Connecticut Pilot Car Requirements

When does an oversize or overweight load need a pilot car or escort in Connecticut? Here are the width, height, length and weight thresholds that trigger an escort, a height pole, or a police escort.

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Escort & pilot car requirements

  • Lead (front) pilot carover 25'0" front overhang front overhang

    Front AND rear escort required when front overhang exceeds 25' on undivided highways (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Chase (rear) pilot carover 25'0" rear overhang rear overhang

    Front AND rear escort required when rear overhang exceeds 25' on undivided highways (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Lead (front) pilot carover 100'0" length

    Front AND rear pilot required for overall lengths over 100' on all routes (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Chase (rear) pilot carover 100'0" length

    Front AND rear pilot required for overall lengths over 100' on all routes.

  • Chase (rear) pilot carover 80'0" length

    Rear pilot required for overall lengths over 80' on undivided highways (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-267a).

  • Police / law-enforcement escortover 15'3" height

    CT State Police front and rear required for heights 15'4"+. Also triggered at 15'1"+ when width ≥ 13'6" (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Lead (front) pilot carover 14'0" height

    Front pilot required for heights over 14' on all routes (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Height-pole escortover 14'0" height

    Front pilot with height pole required for loads over 14' high; route survey required for 14'1"+ (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Lead (front) pilot carover 13'6" width

    Front AND rear pilot required for widths over 13'6" on all routes (CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Chase (rear) pilot carover 13'6" width

    Front AND rear pilot required for widths over 13'6" on all routes.

  • Police / law-enforcement escortover 13'5" width

    CT State Police escort front and rear when width exceeds 13'5" AND height exceeds 15'0" (combined condition; CTDOT permit conditions).

  • Lead (front) pilot carover 12'0" width

    Front pilot required for widths over 12' on undivided highways (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-267a).

  • Chase (rear) pilot carover 12'0" width

    Rear pilot required for widths over 12' on both highway types (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-267a).

Travel restrictions

  • Daylight-only travelover 8'6" width

    1/2 hr after sunrise to 1/2 hr before sunset. Loads over 13'6"W or 14'H: Tue–Thu 9am–4pm only. No 6:30–9am or 4–6pm (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-267a).

  • Weekend / holiday restrictionover 8'6" width

    No weekend travel (limited Sat/Sun permits for ≤12'W, ≤80'L, <160k lbs only). No movement on New Year's, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

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Informational only. These thresholds are compiled from published Connecticut DOT references and are not legal or operational advice. Permit conditions can differ from the general tables, and rules change — always verify with the Connecticut permit office before you move a load.

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