It has been almost 3 months since I have posted anything. Here is an update. In my intial post I talked about the infection in my leg. It got to the point where I was admitted to the hospital where I spent 20 days with an IV tube connected and a constant flow of antibiotics. I lost about 20 pounds and when I got out found that that long being inactive makes one weak. I finally got released from my Doctors and have again resumed my job escorting oversize loads.
After the nearly 8 weeks with no jobs I was getting a bit worried about keeping the bill collectors at bay for a while longer while I again began to get the cash flowing again. The loads I escorted began slowly with some short loads to Kentucky and then the weather began to break and the jobs began to come in. With a job going to Eastern Oregon then to Northwest Montana.
The job of being an Escort or Pilot Car driver is an interesting job. First you must enjoy driving because you might drive 200 to 700 miles a day with restrictions for daylight hours and certain hours of restriction in bigger metropolitan areas curtailing your driving times. Then weather like the last blast of winter storms that recently hit the Rocky Mountain States.
Once you get to your destination you sometimes have to wait to be unloaded. Since I escort mainly Wind Energy components if it is too windy or rainy or snow then you must wait until the trucks can be taken to the job site to be unloaded.
As you can see being a Pilot Car Driver is a varied job with lots of driving and sometimes waiting and then once you deliver your load you get to deadhead or drive with out escorting a load to your next load destination or sometimes a few days home. You meet many interesting people from fellow escort drivers to Truck drivers to the local people you interact with when you stop at Truck Stops, Resturants, Motels etc.. You see beautiful country and get an idea how big and diverse our country the United States of America is. You see breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. High mountain peaks where you get the feeling the tops are touching the very edge of Heaven. You see new homes built along the way sometimes just a short distance from century old buildings that time has eroded that was the dream of a family years before you own existence. Sadly you also see roadside memorials left at the spot where a loved one lost their life.
In the posts to follow I will try to describe some of the sites, feelings and observations that I experience as I travel the country side. One thing you also do while being an escort driver is you spend lots of time alone thinking and observing. Until next time ....
