Mississippi Pilot Car Requirements

DAYLIGHT ON A TWO-LANE ROADWAY: loads 13'0" wide or greater require, at minimum, a FRONT escort plus flashing amber lights mounted on the rear of the load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 18). On a DIVIDED HIGHWAY — two or more through lanes per direction — the same width calls for a REAR escort instead; see the chase entry. This engine has no road-class input, so both are surfaced: run the one matching your route, and where the route mixes both, plan the front escort. Night movement is not routinely permitted above 12' wide (item 13), so from 13' up this governs at all hours. CONFLICT: uspilotcars and one published summary table put this trigger at 12', one foot low. Running a front escort from 12' is the safe reading and costs nothing. MDOT may additionally require escorts when crossing bridges on a permitted route (item 18, final bullet), and the permit itself may impose a front-and-rear escort or a height-pole escort as a condition at any dimension (General Safety Requirements item 1); failure to have the required escorts can cost up to thirty (30) days of permit privileges (item 2).

DAYLIGHT ON A DIVIDED HIGHWAY (two or more through lanes per direction): loads 13'0" wide or greater require, at minimum, a REAR escort plus flashing amber lights mounted on the rear of the load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 18). On a TWO-LANE roadway the escort belongs in FRONT instead; see the lead entry. CONFLICT: uspilotcars and one published summary table say 12'; the manual says 13'. 12' is the safe reading. The prior dataset this block was built from got the 13' number right but assigned a REAR escort to both road classes — on a two-lane road that leaves the load with nobody out front. MDOT may additionally require escorts when crossing bridges on a permitted route (item 18, final bullet), and the permit itself may impose a front-and-rear escort or a height-pole escort as a condition at any dimension (General Safety Requirements item 1); failure to have the required escorts can cost up to thirty (30) days of permit privileges (item 2).

AT NIGHT ON A TWO-LANE ROADWAY: loads 10'0" wide or greater require, at minimum, a FRONT escort plus flashing amber lights mounted on the rear of the load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13, restated verbatim in the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 3). Below 10' wide at night: flashing amber lights on the rear of the load only, no escort required. IN DAYLIGHT no escort is required below 13' wide. Mississippi permits night movement only for loads within 12' wide, 150,000 lb, 99' long and 4' rear overhang, so this rule governs the 10'-to-12' band; at 13' and above the daylight rule takes over and night movement is no longer routinely available. THE 12'1" TO 12'11" BAND: this night rule does not reach it — night movement is capped at 12'0" wide (item 13) and the daylight escort requirement does not begin until 13'0" (item 18), so MDOT mandates no escort by width there. It is still a daylight-only move, and the permit itself may impose a front-and-rear escort at any width (General Safety Requirements item 1). Escorts may also be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route (item 18, final bullet).

AT NIGHT ON A DIVIDED HIGHWAY (two or more through lanes per direction): loads 10'0" wide or greater require, at minimum, a REAR escort plus flashing amber lights mounted on the rear of the load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13 and Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 4). On a TWO-LANE roadway at night the escort belongs in FRONT instead. Below 10' wide at night: amber lights only, no escort. IN DAYLIGHT no escort is required below 13' wide. Only MDOT's own manual distinguishes the divided-highway night case — no secondary source carries it. THE 12'1" TO 12'11" BAND: this night rule does not reach it — night movement is capped at 12'0" wide (item 13) and the daylight escort requirement does not begin until 13'0" (item 18). The permit may still impose a front-and-rear escort at any width, and escorts may be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route (General Safety Requirements item 1).

DISCRETIONARY, NOT AUTOMATIC. For loads 18'0" wide and over a police escort ("blue lights") MAY be required, depending on the route and load conditions, at the discretion of the MDOT Executive Director or the Commission (2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 18). The manual does not make it mandatory — the permit decides. Settle it in writing before dispatch: MDOT Permit Division, 601-359-1717. Note that 17'0" wide already makes the load a Super Load, whose escort, flag and light conditions are listed on the permit face, and MDOT expressly reserves the right to require more blue-light escorts for any combination of width, weight or height. No secondary source mentions a Mississippi police-escort width trigger at all.

SUPER LOAD THRESHOLD — ESCORTS SET BY THE PERMIT, NOT BY A FIXED RULE. Overall width over 17'0" makes the load a Super Load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section, limit 1). Super Load permits carry their own escort, flag and light conditions on the permit face: "Various conditions are required to move a Super Load, including but not limited to escort, flags, lights and others. Requirements are listed on the Superload Permit." MDOT expressly reserves the right to require more blue-light escorts depending on the load width, weight, height or any combination of said dimensions (item 9.c.v), and to use alternate methods to ensure proper escorts (item 9.c.vi). The civilian escort required from 13'0" — FRONT on a two-lane roadway, REAR on a divided highway — still applies underneath this. At 18'0" and over a police escort may additionally be required at the discretion of the Executive Director or the Commission; that entry replaces this message once the load reaches 18'. BOUNDARY NOTE: the manual says a Super Load is a vehicle that "exceeds" an overall width of seventeen (17) feet, so a load measuring exactly 17'0" sits on the line and is not automatically a Super Load — confirm with MDOT Permit Division, 601-359-1717. Apply early: Super Load applications require a route survey and a detailed traffic control plan.

Total length exceeding 99'0" requires a permit and a front AND/OR rear escort (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 11). The manual does not fix which end; the permit does. Plan for both and let MDOT reduce it in writing — do not assume one. This is the ONLY general length escort tier in the manual: the 120' front-plus-rear tier formerly encoded here appears in no primary source, and the surveyed secondary sources give four mutually inconsistent schemes (95'/105', 99'/120', and others). Separately: a trailer over 53' needs an Oversize Permit (item 12), 121' overall makes the load a Super Load, written railroad sign-off is required above 120', and at 160' two blue-light escorts become mandatory.

MANDATORY. Two blue-light (law enforcement) escorts, one FRONT and one REAR, on all loads beginning at 160'0" in total length (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section, item 9.c.ii). Unlike the 18'-wide police trigger, this is stated without any discretionary qualifier. The civilian front-and/or-rear escort required above 99' still applies on top of it. MDOT expressly reserves the right to require additional blue-light escorts for any combination of width, weight or height (item 9.c.v). No secondary source reports this trigger.

REQUIRED. A height pole is required if the load is 15'7" tall or more (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section, item 9.c.i). 15'7" is also the height at which the load becomes a Super Load. At 15'9" and above this escalates to two blue-light escorts plus a height-pole escort — see the police entry. Written acknowledgement and permission from the affected utility and railroad companies is required above 16'7". Legal height in Mississippi is 13'6"; above that you are on a permit and on the route MDOT gives you.

DISCRETIONARY — NO FIXED TRIGGER ESTABLISHED between 13'6" and 15'7". Above 13'6" a permit is required, and MDOT General Safety Requirements item 1 lets the permit impose "Escorts with a height pole" whenever necessary for the protection of the public or the highway, stating no height. The manual's only numeric pole trigger is 15'7" (Super Load). Treat a pole below that as route-dependent and get it resolved on the permit face: MDOT Permit Division, 601-359-1717. The manual gives no clearance guarantee — the Super Load route survey exists precisely because overhead obstructions are enumerated per route, not per state.

MANDATORY. Two blue-light (law enforcement) escorts PLUS a height-pole escort are required on loads starting at 15'9" tall or more (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section, item 9.c.iii). Exceptions may be allowed at the discretion of the MDOT Permit Division Director based on the load's route — that exception has to come from MDOT, not from you. The separate height-pole requirement at 15'7" still applies. Source note: the PDF prints "fifteen (15) feet (9) inches", omitting the word nine; the numeral is 15'9". No secondary source reports this trigger.

MANDATORY. Two blue-light (law enforcement) escorts are required for loads of 300,000 pounds or more (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section, item 9.c.iv). Exceptions may be allowed at the discretion of the MDOT Permit Division Director based on the load's route. None of the secondary sources surveyed report this trigger — the manual is the only place it exists.

SUPER LOAD THRESHOLD — ESCORTS SET BY THE PERMIT, NOT BY A FIXED RULE. Gross weight of 189,999 pounds or greater makes the load a Super Load (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, Super Load section). Super Load permits carry their own escort, flag and light conditions on the permit face, and MDOT expressly reserves the right to require additional blue-light escorts based on width, weight, height or any combination (item 9.c.v). The manual sets no automatic CIVILIAN escort by weight at any tonnage. At 300,000 lb two blue-light escorts become mandatory. Apply early: Super Load applications require a route survey, a detailed traffic control plan, and utility/railroad sign-off where height or length demands it.

Rear overhang of 15'0" or greater requires a permit and a front and/or rear escort (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 9). The manual does not fix which end; the permit does. Plan a REAR escort at minimum — the hazard is behind you. This is the best-corroborated Mississippi figure in the set: every secondary source that reports an overhang trigger reports 15'. Separately, rear overhang is capped at 4'0" for any night movement (item 13), so a load with this overhang is a daylight move.

Front projection of 15'0" or greater requires a front and/or rear escort (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Permit Regulations item 10). The manual does not fix which end; the permit does. Plan a FRONT escort at minimum — the hazard is ahead of you. A front projection exceeding 3'0" already requires a permit on its own (item 10). Every secondary source that reports a front-projection trigger agrees on 15'.

Loads over 12'0" wide are effectively DAYLIGHT ONLY. Mississippi affirmatively permits night movement only for loads not exceeding 12'0" wide (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13); above that a night move is not routinely permitted and needs specific permit authorization. "Daylight Hours" for a load over 12' wide means 30 minutes AFTER sunrise to 30 minutes BEFORE sunset per the National Weather Service — a narrower window than the sunrise-to-sunset definition that applies at 12' and under (Definitions item 2). Under the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit, loads over 12' and up to 14' wide are daylight moves Monday through Saturday. Overwidth loads may not be moved in inclement weather at all (item 16). Oversize or Wide Load signs are required above 12' wide (item 17), along with two 5-inch flashing amber lights visible 500 feet, mounted approximately 6 feet above the pavement on the rear corners of the load (General Safety Requirements item 7).

Loads over 150,000 pounds are effectively DAYLIGHT ONLY. Night movement is affirmatively permitted only for loads not exceeding 150,000 pounds (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13; the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 1 states the same limit for 24-hour, 7-day movement). Above it a night move needs specific permit authorization. At 189,999 pounds the load becomes a Super Load with escort conditions set on the permit face.

Loads over 99'0" long are effectively DAYLIGHT ONLY. Night movement is affirmatively permitted only for loads not exceeding 99'0" in length (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13; Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 1). Above it a night move needs specific permit authorization. The same 99' figure independently triggers a front and/or rear escort — see the length escort entry.

Loads with rear overhang over 4'0" are effectively DAYLIGHT ONLY. MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13 caps night movement at "Maximum rear overhang is four (4) feet"; beyond that a night move needs specific permit authorization. At 15'0" of rear overhang a front and/or rear escort is required — see the overhang entry.

AMBIGUOUS IN THE SOURCE — PLAN AS DAYLIGHT ONLY AND CONFIRM WITH MDOT. Loads over 13'6" high should be planned as daylight moves. MDOT 2026 Permit Manual item 13 is garbled on this point: it permits night movement for loads "not exceeding twelve (12) feet in width, or 150,000 pounds or ninety-nine (99) feet long or height exceeding thirteen (13) feet six (6) inches (the maximum height is dependent on the route)" — the height clause reads backwards against the other three limits, and the parenthetical says maximum height is route-dependent rather than fixed. The parallel Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 1 lists 13'6" as a ceiling for 24-hour movement, which supports reading it as a cap. 13'6" is also the legal height above which a permit is required. Confirm the night window with MDOT Permit Division, 601-359-1717, before planning an after-dark move over 13'6".

No permitted movement after 12:00 NOON on days preceding or on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas — unless otherwise permitted (MDOT 2026 Permit Manual, General Safety Requirements item 5). A permit is required for movement in excess of 8'6" wide (item 14; exceptions are listed in Miss. Code Ann. § 63-5-13), which is why this fires here. NO GENERAL SUNDAY BAN IS ESTABLISHED: the word "Sunday" does not appear anywhere in the 2026 manual, and the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit item 1 expressly allows 24-hour, 7-day movement for loads within 150,000 lb / 12' wide / 13'6" high / 99' long. Secondary sources assert a flat no-Sunday rule; the only Monday-through-Saturday language in the manual applies to loads over 12' and up to 14' wide under the Special Heavy Equipment Blanket Permit. If your move falls in that band, or you are running a blanket permit, confirm Sunday with MDOT. ALSO ATTACHED TO EVERY MISSISSIPPI PERMIT, AT ANY DIMENSION — four real escort requirements that no dimension threshold in this table can fire, so read them on every move: (1) BRIDGES — "Escorts may be required when crossing bridges on a permitted route" (General Permit Regulations item 18, final bullet; repeated verbatim at General Safety Requirements item 1, final bullet). Route-gated, so check the permit and the route, not the load size. (2) PERMIT-IMPOSED ESCORTS — "When necessary for the protection of the public or the highway, permits may require reduced speed limits, law enforcement escort(s) or other safety precautions such as: Front and rear escort. Escorts with a height pole. Daylight movement only." (General Safety Requirements item 1). That attaches to ANY permit at ANY size: a 9' load can be handed a front-and-rear escort condition on the permit face. Read the permit, not just this table. (3) PENALTY — "Failure to have the required escort(s) may result in up to thirty (30) days suspension of the permit holder from the permit system" (General Safety Requirements item 2). (4) CONVOYS — a Tractor with Dirt Pan In-Tow Permit convoy "may move in a convoy of no more than three (3) units with escorts front and rear" (item 3), at ANY dimension; and a Pole Blanket Permit convoy of not more than two tractor-trailers hauling poles requires one REAR escort (item 3), with MDOT free to require additional escorts and a height pole for particular loads or routes (Pole Blanket item 10).