05/30/2017
this is borrowed from another escort / pilot car
Copied from a fellow Pilot car operator:
To all my friends who are not escort/pilot cars operators, I have a rant. Recently there was a Pilot car operator killed on I-40 during an accident. The situation began when the high pole operator's height measuring pole struck a bridge. This causes the oversized load to stop and evaluate the situation to avoid damaging the bridge.
While stopped to check the situation, the rear car was struck from behind by a tractor trailer, totaling his escort vehicle. This caused a traffic jam. The high pole driver, as part of his job, got out of his truck to help direct traffic. A young man on his way to a job interview decided that whatever was holding him up was not important. Ignoring the flashing lights, red flags, oversize load signs and a very large object, he swerved around the traffic and struck and killed the high pole operator. It's no longer a traffic backup at this point, it's now a fatal accident scene.
Everyday I'm at work I'm cussed at, flipped off, and ignored as is every other pilot car driver. We have a running joke that says "If we don't get told we're number one (flipped off) at least once a day, we're not doing our job right!" Today that's not so funny. We do this job for a variety of reasons. First off we love the work, love the travel and the freedom that comes with it, but we do it because someone needs to. Companies order very large items like control houses that go to power plants or generators and even though the traveling public gripes about us being in the way, you don't seem to mind turning on the lights when you get home without a thought about what makes them work. These large objects have to be delivered, and when they are, they deserve a high level of respect to keep people safe.
The few minutes we hold you up from your day are small in comparison to destroying a bridge and closing roads indefinitely while repairs are made. The rear escort, whose job it is to protect the back of the load, and public, to be the "eyes" of the driver who cannot see behind him due to the size of the load, is not just being an asshole when cutting you off in traffic. There is more than likely a hazard on the shoulder or on the roadway which would be damaged or someone hurt or killed if we can't change lanes in a hurry.
I ask everyone to please take just a fraction of your time when you see amber lights flashing to be patient and understanding. I know you think we have no business being on tiny back roads, but the permit we get from the state says we have to travel on a very specific route. It's really a simple formula, we can lift a wire and go around a tree, but we can not lift a bridge, so when we are tall we go where we can, not where we want to.
If you have teenage drivers, teach them to respect all trucks on the road, especially the oversize. It won't be taught in the drivers manual or in drivers ed and it's not a good lesson to learn the hard way. A young man who was excited about a new job now has to live with serious consequences. Thank you for your attention, Please share with anyone who drives, with my kindest regards to your safety and well being. Again we're here to protect the public from endangering yourself!!!
