New York pilot car regulations
Certification: required. Anyone who escorts an over-dimensional load (over 12 ft wide, 80 ft or longer, 14 ft or taller, or more than 10 ft overhang) or flags for one in New York needs a New York escort endorsement or certificate. You pass a written test at a DMV office ($40 a try). With a New York licence it expires with your licence; with an out-of-state licence it is good for four years.
From New York's own rules and pages, checked 2026-10-24. Rules change: the state's page is the last word.
- Certification program
- NY DMV Escort Driver Endorsement / Certification (Certified Vehicle Escort Card MV-64, application MV-65)Source
- Other states' cards
- None. New York does not recognize escort driver certifications from other states. Out-of-state drivers with a valid home-state licence can get a New York escort certification (not the endorsement).
- Minimum age
- 21
- Escort vehicle
- A marked vehicle with warning signs and lights that drives in front of or behind the load. On the Thruway, certified escorts must show warning signs and a working light bar on the roof.Source
- Sign
- Escort vehicles display warning signs (Thruway guide); the exact size and colour rules are in 17 NYCRR Part 154, which could not be opened.
- Lights
- Operational bar light on the roof; on some Thruway moves headlights and other outside lights must also be on (Thruway TAP-623).