Pilot Car Stakeholder Advisory Group

The National Pilot Car Association (NPCA) is participating in a National Pilot Car Stakeholder Advisory Group, along with the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

• The goal of the advisory group is to help create a national pilot car training curriculum and facilitate ongoing discussions about certification.

“Collaboration between carriers and pilot cars has grown and the coming together of these industries has improved dramatically in the last 10 years because everyone agrees that we can all benefit by working together,” said Michael Morgan, Legislative Vice President of the NPCA.

“More and more carriers are requiring Pilot and Escort Vehicle Operators (P/EVO) to be certified. However, only 13 states require P/EVO Certifications and the lack of regulations creates a lot of liability,” said Bill Wegrzyn, President of NCPA.

A nationally recognized training curriculum would help reduce risk by making sure pilot car operators meet certain requirements, and help mitigate some of the carrier’s responsibility in the case of an accident. Increased regulations would also protect the operator because they would be able to prove that they have been properly trained.

NPCA is committed to developing lasting relationships with lawmakers and regulators around the country so that new rules, regulations, and laws are written with input from the pilot car industry.

In the meantime, the FHWA has a P/EVO Best Practices document that provides a comprehensive guide for pre-planning, including route review, and pilot vehicle and equipment preparation. It also covers how to handle challenges like railroad crossings, emergency procedures, and post-trip evaluations.

“More organizations are recognizing the importance of pre-trip planning, and while it’s been a long road getting to this point, working together improves safety for everyone,” said Wegrzyn.