good ONLY in that state and they will not accept other state’s certifications.  In that case, you must go to the state of New York physically to take the test.  The only other state that does that is Virginia.  They do accept out of state certifications, but if you live in Virginia, you will need to take their test in person.  A couple of years ago, the VA certification was the “standard” and you could have a local official (teacher, librarian, police chief) administer their test, but it’s not that way anymore.  Kansas requires superload certification.  If you have a CDL it is no problem.  Even if you don’t have a CDL, it is simple to do.  All  you have to do is take the Defensive Driving Course from the National Safety Council and send them proof.  You can take the course online and then fax your certificate to Kansas DOT.  Generally they will fax your superload certification back to you within hours.

New Mexico and Louisiana have so-called certification programs, but they really are vehicle inspection programs.  Nevada and Georgia require amber light permits before you can legally operate amber lights, strobes,  light bars and etc. in those states.  They are inexpensive-maybe $5.00 each.  Nevada just recently has begun allowing you to get your permits online.  As far as I know, you still have to use snail mail for Georgia.

In summary, the REALLY hard part is deciding if you can live up to the lifestyle that this career requires, and then you need to get some training!  Certifications also are an important component of your preparations for this business.

Our load was 27 feet wide.  That means that on a typical two lane road, the load hung over each shoulder.  We ran with four escorts-two up front and two in the back.  The lead escort was out forward about 1/2 mile, while I ran about 200 yards directly in front of the load.  The other two escorts trailed the load, holding off traffic when we were approaching narrow sections, skinny bridges and the like, and advising the driver when traffic got too backed up.

Being the second front escort in a situation like this is VERY stressful.  As vehicles would approach, I weaved into the oncoming lane of traffic to get their attention and then moved back into our lane of travel.  As the vehicles got closer, I waved a bright orange flag out the driver’s door window and waved them to the shoulder.  Some of the bridges we crossed were so tight that there couldn’t have been more than one foot on either side of the load.  In those cases, I raced ahead and then pulled completely into the oncoming lane of traffic and stopped traffic or attempted to do so.

Occasionally, vehicles would go around me but very quickly came to a stop once they saw the load.  In one case, I could see that the woman driver was going to try to go around me, so I inched forward and forced her to stop.  Let’s just say she was QUITE demonstrative in her unhappiness with me, until her daughter pointed out that our load covered the entire bridge.  As I passed her, she was smiling at me and saying “thank you”.

We had one incident in which a little blue haired lady was on her cell phone as she passed me.  She actually drove UNDER the load.  I am not sure she ever saw it.  If her car had been just four inches higher, it would have become and instant convertible.

Then, there are the folks who absolutely hate escorts and oversize loads.  One guy flipped off every escort and the truck driver.  Several miles down the road, we were stopped by a highway patrol officer who said they had reports that our load was travelling without escorts or a permit.  It actually helped us because he provided us with police escort the last 30 miles of the trip and arranged for city/county escort through a couple of small towns along the way.

Tomorrow, we have to drive about 50 miles back to where we left it, and then we take it up into the high mountains southwest of Denver.  That area got some snow today, but according to the radar, it didn’t last long.  Colorado will not let OD loads move if they impose the chain law for trucks.  Hopefully it has not been imposed for the area where we are going.  We should be able to drop tomorrow (Monday).

Incidentally, I hope to have my site repaired soon.  Another family member also is highly talented in software and web hosting.  I am hoping he will be able to resolve these issues so that you and I can have full use of this site.

I picked up a load heading back near my home…supposed to leave today, but didn’t.  Sooo, I got to stay two additional nights here.

I sat all day in the yard with my driver waiting to get him loaded.  The latest word we have is that he will be loaded by about midday on Wednesday.  Then we will head to the OK/CO state line on US 287.

Oh, there ARE people who slap on a Wal Mart winky light, handwrite a sign and duct tape it to the door, and use a $39 CB radio and POOF! they are in business.  Those folks might make what they think is good money for a little while, but ultimately they wither on the vine.

I am not saying that you need tens of thousands of dollars to break into this business.  However, there ARE some basic expenses that you should plan to meet if you are serious about being in business for yourself.

Let’s assume that you have a serviceable vehicle that you can use for your business.  Whether it is a car, van, or pickup truck, you will have to spend at least $1000 to make it ready.  You will need at least one reliable amber colored light.  That is going to cost you about $150 for just one.  You might get good service from that Wal Mart winky light for a couple of weeks, but not much more than that.  You really should plan on having at least TWO lights.  Only a few states allow one light;  most require two rotating or strobe lights.  Some states, such as New York, require 47 inch light bars.  Those will cost you between $250 at $2100, depending on how fancy you want to be.  Generally, you can find light bars on sale on eBay, or at local government auctions when police departments swap out their older light bars for new styles.

Incidentally, one hidden cost in using lights is the demand on the alternator and/or the battery of your vehicle.  You should be prepared to replace your alternator more often than normal, or to install a heavy duty alternator.  Many folks simply carry a spare alternator with them.

You are going to need at least a good CB radio.  That $39 dollar radio might work well if you plan just to chase loads.  Their limited power output limits the distance you can be from the load, and THAT becomes a problem if you get too far out front of the load.  You’ll just have to experiment with it.  I have found serviceable radios at pawn shops, and sometimes at  yard sales.  I have bought radios through eBay, and through retailers.  Generally, you will spend around $130 for a new brand name CB radio…more if you want more features.  For example, my backup radio has the weather channels, along with a switch that allows me to jump from CH 19 to CH 9 to whatever channel I have dialed in.  Having the weather channels available allows you to keep up with what is going on around you or along your route of travel.  The channel switch is useful if you are on a load where the driver wants to be on something other than the standard road channel 19.  If you are on two lane roads out front, and on another channel, being able to switch to CH 19 with a quick flip of the channel allows you to warn oncoming big trucks about your load and then quickly go back to your escort channel.

You will need AT LEAST two OVERSIZE LOAD signs.  First, let’s talk about front and rear bumper signs.  Many people use the flexible, foldable signs that you can purchase at truck stops.  Here is a piece of advice:  stay away from the plastic signs!  They tend to sag and stretch, especially during hot weather.  I actually have seen signs droop enough to fall under the front wheels and get ripped from the vehicle.  Sometimes, the vehicle is damaged, depending upon how the signs were mounted.  It has been so long since I have used those, but I am thinking the price runs around $20.  If  you use metal or wood signs, plan to spend about $100, give or take a few dollars.  In addition,  you are going to need to figure out how to mount those signs.  Keep these factors in mind:  you want to keep open the opening to your grill and radiator; you want to leave your license plate visible; and you want to ensure that you do not cover your lights, including front headlights and turn signals, as well as brake lights and turn signals.

If  you operate in states that require overhead signs, don’t even THINK about using flexible signs.  I have seen some people attempt it, and it never seems to work.  Sooo…you are going to need to plan on some sort of mounting system.  If you have a pickup truck, you can purchase or build a “headache rack” on which to mount your signs.  If you drive a van or car, obviously you will need to find a mounting sytem on line or have someone build you one.  Either way, you are probably going to spend something in the range of $150 for the mounting system alone, plus the cost of the sign (again…about $100).  Most states which require overhead signs will not allow expanded metal signs out of concern that sunlight shining through them make the OVERSIZE LOAD invisible.  They will allow louvered signs, providing the louvers overlap enough that the sun cannot shine through to the other side.  Solid signs, even when angled, will cost you about 3 MPG when you use it.  Expanded metal signs drop your fuel economy about the same amount.  Louvered signs only drop it between 1 to 1.5 MPG.  That is a HUGE difference the more miles you drive.  Louvered signs will cost you about $300, if you can find them.

Then, there are the “little” things that you’ve got to have.  You will need at least three 18 inch high orange traffic cones.  You can get those at the Home Depot or Lowe’s, or online for about $16 to $18 apiece.  Truck stops have those cones, but most of the ones I have seen are 16 inches, not 18 inches.  You can purchase collapsible cones for about $120 per set.  I have written about those on this site before.

You will need at least two sets of traffic triangles.  Usually, they come three to a set.  They are available at Wal Mart, truck stops, and online for about $15 each.  Some states require three sets.  You will need a first aid kit.  In most states, even the most basic first aid kit is acceptable.  If you really want to be useful at an accident scene, you will want a more extensive kit.  The basic kits are available for around $6-7.  More useful kits will cost more than $20, or more than $100.  In addition, you will need at least ten pounds of fire extinguishers.  Most states will allow two five-pound fire extinguishers.  You can find them online, at hardware stores, truck stops, and safety equipment stores.  Plan on spending about $20 apiece for those.  (Speaking from personal experience, ten pounds of fire extinguishers don’t go very far on a fire…just a word of caution!)

Once you’ve got all of that together, you will need to get the right kind of insurance for your vehicle.  Above all, BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE COMMERCIAL LIABILITY INSURANCE.  If you plan to operate only in your own state, you might be able to get along with basic liability coverage.  However, most states require a higher coverage.  Some states require up to $1 million commercial liability, and a few others require $1 million GENERAL LIABILTY insurance as well.  Those can cost you between $1600 to $2500 per year, depending upon a lot of factors.

Now…you’ve got to think about operating funds.  There are those people new to this business, and a few “seasoned” operators, who operate solely on payment at the end of the run basis.  In my experience, those are rare indeed.  Realistically, you should plan on waiting at least 30 days for your money.  If you operate through a broker, add another two weeks to that.  You probably need about $2000 in hand to be able to operate one month without any income.  That does NOT include your rent or mortgage payment and utilities.

There are lots of incidentals that will pop up unexpectedly that will cost you money.  For example, one critical expense will be the cost of certification.  In my next issue, I will discuss certification requirements and make suggestions for your training.

This is a new trailer for this driver.  Normally, he pulls trailers with hydraulic necks.  He forgot that this one didn’t have a hydraulic neck, so we dragged flat bottom right across the road at the intersection.  Fortunately, these two roads are not heavily traveled.  In the three hours we worked to free ourselves, we saw maybe six vehicles.  There is a gravel pulloff at that intersection, so traffic was able to get around us.  Finally, my friend and partner Dave Hibbard went into Del Rio to a hardware store and got some big timber.  With that, we were able to get backed up and approached the road from a different angle.  As bad as today was, tomorrow has GOT to be better!

Next up is the issue of how to get through NM.  We have about three options to get from El Paso to Cortez, CO.  The load actually is going to central California, by way of NM, CO, UT, NV and CA.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to complete this trip.  I have a medical appointment on Thursday in Big Spring, TX.  I will try to get them through the Albuquerque area, providing we can get through there on Tuesday…but I will have to break free after that. It is a shame.  This will wind up being about a 2800 mile trip…PLUS it is going to an area of California where I have never been before.  That’s life!  This is a medical appointment I’ve been waiting for about six weeks for.

We made it to Eldorado, TX.  There is one motel and it certainly is NOT the Fairmont!  We got in too late for the one known restaurant…so I had mystery meat (they called it chicken strips), and some milk.  Now, I’m heading for bed!  We leave at 6:30 AM.

We pulled off at a truck stop and I checked out my truck.  It seems that the differential had lost a bearing and seal.  Unfortunately, I had to quit the load and limp back into Laredo.  The good news is that I was able to find a differential and got it repaired this afternoon.  My driver found another escort relatively quickly, and I was able to get back on my original load, which is scheduled to leave tomorrow, finally.

I have decided that if we don’t see light at the end of the tunnel by noon tomorrow, I probably will start looking for other loads.  If this load had rolled on Wednesday like we expected, I could have completed it and then been back in Texas for a medical appointment late next week.  Even if we leave tomorrow, I will not be able to complete this run before I have to break loose and come back to Texas.

SNAFU–situation normal; all fouled up!