Most pilots start the same way. Someone they know at a haulage yard needs a second car for a wide load, they fit a sign and lights to the ute, and within a year they are taking calls from three booking agents and a crane hire company. Somewhere in that year, piloting stops being a job and becomes a business.
This article is for both stages: finding pilot vehicle jobs in each state, and what it takes to run a pilot vehicle business once the work is steady. It is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice.
Where pilot vehicle jobs come from
Pilot work comes through four doors:
- Pilot vehicle companies that run their own vehicles and employ drivers.
- Booking agents and coordinators who place subcontracted pilots on moves for hauliers across several states.
- Heavy haulage and crane hire companies that book pilots directly. Transport for NSW applies its pilot requirements to Class 1 mobile cranes and other special purpose vehicles as well as load-carrying vehicles, so crane moves need pilots too.
- Your own clients, once you have a name with a few transport companies.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says organising pilots or escorts is the operator’s responsibility, so the operator, or the agent working for it, is who you need to know.
Pilot vehicle jobs by state
What you need before your first job depends on where you work:
- Western Australia. Every pilot needs a Heavy Vehicle Pilot Licence from Main Roads Western Australia, and other states’ accreditation is not recognised. Get the licence before you look for work there.
- Queensland. Level 1 pilot vehicle driver accreditation from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, or Level 2 to also control traffic.
- Victoria. A Level 1 pilot needs a full licence and a compliant vehicle; bigger loads need a probationary or full certified pilot licence.
- Northern Territory and Tasmania. Level 2 work needs accreditation or certification.
- New South Wales, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. No pilot accreditation, so the barrier to entry is low.
The details, fees and training units are in pilot vehicle licence and accreditation in every state.
Working through agents or going direct
Agents bring steady work and handle the client. The trade-off is the rate and the wait. In 2022, the president of the Australian Pilot Vehicle Drivers Association told Big Rigs that agents often did not pay for 60 to 90 days, and urged pilots to see themselves as a small business with a schedule of rates. His advice was to ask what a job pays, and how long payment takes, before you go.
Going direct means quoting, invoicing and following up payments yourself. Many pilots do both: agent work to fill the week, and a few direct clients at a better rate.
Starting a pilot vehicle business: the checklist
- The vehicle. A reliable ute or four-wheel drive with the signs, lights and communication equipment that national rules and your state’s guidelines require. Western Australia, for example, describes a yellow “Oversize Load Ahead” sign and amber roof lights, plus white front lights for loads over 4.5 metres wide.
- The licence or accreditation for every state you plan to work in, with the renewal dates written down.
- Insurance. Talk to a broker about the cover piloting needs, for the vehicle, for your liability and for time off the road.
- A schedule of rates and terms. Per kilometre, per hour or a day rate, minimums, waiting time, fuel levy and cancellation. See how pilot vehicle rates are built.
- A move log. Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia all expect a record of movement, and Level 2 accreditation in several states depends on counting moves.
- Permit copies. The operator should give you a full copy of the permit for every move; know what to look for in it. See what to check on an oversize overmass permit.
- Trip sheets and invoices. Times, kilometres, waiting and the truck driver’s signature, for every job.
The admin that eats the day
Ask a pilot business owner where the hours go and it is rarely the road. It is ringing down a list at 4pm to find two pilots for a 5am start, emailing the permit to each of them, keeping track of whose accreditation runs out next month, matching trip sheets to invoices, and waiting to be paid before you can pay the subcontractors.
Running it in OpsChase
OpsChase pilot vehicle software is built for pilot businesses of every size. Owner-operator pilots get a logbook, trip sheets and invoices on their phone. Agents and pilot companies get a board with their own drivers and subcontractors together, job offers by text message or app that pilots confirm or decline with one tap, and a permit reader that suggests the pilot setup for you to confirm. Licence, accreditation, insurance and vehicle details are kept on file for your business and checked before booking. Signed trip sheets become invoices, and pilot pay is worked out from the same job.
OpsChase is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NHVR, any road authority or any pilot association.
See pricing, or book a demo.