Henry,
Phillip hit the nail on the head. It is a great help to have a pilot on board because his knowledge of the railroad and their particular rules are very helpful. After 10 years of running the D&S we have all become quite familiar with the road in a general sense. But there are often little nuances that can make the difference between getting stalled on a grade with a heavy load, or being able to take advantage of sags and dips, or problem areas with the track etc. Not only that, all that I have worked with have been great guys.