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TRAINING MANUAL Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operatorsin which escorts are required, determining how many escorts are required undercertain conditions, and establishing the types of equipment and signs the P/EVOmust have, among many others. It is the responsibility of the P/EVO to know thelaws of each State through which the escorted load moves, just as it is for driverswith a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or a basic driver’s license.LESSON 2: PILOT ESCORT INDUSTRY BACKGROUNDAcross the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and in many other countries,P/EVOs are required for the movement of oversize loads, and for all thedifferences among the States in the regulation of these loads, the purposes forP/EVOs are substantially consistent from place to place. P/EVOs are in placeto enhance the safety of roadway users, to protect transportation infrastructure,the load driver, the load, as well as the P/EVOs themselves and law enforcementescorts when required.The number of permits issued for oversize loads increases every year. It is apparentthat more P/EVOs, including those with specialized skills such as height poleoperation, will be needed for the foreseeable future.Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operator Industry Safety EffortsThe P/EVO industry has difficulties similar to other transportation-related entitiesin terms of safety programs, such as a lack of funding to support education andenforcement efforts; a lack of coordination among groups, both public and private,that would benefit from working together; and a lack of standards in even the mostbasic operational processes and equipment requirements. Efforts at better State toState harmonization are being made by organizations including, among others: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials andregional subsidiary groups: Western Association of State Highway andTransportation Officials, Northeast Association of State TransportationOfficials, Southeastern Association of State Transportation Officials, MidAmerica Association of State Transportation Officials. Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA). Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). Insurance industry representatives.Standardizing the safety equipment requirements for P/EVOs and/or insuranceand certification requirements, for example, would benefit highway users, States,P/EVOs, and carriers. One example of a current standardization effort is thevoluntary adoption by many States of the temporary traffic control requirementsfor flagging and equipment found in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control2

Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators TRAINING MANUALDevices.1 As a matter of safety, it is important that P/EVOs performing trafficcontrol procedures have similar appearance and use the same equipment andmethods regardless of where they may be controlling traffic. With the exceptionof driving in front of a very large heavy load (a load that cannot maneuver orstop quickly), flagging traffic is perhaps the most dangerous activity a P/EVO isrequired to perform. It is appropriate, therefore, that traffic control procedures andequipment be standardized in order for highway users to know and understandthose procedures.An important example of an area related to oversize load movement that needsto be better standardized is railroad crossings. Similar to P/EVO operations andrequirements, railroad-highway crossings and the rules and standards applyingto them vary from State to State. Better coordination among railroad companies,highway designers, maintenance personnel, and others could bring about jointwarning signal inspections, integrated track and highway maintenance processes,and—highly relevant for P/EVOs and oversize/overweight load drivers andcarriers—designating problematic crossings for special permit vehicles. Inaddition, coordination in setting standards, designing crossings, and reportingemergencies would benefit not only highway users and taxpayers but also therailroads and the States, carriers, load drivers, and P/EVOs.2A general lack of information about the escort industry is a further impedimentto developing and managing standards and, therefore, to harmonizing P/EVOrequirements among the States. P/EVO duties and responsibilities, requiredequipment, insurance requirements, and other rules differ widely from State toState. No formal national certification process exists in the pilot/escort vehicleoperator industry, unlike commercial driver certification (i.e., CDL holders).3 CDLs(as well as basic operator’s licenses) are accepted in all States, in part becauseof the standardization of training and testing in these programs.4 The AmericanAssociation of Motor Vehicle Administrators has developed a model CDL trainingmanual that most States have adopted with a few adjustments to reflect specificState laws and rules.5 This training manual and related materials are designed toaddress this need to better standardize and enhance training for P/EVOs.Escorting oversize loads requires skill and awareness similar to that of emergencyvehicle operators, tow truck drivers, roadside mechanics, and others who performdangerous roadside operations. P/EVOs are frequently required, for example,to control traffic during the movement of oversize loads—typically a plannedprocedure, but the need for controlling traffic is also required in unplanned12345Federal Highway Administration, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Part 6. Available at: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009r1r2/part6/part6 toc.htm. The FHWA has incorporated by reference the Manual on Uniform TrafficControl Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD, pursuant to 23 CFR 655.601(d)(2).U.S. Department of Transportation, “Accidents That Shouldn’t Happen: A Report of the Grade Crossing SafetyTask Force to Secretary Federico Pena,” March 1, 1996, p. 9. Available at: ort.pdf.Though many P/EVOs have a CDL, a CDL is not typically required for P/EVOs.A driver seeking a CDL must pass both knowledge and skill tests.American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Model Commercial Driver License Manual (AAMVA, July2014). Available at: http://www.aamva.org/CDL-Manual/.3

TRAINING MANUAL Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operatorssituations. Planned situations involve closing a narrow bridge or stopping trafficwhen the load vehicle is blocking lanes of traffic. Unplanned situations occurwhen the load vehicle becomes disabled or weather or traffic conditions prohibitthe load from moving. In this latter situation, P/EVOs may be required to controltraffic regardless of weather conditions or curfew restrictions; the P/EVO mustbe prepared to flag traffic in the unplanned situation; e.g., after dark, in inclementweather, with or without a shoulder or lighting present, or for an extended periodof time.Industry Evolution and the Lack of UniformityDuring the past few decades, various State and Federal agencies, professionalassociations, task forces, P/EVO operators, carriers, and others have made manyrecommendations about P/EVO regulations. A common recommendation amongthese groups is that States should develop consistent certification programs forescort vehicle drivers that include training exercises in railroad crossing safety,height pole operation, route surveys, traffic control, and in highway proceduresacross multiple contexts; e.g., various types of roadways and with loads ofdiffering sizes and configurations.Another common recommendation is that State permit offices should ensure thatP/EVOs be certified and required to maintain adequate insurance coverage. Todate, these recommendations have not been implemented.6Rules related to railroad crossings remain an area of concern to those involved inthe movement of oversize loads. In March 1994, an “On Guard” safety guidancedocument, published by the Federal Highway Administration, warned that trucktractor and trailer rigs can become stalled on railroad tracks. The group cautionedoversize load drivers to approach tracks slowly enough to stop if a train is detectedand urged drivers whose trucks have low ground clearances to refrain from takingchances at high-profile grade crossings. However, drivers are not only continuing tostall and become lodged at highway-rail crossings, they continue to be hit by trains.7Purpose and Role of Escorts in Warning the Motoring PublicMany times passenger vehicles under-ride large trucks.8 This is one example ofhow escorts can improve safety: P/EVOs warn motorists approaching from therear that these large and frequently slow-moving vehicles are on the road and doeverything possible ensure highway users do not collide with the load, drive underthe trailer, or become involved in a small-overlap collision when drivers try tosteer around a big load when left with inadequate stopping distance.678The Federal Highway Administration maintains a list of all State permit offices (as well as Canadian provinces) thatincludes websites and telephone numbers. Available at: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/sw/permit report/index.htm,U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Motor Carriers, Federal Highway Administration, On Guard, Vol. 25, No.1, December 1995.See Module 7, Lesson 5.4

Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators TRAINING MANUALDeaths in Large Truck Crashes“Large trucksare involvedin about 1 in10 highwaydeaths”‒‒Insurance Institutefor Highway Safety,Large Trucks FatalityFacts 2013The need for better standards and more training is clear given that the decreasingnumber of deaths in large truck crashes appears to be more closely related to thegrowing safety of passenger vehicles rather than to any changes in truck safety ortruck driver behavior.9In 2013, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) HighwayLoss Data Institute, a disturbing trend emerged: the number of people who died inlarge truck crashes was 14 percent higher than in

Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operator Industry Safety Efforts The P/EVO industry has difficulties similar to other transportation-related entities in terms of safety programs, such as a lack of funding