That’s why route survey assessments are vital and I personally think if possible the high pole that runs this survey should also escort such load. If you just started in this business leave the highpole alone until you get comfortable enough with your lead/chase duties. I also think anything over 15’6 tall should be a mandatory highpole in front. If a load has a highpole then I think the company should authorize a chase for the load. I believe every load requiring a highpole should have a route survey no matter what. Companies try to save money by not using enough escorts for a job. And last of all I think if a driver can’t see around his load it should require a pilot car period. Either put extension mirrors or hire a escort or stay parked. My two cents. Have a great day. God Bless
I agree Pilot cars should be certified. However being certified myself, I feel they tie our hands a little bit. I don't agree with not blocking intsections or oncoming traffic with our vehicles is dangerous. Granted, he needs to be done safely. The 4 wheelers RARELY pay attention to a flag being held out of a pilots window. Nor do I feel it's ALWAYS necessary to get out of the vehicle to hold a stop sign. Again, their is a time and place when this is effective. Personally, my vehicle being in the way of a four wheeler who is heading our direction is a much safer and quicker way to make tricky turns or block a lane so the driver can complete his maneuver in the quickest, safest fashion. I'm not talking about jumping out in traffic unnecessarily. As a pilot, we have to quickly access the situation and make sure we give other drivers ample warning that an oversize load is coming and for a moment, their lane will be blocked. Their needs to be a little more freedom of choice for the pilots to help avoid some of these horrific accidents that happen multiple times everyday. Unfortunately too many Pilots abuse that power. Thus, we often don't get shown the respect we deserve by the public. I do see both sides, 4 wheelers vs Trucking industry. We need to find a satisfactory middle ground. I'm done rambling, I'm sure it falls on deaf ears anyway. Just do your best and make sure everybody makes it back home to their lived ones. Including YOU.
Make training and certification mandatory... For every single ignorant four wheeler who got their license as a kid and never learned the proper way to drive, especially around trucks.
I’d like to see it happen but I’ve seen a lot of certified escorts that have zero experience make things worse. Good training is definitely a must but we rarely see it.
