Arkansas Pilot Car Requirements
When does an oversize or overweight load need a pilot car or escort in Arkansas? Here are the width, height, length and weight thresholds that trigger an escort, a height pole, or a police escort.
Escort & pilot car requirements
- Lead (front) pilot carover 18'1" width
Width 18'1"–20': 2 front + 2 rear escorts; movement restricted to 9:00am–3:00pm only. THRESHOLD CORRECTED 2026-09-14 from FT(18,1) to FT(18) so the rule fires AT 18'1", the first width in its own band; it previously emitted nothing until 18'2". BAND EDGES UNVERIFIED — ARDOT primary text was not reachable for this pass (ardot.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 18'1" width
Width 18'1"–20': 2 front + 2 rear escorts; movement restricted to 9:00am–3:00pm only. THRESHOLD CORRECTED 2026-09-14 from FT(18,1) to FT(18) so the rule fires AT 18'1", the first width in its own band; it previously emitted nothing until 18'2". BAND EDGES UNVERIFIED — ARDOT primary text was not reachable for this pass (ardot.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Lead (front) pilot carover 14'1" width
Width 14'1"–18': 1 front + 1 rear on 2-lane; 1 rear only on 4-lane/interstate. THRESHOLD CORRECTED 2026-09-14 from FT(14,1) to FT(14) so the rule fires AT 14'1", the first width in its own band; it previously emitted nothing until 14'2". BAND EDGES UNVERIFIED — ARDOT primary text was not reachable for this pass (ardot.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 14'1" width
Width 14'1"–18': 1 front + 1 rear on 2-lane; 1 rear only on 4-lane/interstate. THRESHOLD CORRECTED 2026-09-14 from FT(14,1) to FT(14) so the rule fires AT 14'1", the first width in its own band; it previously emitted nothing until 14'2". BAND EDGES UNVERIFIED — ARDOT primary text was not reachable for this pass (ardot.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Lead (front) pilot carover 12'1" width
Width 12'1"–14': 1 front on 2-lane highways; no escort required on 4-lane/interstate. THRESHOLD CORRECTED 2026-09-14 from FT(12,1) to FT(12) so the rule fires AT 12'1", the first width in its own band; it previously emitted nothing until 12'2". BAND EDGES UNVERIFIED — ARDOT primary text was not reachable for this pass (ardot.gov returned HTTP 403).
- Lead (front) pilot carover 130 ft length
Length over 130 ft: 1 front + 1 rear on both 2-lane and 4-lane/interstate highways.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 130 ft length
Length over 130 ft: 1 front + 1 rear on both 2-lane and 4-lane/interstate highways.
- Lead (front) pilot carover 115 ft length
Length over 115 ft (up to 130): 1 front + 1 rear on 2-lane; 1 rear only on 4-lane/interstate.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 115 ft length
Length over 115 ft (up to 130): 1 front + 1 rear on 2-lane; 1 rear only on 4-lane/interstate.
- Lead (front) pilot carover 100 ft length
Length over 100 ft (up to 115): 1 front escort on 2-lane; 1 rear on 4-lane/interstate.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 100 ft length
Length over 100 ft (up to 115): 1 rear escort on 4-lane/interstate highways.
- Height-pole escortover 17 ft height
Height over 17 ft: 1 pole car + public utility escort required. Pole at 6" above load height.
- Height-pole escortover 15 ft height
Height over 15 ft (up to 17): 1 pole car required on both 2-lane and 4-lane/interstate highways.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight-only travelover 8'6" width
Travel restricted to sunrise–sunset. No travel on New Year's, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, or Christmas Day.
- Weekend / holiday restrictionover 8'6" width
No travel New Year's, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas Day. Mobile homes prohibited on Sundays.
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Informational only. These thresholds are compiled from published Arkansas DOT references and are not legal or operational advice. Permit conditions can differ from the general tables, and rules change — always verify with the Arkansas permit office before you move a load.
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