Arkansas pilot car regulations
Certification: not required. Arkansas's escort rules set no driver certification, training or age rule. No escort permit, bond or fee is needed, but the escort must carry proof of insurance.
From Arkansas's own rules and pages, checked 2026-10-24. Rules change: the state's page is the last word.
- Escort vehicle
- A truck rated at least 1/4 ton or a car of at least 2,000 lb, licensed in Arkansas or under a reciprocal agreement. Company or owner name and address on each door, readable from 50 feet.Source
- Sign
- "OVERSIZE LOAD" (manufactured homes: width in whole feet rounded up, e.g. "OVERSIZE 14 LOAD", front and back). Durable material, yellow background, black letters with a two-inch stroke and at least 10 inches high.
- Lights
- One amber light on top of the vehicle, not blocked by signs: rotating (at least 35,000 candlepower), strobe (at least 500,000 candlepower, 80+ flashes a minute) or LED (SAE Class 2, 1981-8099 candela), visible 360 degrees.
- Flags
- Two solid red flags, 18 inches square, mounted on top at an angle (preferably 40-70 degrees), no more than 6 inches past the sides and no more than 8 feet apart, lined up with the warning lights.
- Height pole
- Loads over 15 feet high need an escort with a clearance bar set 6 inches above the permitted height, unless the permit says otherwise.
- Other equipment
- 10-pound Class BC dry chemical fire extinguisher (or equivalent); four 15-minute flares, light sticks or triangles; two-way radio with the towing vehicle and other escort; stay about 200 feet from the load.
- Insurance
- Bodily injury at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident, plus $25,000 property damage per accident (or $325,000 combined single limit), from a company licensed in Arkansas; proof carried in the vehicle.Source