Pilot Car ServicesEscort for Oversize Boat and Wide Load Hauls

What Is Included

Every job, not an upsell list.

• Lead escortThe car runs ahead of the load on the permitted route, warning oncoming traffic and spotting obstructions before the trailer reaches them.
• Height and clearance spottingLow wires, sagging branches and bridge approaches get called out early, which is the failure that costs the most when it is missed.
• Constant contact with the driverTwo way radio the whole way, so the truck hears about the turn, the closure or the tight approach while there is still room to react.
• Route recon at both endsThe last mile is usually the hard part. The car checks the approach, the yard and the turnaround before the load commits to it.
• Permit compliant signageOversize banners, flags and amber lighting to the standard the states on your route actually require.
• Standalone availabilityYou do not have to be hauling with us. If you have your own truck and need an escort, the car can be booked on its own.

How It Works

1. 1
   Tell us what and wherePickup, delivery, and what is moving. Takes about a minute.
2. 2
   We confirm the laneWe check routing, permits and the window, then give you a firm answer instead of an estimate that moves.
3. 3
   We load and secureThe owner loads it, straps it and photographs it before the wheels turn.
4. 4
   Door to door deliveryUpdates come from the driver directly. No dispatcher in the middle.

What changes the price of an escort

Escort work is priced on the road rather than on the boat. These are the things that actually move it, and each one is worth mentioning when you call.

• How many statesEscort thresholds are set state by state, so a route crossing four lines can need the car on some legs and not on others.
• Front, rear or bothSome states want a lead car, and some want one behind as well once the load passes a greater width.
• Height poleIf the load is tall as well as wide, the car carries a pole set to the load height to catch wires before the boat does.
• Total escorted distanceThe car is paid for the miles it actually escorts, which is often well short of the full length of the haul.
• Daylight windowsOversize movement is daylight only in most states, so a long run becomes several shorter days and the car is committed for each of them.

What we need from you to quote it

Escort quoting is quick once the dimensions are real. Guessed numbers are the reason escort bookings fall apart on the morning of the load.

1. Width at the widest pointMeasured across the hull including rub rails, rather than taken from the brochure.
2. Height from the groundWith the load on the trailer on level ground, plus a note of what can come off to reduce it.
3. Both ends of the routePickup and delivery addresses, so the permitted route and the escorted legs can be worked out.
4. Your datesEscort cars and permits both need lead time, and two to three weeks is comfortable for a multi state run.

Where the escort runs

Based at the Lake of the Ozarks, running with our own loads or on their own anywhere in the lower 48.

Guides Worth Reading First

Written by the person who drives the truck. No rate charts, no filler.

See all boat and auto transport guides