Texas pilot car regulations
Certification: not required. No training is needed just to drive a Texas escort vehicle. Only an escort flagger who gets out and directs traffic must finish a TCOLE-approved traffic direction course and carry proof.
From Texas's own rules and pages, checked 2026-10-24. Rules change: the state's page is the last word.
- Certification program
- TCOLE-approved escort flagger traffic direction trainingSource
- Other states' cards
- An escort flagger or pilot/escort vehicle certification accepted by another state that requires certification is accepted in Texas.
- Escort vehicle
- The escort must be a single vehicle (no trailer) weighing between 1,000 and 10,000 pounds. Inside a city, an official police motorcycle may be the main escort.Source
- Sign
- "OVERSIZE LOAD" or "WIDE LOAD" on the roof or on the front and rear, yellow background with black letters. Sign 5 to 7 feet long and 12 to 18 inches high; letters 8 to 10 inches high with at least a 1.41-inch brush stroke. Visible from front and rear, and not displayed at other times.
- Lights
- Two flashing amber lights, or one rotating amber beacon at least 8 inches in diameter, or alternating/flashing blue and amber lights, mounted on the roof and visible from all sides.
- Height pole
- When the load is taller than 17 feet, the front escort must carry a height pole made of nonconductive material to measure overhead obstructions.
- Other equipment
- Two-way radio communication with the permitted vehicle and other escort vehicles.