RouteAllPilot Car Requirements by State
Last verified September 8, 2026 against the state rules linked in each table row.
Pilot car requirements change at every state line. Five of the eight states in this guide require an escort above 12 feet wide, while Texas and New Mexico wait until 14 feet. The height that requires a height pole runs from 14 feet 5 inches in Virginia to 17 feet in Texas.
Every row in the table below links to the state rule it was read from.
In one minute: a pilot car is required when the load passes a width, height or length number set by the state you are driving through. The number is different in each state. In this guide, five states start at 12 feet wide, Pennsylvania starts at 13 feet, and Texas and New Mexico start at 14 feet. A height pole car is required somewhere between 14 feet 5 inches and 17 feet, depending on the state.
Almost every state also requires a working radio between the escort and the truck. Whitney, who runs height pole for a living, names Florida, New Mexico and Utah as the rules drivers misread most often. Read the table, then read the three state notes below it.
When do you need a pilot car?
You need a pilot car when your load passes the width, height or length threshold set by the state you are driving in. The permit tells you. Each state prints its escort requirement on the permit or in the travel conditions attached to it. If the permit says one front escort, that is the law for that move.
Three measurements decide it:
- Width is the most common trigger. In this guide it starts at 12 feet in five states and at 14 feet in two.
- Height triggers a front escort with a height pole. The lowest trigger here is 14 feet 5 inches (Virginia); the highest is 17 feet (Texas).
- Length triggers a rear escort. Pennsylvania starts at 90 feet; New Mexico starts at 110 feet 1 inch.
Overhang can trigger an escort too. Utah requires one for any overhang over 20 feet, and New York requires a certified escort at 10 feet of overhang.
If your load is near a threshold, read Do you need an oversize permit? The 4 numbers that decide first. The permit numbers and the escort numbers are not the same.
Which states require a pilot car at 12 feet wide?
Florida, Georgia, New York, Utah and Virginia require an escort once the load is over 12 feet wide, though Utah only says so on secondary roads. Pennsylvania starts at 13 feet. Texas and New Mexico start at 14 feet. The table lists the width and height trigger for all eight, with a link to each rule.
| State | One escort at width | Height pole at | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | Over 12 feet; front and rear on some roads | Over 14 feet 6 inches | FDOT movement conditions (May 30, 2025) |
| Georgia | 12 feet to 14 feet 8 inches; front on two-lane, rear on four-lane | 15 feet 6 inches or more | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.06 |
| New Mexico | 14 feet or more | Over 16 feet (may be required) | 18.19.8 NMAC, sections 81 to 88 |
| New York | Over 12 feet (certified escort) | 14 feet or more | 17 NYCRR 154-1.12 |
| Pennsylvania | Over 13 feet; leads on one-lane, follows on multi-lane | Over 14 feet 6 inches | 67 Pa. Code 179.10(13) |
| Texas | Over 14 feet; front on two-lane, rear on four-lane | Over 17 feet | 43 TAC 219.11(k) |
| Utah | Over 12 feet secondary; over 14 feet freeway | Over 16 feet | Utah Admin. Code R909-2-18 |
| Virginia | Over 12 feet; rear only on interstate | Over 14 feet 5 inches | 24VAC20-82-130 |
Virginia requires a front and rear escort above 12 feet on a non-interstate road, but only a rear escort on the interstate. Texas prints its escort condition on the permit; How to read a Texas TxDMV oversize permit shows where.
Two escorts come sooner than you expect: Texas above 16 feet wide, Utah above 14 feet wide on a secondary road.
The permit for the move is the rule for the move. You must not run fewer escorts than it names.
Which states get misunderstood most?
Whitney S. Johnson, who runs height pole on the east coast, names Florida, New Mexico and Utah as the escort rules drivers misread most often. Each one has a split rule. Florida changes south of Florida City, New Mexico sets its width trigger at 14 feet, and Utah uses one set of numbers on freeways and another on secondary roads.
- Florida requires one qualified escort at all times from 12 feet to 14 feet wide, and two on the roads listed in FAC 14-26.012(7)(c)(3). South of Florida City, the blanket permit allows no movement over 12 feet wide at all. Loads over 12 feet wide also stop for peak traffic, 7 to 9 in the morning and 4 to 6 in the afternoon on weekdays, in seven named counties.
- New Mexico does not require an escort until the load is 14 feet wide, 2 feet later than its neighbors. Above 16 feet high, the rule says an escort or a second person "may be required," so the permit decides. Two escorts start at 120 feet 1 inch of length.
- Utah requires one pilot above 12 feet wide or 105 feet long on a secondary road, but not until 14 feet wide or 120 feet long on a freeway. Two pilots are required above 16 feet high on every road. The pole itself is only required above 16 feet.
The lesson from all three: the rule can change when you leave the interstate.
Check the secondary-road numbers before the exit, not after it.
Why does the CB matter?
The CB, or citizens band radio, is how the pilot car and the truck talk while moving. The escort is the truck's eyes at the next overpass and the next narrow bridge. If the radio fails, the escort is a car with a flag. Seven of the eight states in this guide write two-way contact into the rule.
"Communication over the CB is crucial to our role."
Whitney S. Johnson, height pole escort
"Pilot escort vehicles must be equipped with a two-way radio capable of transmitting and receiving voice messages over a minimum distance of one-half mile." — Utah Admin. Code R909-2-28(4)(e). Verified September 8, 2026.
The rule language differs, but the requirement is the same:
- Pennsylvania requires pilot cars to "maintain visual and two-way radio contact" with the permitted vehicle during the move.
- Florida requires "operable two-way electronic communications" and verbal contact with the driver at all times.
- Texas requires two-way communications with the truck and with every other escort on the move.
- Georgia, New Mexico and New York each require a two-way radio between escort and load.
Virginia's general escorting guideline, as published, does not spell out a radio requirement. Check your Virginia permit conditions rather than assuming.
What does the height pole car do?
The height pole car drives ahead of the load with a pole set slightly taller than the load. If the pole strikes a wire, sign or bridge, the escort radios the truck to stop before the load reaches it. Florida sets the pole 6 inches above the load; Virginia sets it 3 inches above.
The numbers that govern the pole car:
- Distance ahead. Pennsylvania requires the pole car 1,000 to 3,000 feet in front of the load on every highway.
- Pole material. Florida and Utah both require a non-conductive, non-destructive pole. A metal pole across a live wire is the failure this rule exists for.
- Pole height. Florida: 6 inches above the load. Virginia: 3 inches above the load.
- Trigger height. Virginia above 14 feet 5 inches, Pennsylvania and Florida above 14 feet 6 inches, Georgia at 15 feet 6 inches, Utah above 16 feet, Texas above 17 feet.
A pole strike is a stop, not a slowdown.
The escort must not wave the truck through a pole strike on the guess that the load is a little lower than the pole. Stop, measure, then decide.
How does the pilot car get the route?
Today the route usually reaches the pilot car as a permit sent by text, or as a pin the driver dropped in a map app. The escort needs the road-by-road route, the dimensions and the curfews before the first mile. Whitney's own ask to a driver is one sentence, and it is the permit she asks for, not a pin.
"Send me the permit so I can look over the route."
Whitney S. Johnson, height pole escort
A shared RouteAll route opens for the escort with no account and no charge. The escort sees the roads written on the permit, not a car route between the same two points. The full argument is in Your escort driver shouldn't need a subscription, and how RouteAll turns a permit into a route is on the RouteAll home page.
If the truck leaves the permitted roads, the consequences fall on the truck, not the escort. Read What happens if you leave your permitted route before the move.
Before you roll
The escort numbers change when you cross a state line and again when you leave the interstate. Read the permit for the state you are entering, agree the radio channel with the pilot car, and confirm who is running the pole. If the permit and this table disagree, the permit wins. RouteAll does not issue permits or guarantee compliance; the other RouteAll driver guides cover the permit side.
Common questions
Does the pilot car need its own copy of the permit?
In Florida, yes: the permittee must give the escort a copy of the permit before the move. In every state, the escort should read the route and the travel conditions before rolling, because the escort is the one driving ahead into them.
Is a pilot car certification from one state valid in another?
Sometimes. Utah accepts another state's certification if the course meets the national best-practice guidelines. Georgia, New York and Virginia each run their own certification program. Check the state you are entering before the trip, not at the port of entry.
How far ahead of the load does the height pole car drive?
Far enough for the truck to stop. Pennsylvania sets it at 1,000 to 3,000 feet. Florida requires a distance that lets the truck take evasive action, but no more than 300 feet for a standard escort. Your permit or state rule gives the number.
Does RouteAll tell me when I need a pilot car?
No. RouteAll reads the permit you already hold and turns the roads on it into navigation. It does not issue permits, decide escort requirements, or guarantee compliance. The permit and the state rule decide; the driver remains responsible for the load.
Further reading
Sources
- Florida DOT, Blanket Permit Movement Conditions and Restrictions, revised May 30, 2025.
- Georgia, Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 672-2-.06.
- New Mexico, 18.19.8 NMAC, sections 81, 82, 83 and 88.
- New York, 17 NYCRR 154-1.12.
- Pennsylvania, 67 Pa. Code § 179.10.
- Texas, 43 Tex. Admin. Code § 219.11.
- Utah, R909-2-18 and R909-2-28.
- Virginia, 24VAC20-82-130.
RouteAll reads the permit you provide. It does not issue permits or guarantee compliance. The driver remains responsible for the load. Rules change; verify against the permit and the issuing state before every move.