Statement: Routing Technology & Clearance Data

Good morning. My name is [Your Name], and I am a pilot car operator based in [Your City, State] with [X] years of experience escorting oversize loads.

I'm here today to talk about routing technology — specifically, the accuracy and accessibility of the routing data that pilot car operators rely on every single day.

When a superload or an oversize shipment moves, the pilot car operator is responsible for verifying that the route is clear — that every bridge has enough vertical clearance, every turn has enough sweep, every underpass is tall enough, and every weight-restricted road can handle the load. We are the last line of defense between a permit and a catastrophe.

But too often, the routing data we rely on is outdated, incomplete, or simply wrong.

Bridge clearance databases are months or years out of date. Road construction projects change clearance heights and lane widths overnight, and those changes don't always make it into the permit routing system. I've personally been on routes where the permitted clearance didn't match what was actually on the ground — where a bridge that the system said was 15 feet 6 inches turned out to be 14 feet 9 inches after a recent resurfacing project.

That's not a minor inconvenience. That's a life-safety issue.

We are asking this body to invest in modernizing the routing and clearance data systems that pilot car operators and permit agencies rely on. Specifically:

One — ensure bridge and overhead obstruction data is updated in real time, not on an annual or quarterly cycle. When a road is resurfaced, the clearance data should be updated before the road reopens.

Two — make that data accessible to pilot car operators, not just to permit agencies. Right now, many operators rely on third-party tools or word of mouth because the official data isn't available to us directly. We should be able to verify a route against the same data the permit was issued from.

Three — create a feedback loop. When a pilot car operator finds a discrepancy on a route — a clearance that doesn't match the system, a construction zone that wasn't reflected in the permit — there should be a simple, fast way to report it, and the agency should act on that report promptly.

Pilot car operators drive these routes every day. We see what the systems miss. We are asking to be treated as a data source, not just a compliance requirement.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.