South Carolina Pilot Car Requirements
When does an oversize or overweight load need a pilot car or escort in South Carolina? Here are the width, height, length and weight thresholds that trigger an escort, a height pole, or a police escort.
Escort & pilot car requirements
- Police / law-enforcement escortover 16 ft width
Width over 16 ft: 1 front police + 1 rear police escort required, in addition to civilian front and rear escorts.
- Lead (front) pilot carover 16 ft width
Width over 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required (in addition to police front and rear).
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 16 ft width
Width over 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required (in addition to police front and rear).
- Lead (front) pilot carover 14 ft width
Width over 14 ft up to 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 14 ft width
Width over 14 ft up to 16 ft: 1 front + 1 rear civilian escort required.
- Lead (front) pilot carover 12 ft width
Width over 12 ft up to 14 ft: 1 front escort required on 2-lane roads only.
- Height-pole escortover 16 ft height
Height ≥16 ft: 1 front escort with height measuring device (vertical height indicator) required.
- Lead (front) pilot carover 150 ft length
Length over 150 ft: 1 front + 1 rear escort required.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 150 ft length
Length over 150 ft: 1 front + 1 rear escort required.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 125 ft length
Length 125–150 ft: 1 rear escort required.
- Chase (rear) pilot carover 15 ft rear overhang
Rear overhang over 15 ft up to 25 ft: 1 rear escort required; red flag must be displayed.
Travel restrictions
- Daylight-only travelover 12 ft width
Over 12 ft wide: 1/2 hr after sunrise to 1/2 hr before sunset. Over 15 ft: highly restricted hours with metro-area curfews.
- Weekend / holiday restrictionover 12 ft width
Travel prohibited on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
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Informational only. These thresholds are compiled from published South Carolina DOT references and are not legal or operational advice. Permit conditions can differ from the general tables, and rules change — always verify with the South Carolina permit office before you move a load.
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