Thread: Merging onto a highway, when there is a pilot vehicle

Originally Posted by loneranger

One thing I've noticed in recent years is the increased distance a lot of pilot vehicles maintain both in front and to the rear of the escorted load.

You want to encounter sod busters shifting gear.
Last Saturday morning,6.30am on Albany Hwy.Came around a blind bend/crest only to encounter 2 headers,3 field bins,2 header combs all travelling at 30kmh with no rear pilot.
Heavy breaking and abuse on CH40,no point they were on their own farm channel,didnt think to put it on scan to find the irresponsible fools.
Andrew

Originally Posted by loneranger

One thing I've noticed in recent years is the increased distance a lot of pilot vehicles maintain both in front and to the rear of the escorted load.

The front pilot needs that distance to give oncoming heavy vehicles enough time and space to adjust their speed or find a suitable spot to pull off the road.
As Brian has said, in the past pilots had to demonstrate a working knowledge of the movement of overdimentional loads, nowadays like so many other licences and qualifications, just hand over the dollars and get the brief.
A good pilot makes the job so much easier and safer. When I used to regularly do oversize, if my pilot of choice was unavailable, I'd postpone the shift until he was.
Back to the OP, the pilot wasn't there for decoration, surely a bit of common sense would tell you not to barge in between him and his load.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

The front pilot needs that distance to give oncoming heavy vehicles enough time and space to adjust their speed or find a suitable spot to pull off the road.
As Brian has said, in the past pilots had to demonstrate a working knowledge of the movement of overdimentional loads, nowadays like so many other licences and qualifications, just hand over the dollars and get the brief.
A good pilot makes the job so much easier and safer. When I used to regularly do oversize, if my pilot of choice was unavailable, I'd postpone the shift until he was.
Back to the OP, the pilot wasn't there for decoration, surely a bit of common sense would tell you not to barge in between him and his load.

Cheers Ian

It was just something I'd noticed over the last few years.

From an uneducated bystanders viewpoint there seems to be a definite decrease in the ability of a lot of pilot vehicle operators to maintain control. If they've changed the licensing regs it doesn't surprise me.

A couple of years ago we did a Kimberley trip and went up via the inland route, so came across several over-dimensional loads on the way up through the mining areas. The pilot/escorts were pretty good (IMO). When meeting an escort head-on, they seemed to move over according to the following load width. If they stayed in their lane, you knew the load could be easily passed, if they straddled the centreline or occupied your lane, you knew to move over and stop. This all went OK until north of Newman when an oncoming escort passed me with no wave and in his lane. I went to a trailing throttle to wash off some speed and just around the corner was met with an oncoming load out to MY edgeline! I was doing about 80km/h and had a severe sphincter moment on the anchors and picking which guidepost to mow down. We ended up passing in a guidepost gap and so didn't hit one but there was no way I could stop in the space given.

Now I know I was possibly going a bit fast after the lead pilot but I was given no indication that my lane was going to be totally blocked by the oncoming load.... From memory we had a huge headwind and the UHF aerial was taking a beating, so I had stowed it for that morning's run, otherwise I might have been tempted to give them some constructive feedback....

Originally Posted by cjc_td5

A couple of years ago we did a Kimberley trip and went up via the inland route, so came across several over-dimensional loads on the way up through the mining areas. The pilot/escorts were pretty good (IMO). When meeting an escort head-on, they seemed to move over according to the following load width. If they stayed in their lane, you knew the load could be easily passed, if they straddled the centreline or occupied your lane, you knew to move over and stop. This all went OK until north of Newman when an oncoming escort passed me with no wave and in his lane. I went to a trailing throttle to wash off some speed and just around the corner was met with an oncoming load out to MY edgeline! I was doing about 80km/h and had a severe sphincter moment on the anchors and picking which guidepost to mow down. We ended up passing in a guidepost gap and so didn't hit one but there was no way I could stop in the space given.

Now I know I was possibly going a bit fast after the lead pilot but I was given no indication that my lane was going to be totally blocked by the oncoming load.... From memory we had a huge headwind and the UHF aerial was taking a beating, so I had stowed it for that morning's run, otherwise I might have been tempted to give them some constructive feedback....

You should (in WA at least) be able to tell if a load is more than 4.5m wide by the lights displayed on the front of the lead pilot vehicle. WA pilot vehicles are required to be fitted with "wig wag" lights in addition to the amber flashing lights on the roof. "Wig wag" lights are generally two low powered (55W or less) driving lights mounted on the front of the vehicle which flash alternately, left and right. These lights should only be used if the following load is 4.5m wide or greater.

The problem is that a lot of the numb nuts behind the wheel of pilot vehicles these days think it is "cool" to have as many flashing lights running on their vehicle as possible, and have their "wig wag" lights turned on with any size load, completely defeating the purpose of these additional lights.

A bit of a description in this link ................... [ame="https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Final%20PDF%20version%20-%20OSOM%20Loads%5E2C%20Pilots%20and%20Escort%20veh icles%20brochure.RCN-D13%5E23398873.PDF"]https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Documents/Final%20PDF%20version%20-%20OSOM%20Loads%5E2C%20Pilots%20and%20Escort%20veh icles%20brochure.RCN-D13%5E23398873.PDF[/ame]

Originally Posted by BMKal

You should (in WA at least) be able to tell if a load is more than 4.5m wide by the lights displayed on the front of the lead pilot vehicle. WA pilot vehicles are required to be fitted with "wig wag" lights in addition to the amber flashing lights on the roof. "Wig wag" lights are generally two low powered (55W or less) driving lights mounted on the front of the vehicle which flash alternately, left and right. These lights should only be used if the following load is 4.5m wide or greater.

The problem is that a lot of the numb nuts behind the wheel of pilot vehicles these days think it is "cool" to have as many flashing lights running on their vehicle as possible, and have their "wig wag" lights turned on with any size load, completely defeating the purpose of these additional lights.

A bit of a description in this link ................... https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/Docu...5E23398873.PDF

Same deal on the right Coast. Another mob who like travelling in convoy, with as many lights as they can fit on their overloaded utes, are traffic controllers who think they are exempt from speed limits.

Hi,
I think a plastic pipe extending to the outer limit of the following load, maybe even a red flag or two would save confusion.
Good indication of the hazard, and not too disastrous if hit.
Of course these rules should be national as well, state to state differences are just silly.
Cheers

Sent from my GT-N5110 using AULRO mobile app

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
I think a plastic pipe extending to the outer limit of the following load, maybe even a red flag or two would save confusion.
Good indication of the hazard, and not too disastrous if hit.
Of course these rules should be national as well, state to state differences are just silly.
Cheers

Sent from my GT-N5110 using AULRO mobile app

Not practical, the pilot car would have no manoeuvrability.