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Before departing hold a
drivers meeting and give each driver a
printout of the route turn by turn
with odometer reading. Review the road rules. Assign someone
with a radio to be the sweeper. (The sweeper is the last car that
lets the group leader know when everyone has made a light or a turn
onto a new road.) Determine a radio frequency to set the
GMRS/FRS family radios.
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Lights on. Set odometers to zero. Do a radio check.
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Generally speaking only eight or ten cars can make it through a
traffic light before it changes. If your convoy is larger than ten,
it is best to break it down into separate convoys with a different
leader and sweeper. Separate the convoys by approximately five to
ten minutes so as to avoid confusion on the radios. You may wish to
use different channel frequencies.
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Signal all
turns early and relentlessly.
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Favor the right (slow) lane when on 4-lane highway.
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Allow suitable clear distance between you and the car in front of
you. This will prove it’s value as we make judgments whether
to stop or proceed through the several stoplights on the route.
Always try to keep the car in front of you in sight.
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Watch the car behind you. If he slows down, you slow down. As the
leader sees the car behind him slowing down, it is his cue to slow
down also.
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If a non-convoy driver needs or wants to cut in, let him! In fact,
make it easy for him. There will be plenty of time to regroup on
stretches of four lane road or at rest stops.
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If the convoy gets separated, the group leader will proceed until he
can find a safe place to pull over and let the rest of the convoy
catch up. If your section of the convoy gets separated, do not
foolishly speed to catch up.
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If the leader or any other driver sees that the convoy must stop
then if possible grab the two way radio and simply say "braking" or
"stopping" to let everyone know. This can really help the drivers
behind and improve overall reaction time.
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Use your best judgment when approaching a long green or yellow
traffic signal. Don’t be concerned about delaying those behind you
by conservatively judging the light. Judge it as you would if you
were traveling independently of a group.
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When the leader sees oncoming traffic on a narrow road it's good
practice to alert everyone in the group with your family radio,
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If a non-convoy driver wants to cut in, let him. In fact, make it
easy for him. There will be plenty of time to regroup on stretches
of 4-lane or at rest stops.
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Passing: if you need to pass a slow car or cars, it should be done
“one car at a time”. In other words, don’t all move out at the same
time and pass at once. Pass as an individual, not as a group.
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Passing: when completing a pass, if there’s not room to re-merge
into the right lane, move to the front of the convoy. The route is
well marked, and there will be plenty of opportunity for the lead
car to move back into position.
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Rain: in event of rain, some drivers will choose to “run through
it”, while others will want to stop and put their hoods up. This is
one of the most dangerous instances you will encounter, especially
if visibility is poor. If you choose to pull over, signal long
in advance of your pull onto the shoulder, and try not to stop
abruptly in case the person behind you has the same idea. Better
yet, utilize an exit ramp. If the lead car judges rain to be heavy,
he will attempt to find an exit ramp before resorting to the
shoulder.
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If the group leader misses a turn, do not “knee jerk”. Announce the
error on the radio and proceed cautiously to a place where the
convoy can safely turn around.
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Use common sense. Drive as though you are an individual following a
planned route and map, rather than a participant of a group. Please
take a few minutes to review our itinerary before the trip, and
locate the roads on your map or atlas. Our objective is first and
foremost a safe and pleasant drive; traveling/arriving together,
while nice, is secondary.
