Steer + lead
A steerman on the rear axles with a lead car reading the route ahead — the usual pairing on long loads through tight ground.
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Pilot car services
Escort work for oversize and overweight freight — rear steering, overhead, front, and rear. Every truck we send is ours, equipped to spec, and staffed by a driver in radio contact with your operator from start to finish.
Service 01
Steer / steerman
Some loads are simply too long for the tractor to pull through a turn on its own. On trailers with steerable rear axles — a steerable dolly, a jeep, or a rear-steer trailer — somebody has to sit at the back and steer it. We put a qualified steerman in that seat.
The steerman takes the rear of the trailer through intersections, roundabouts, ramps, and tight urban turns, in constant radio contact with the driver up front. The whole job is keeping the trailer tracking where it needs to go instead of over a curb, into an oncoming lane, or through the corner of a building.
We supply the operator; the steerable trailer or dolly is yours. Tell us what you are running when you get in touch and we will confirm we have someone rated for it.
Typically required when
- The trailer has steerable rear axles that need a live operator
- The route includes tight turns, roundabouts, or urban intersections
- A permit specifically names a steerman or rear steer operator
- The load is long enough that the tractor cannot track the turn alone
What we need from you
- Measured overall height of the load, as loaded
- The clearance margin your permit requires
- The permitted route, if it is already issued
- Any known low structures you want checked first
Service 02
High pole clearance
For tall loads, we set a height pole to your load’s measured height plus the clearance margin, and run it ahead of the move. Every overhead on the route gets checked before the load reaches it: bridges, overpasses, utility and communication lines, traffic signals, and sign structures.
If the pole makes contact, the load stops and we route around it. That is the entire point — a pole strike costs nothing, and a load strike costs the trailer, the freight, the utility, and the permit.
Service 03
Lead / front escort
The lead car runs ahead of the load and does the seeing before your driver has to. That means calling back low clearances, narrow bridges, tight turns, lane restrictions, construction, and obstructions in the road, and warning oncoming traffic on a wide move well before it becomes a problem.
On two-lane routes the lead car is also your traffic control — holding oncoming vehicles, working the stop-and-go paddle at pinch points, and keeping the load moving instead of parked.
Typically required when
- The load exceeds a state’s width threshold for front escort
- The route runs two-lane or undivided highway
- A permit specifically names a front escort
- The move crosses several states with different thresholds
Typically required when
- The load exceeds a state’s length or width threshold for rear escort
- The route is multi-lane interstate with fast following traffic
- The load must merge, change lanes, or run below the posted speed
- A permit specifically names a rear escort
Service 04
Chase / rear escort
The chase car sits behind the load and absorbs the risk coming up from behind. On a slow, wide, or long move, following traffic is the hazard — the rear escort makes the load visible from a distance, keeps vehicles from crowding the trailer, and blocks lanes when the load has to merge or swing.
It is also the second set of eyes on your own equipment: tire condition, load shift, strap and chain security, and anything dragging or coming loose gets called out immediately over the radio.
Also available
Combined and multi-car moves
Plenty of loads need more than one car. We arrange and dispatch combinations as a single job so you are coordinating with one company, not three.
High pole + chase
Clearance verification out front with rear protection behind — common on tall interstate moves.
Lead + chase
Front and rear escort on the same run, radio-linked, moving as one unit with your driver.
Long multi-state runs
One escort crew from origin to destination instead of a relay of local cars at every state line.
Availability
Dispatch hours
Freight does not keep office hours, and neither does the inbox. Standard dispatch and office hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET.
Weekend runs, night moves where state regulations permit them, and emergency dispatch are all available with prior coordination — email as early as you can and we will tell you straight whether we can cover it.
Equipment on every vehicle
- 360° rotating / strobe amber lighting, visible 500+ feet
- Bumper and roof mounted OVERSIZE LOAD signage
- 18-inch red / fluorescent orange flags
- Two-way electronic communication (CB / VHF)
- Height poles when the load requires one
- Stop-and-go paddle, orange vest, hard hat, reflective triangles
- Two 5-pound fire extinguishers
Before you get in touch
What we need to know
Have these to hand when you contact us and we can give you a straight answer on the first reply rather than the third.
| Load dimensions | Overall length, width, height, and gross weight as loaded. |
|---|---|
| Route | Origin and destination city and state, plus the permitted route if it has been issued. |
| Dates | Pickup date and time, and whether the delivery window is fixed. |
| Escort required | Steer, high pole, lead, chase, or a combination — or tell us the dimensions and we will tell you what the states require. |
| Permits | Whether permits are already pulled, and which states they cover. |
| Contact | Dispatch contact and the driver’s cell for the day of the move. |
Ready to book an escort?
Tell us about the load and the route and we will take it from there.