It's a Team's Life
Escorts – Not those kind
Most of the time, when we are “escorted,” we follow someone within a facility to an area to unload or load our freight. Sometimes we are following a car with our emergency flashers on, and at other times we are following a police car, and they have the lights on top of the car flashing. There are also times when the escort is behind us with flashing lights, and no they are not trying to pull us over, they are usually following us across a bridge.
Escort vehicles are used for many reasons within the trucking and here are a couple:
- Dangerous Commodity
- Value of Commodity
- Risk of a vehicle breaking down and need to transfer the load
No matter the product it is stressful when running in a pack or with two vehicles. Everyone has to be on the same page, and the longer the distance, the better the need to communicate. Here are a few things to consider:
- Exchange phone numbers
- Is one of the trucks governed
- What speeds do you run
- Each drivers drive time and when each team needs to switch drivers
- How often you need to get fuel
- Where you prefer to fuel
- Does each truck have a toll responder
- Does each truck have a scale responder
- Route Plan
- If the weather turns bad, come to a mutual plan
When involved with an escort load, have consideration for the other drivers and compromise. If the trip is short, there is a lot less to consider, but when going across the country, the communication beforehand is necessary to eliminate as much stress as possible. The last thing anyone wants is for the lead truck to run off and leave the truck that is supposed to be their second set of eyes.
Escort loads where everything goes right can lead to great friendships. Don’t assume if you see two trucks from the same company near each other it is an escort load.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.