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National Pilot Car Association

"So everyone gets home safe"

News

  • 14 Oct 2022 9:54 AM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    The National Pilot Car Association (NPCA) is working towards developing a central location to provide access to information that would verify a pilot car operator’s certification credentials.

    “There are fourteen states that require pilot car operators to be certified and there is no easy way to verify that a certification is true and valid,” said Bill Wegrzyn, President of NCPA. Currently, NPCA has received access to certification information from Washington, Arizona, and Oklahoma, and is working with officials in Colorado, Utah, and Florida. The goal is to provide verification of name, certification number, city and state, and date of expiration of the certification.

    While the project is ongoing, NPCA encourages employers, transportation companies, and pilot car brokers to contact the individual government agency that oversees pilot car certifications. See Table 7 State Pilot Certification Programs on the US DOT Federal Highway Administration website for links.


  • 13 Jul 2022 3:10 PM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    A whitepaper published by The National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, Attracting Retaining, and Developing the Transportation Workforce, found that the transportation industry is more likely to lose mid-level supervisors and managers if there isn’t a well-defined career path.

    People are driven by career growth, flexibility, interaction with authority, and technology, just to name a few. Of course, job location, salary, and benefits are important factors of any job. However, the research shows that this new generation of workers (Gen Z) are particularly driven by working on problems that are of societal importance. It's important to know and understand the characteristics of all generations of workers in order to keep them engaged and motivated to work in the industry.

    Material Handling & Logistics magazine provided a comprehensive overview of the research. Read the article here.

    https://www.mhlnews.com/labor-management/article/21237788/how-to-attract-retain-and-develop-transpotation-workforce


  • 13 Jul 2022 3:06 PM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association (SC&RA) has introduced mobile cranes to its Online Permit Manual. This includes all permitting information for the 50 states and Canadian provinces. As one of the most comprehensive and affordable reference tools in the industry, the SC&RA Online Permit Manual spells out requirements for procedures and contacts; fees, restricted or weekend travel; allowable weights and dimensions; and escort/pilot car requirements. Now the subscription service includes information on mobile cranes.

    “SC&RA added mobile cranes to the permit manual because crane and rigging member companies encounter the same challenges in obtaining hauling permits that our specialized transportation carriers face daily,” said SC&RA Senior Vice President Beth O’Quinn. “This includes not only the lack of uniform policies across states, but the added challenge of states permitting mobile cranes that are not, nor can be, evaluated in the same manner as a traditional tractor semi-trailer combination.

    “Now subscribers to the SC&RA Online Permit Manual can easily obtain the proper permit for a mobile crane ahead of time ensuring a safer and more efficient route,” noted O’Quinn. “Like specialized transportation carriers, mobile crane operators can use the Permit Manual to perform the essential pre-trip planning process that goes along with any successful move, including the dynamic changes in individual states and provinces members confront regularly.”


  • 13 Jul 2022 3:04 PM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    The National Pilot Car Association (NPCA) is participating in a National Pilot Car Stakeholder Advisory Group, along with the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Associatio, 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.

    Currently, only 13 states require P/EVO Certifications and the lack of regulations creates a lot of liability. 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.

    In the meantime, the FHWA has a Pilot/Escort Vehicle Operators 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.

    Morgan was recently interviewed for the June issue of Crane Hot Line on the importance of regulations for pilot car operators. Read the full article here.


  • 20 Apr 2022 9:50 AM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    The National Pilot Car Association is pleased to announce that it has joined the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA). The membership was approved following the Annual Specialized Transportation Symposium, that took place in, Greendale Ariz., in February.


    “Many of NPCA’s members are familiar with SC&RA and attend meetings like the Transportation Symposium,” said NPCA President, Bill Wegrzyn. “Becoming official members of SC&RA opens the door for communication and collaboration on broad industry issues that impact us all.”


    About 450 people were in attendance at the February meeting, reported SC&RA. See American Cranes & Transport's recap.


    “These meetings create wonderful networking opportunities, and give individuals a chance to learn about changes within the industry. Among the topics covered at the symposium were permitting harmonization, safety, regulations, compliance, and pressing topics in specialized transportation," said Wegrzyn.

    Visit our Website


  • 20 Apr 2022 8:13 AM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)


    ProMiles, developer of ProMIles XR Mileage Guide, Fuel Tax, Fuel Management, and other tools, now offers an app to help truck drivers follow complicated OS/OW routes. The app is currently being tested in Colorado, Illiniois, and New Hampshire. If you would like for your company to perform testing on the Route Following App please contact the permit office. The app “ProMiles Permit Navigation” can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play stores.

    When the OS/OW Permitting and Routing System identifies a route for a permit, it obtains a list of road segments that describe the route. Each of these road segments consist of two or more lat/long points. The Permitting and Routing System uses this information to draw the route line on the map. This information is called a breadcrumb trail for the route. This trail describes the roads the vehicle is traveling on to a high level of precision. This breadcrumb trail and the associated maneuver directions are utilized to create the data for the Route Following app.

    The app will obtain the current lat/long coordinate of the device and truck, and if within the threshold of on the route, the app will enter Route Following mode. In this mode, the app will display the trip line, the vehicle, location, and the next maneuver. The app will speak the next maneuver as the driver approaches the maneuver .If the driver gets off route, the app will shut down Route Following mode and will display a message from the Permit Office instructing the driver to contact the Permit Office to return to the route. Learn more.


  • 13 Apr 2022 2:55 PM | Joshua K Reagor (Administrator)

    Conference Call has been moved to the next Sunday due to it being Mothers Day on the 2nd Sunday of the month.  Stay tuned for details on the call.  

  • 11 Oct 2021 12:20 PM | Anonymous

    Click this link below to hear about WITPAC from ESC

    speaking with President, Jeff Vaughan from (ESC) EVERGREEN SAFETY COUNCIL.

  • 10 Oct 2021 7:16 AM | Anonymous

    Words cannot express the sorrow the NPCA feels for the loss of Randy Sorenson. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family.He will be greatly missed. 

    https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/saltlaketribune/name/randy-sorenson-obituary?pid=200335497&fbclid=IwAR3Phe3tZ94J52DZYm1MtsIsDXID5p-_DB1HGTfXQFbdyQfON5lansMZ4oM 


  • 06 Oct 2021 4:27 PM | Anonymous

    Join us our the October conference call of 2021.

    With the President, Jeff Vaughan from (ESC) EVERGREEN SAFETY COUNCIL. Continuing conversion regarding WITPAC Certification.


    * Sunday *

    October 10, 2021

    8:00 PM Eastern 5:00 PM Pacific

    (855) 212-0212 pin: 254 004 265#


    We are also on Facebook live

    https://www.facebook.com/nationalpca

    If anyone has any questions or concerns prior to the conference call, please submit in an email by October 08th. Please be reminded we will have limited time on the call, so if we can get your questions, that the video does not address, we can get your answer prior to the conference call. info@naionalpca.org


Address: PO Box 266, Lincoln, AL  35096

Phone: (205) 392-8867

Email: info@nationalpca.org

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