Stephen Patrick Day leads the Houston-headquartered Logistics Group International (LGI) as president and leads a team that arranges freight movement and transportation. When brokering the transport of high, wide or heavy cargo such as compressors, transformers or large fabricated equipment, Stephen Day and his team source the use of pilot cars or escorts to safely monitor the shipments as they are being transported.
Pilot cars or escorts as they are called, are usually personal vehicles outfitted with strobe lights and over-sized signs that are positioned in front or behind an oversized shipment being transported on the semi-truck. The pilot cars or escorts are used to notify the other cars on the road of the need for caution because a large shipment is in close proximity. In many cases, the pilot car driver may not be a member of the core trucking team, but a contracted third-party who accompanies the load a specific distance spanning a single state or several states.
With an aim of ensuring that the load arrives safely at its destination, the pilot driver will be in front, or behind, the main truck and warn the public in advance of the cargo, through a combination of flashing lights, printed signs, and flags as required. In addition, the driver is able to communicate with the flatbed trailer truck driver via CB and alert them should a hazard or dangerous traffic situation arise ahead. The pilot cars typically contain first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and other equipment for use in an emergency.
In cases of over-height load, the pilot car may also have a telescopic pole set on its front bumper that adjusts to the specific load height. This is used to ensure that the load behind clears overhead obstructions such as power lines, traffic signals, overpasses, and bridges.
Stephen Day 