Sharing the road with oversize, pilot and escort vehicles
All drivers need to be aware of how to share the road safely with oversize vehicles.
A pilot, escort or police vehicle will precede or follow along the road if a heavy vehicle or its load is:
- wider than 3.5m or
- longer than 25m.
Types of escort vehicles
Pilot vehicle
A pilot vehicle has yellow flashing lights and an OVERSIZE LOAD AHEAD sign on its roof.
Escort vehicle
An escort vehicle has yellow flashing lights, yellow and white wigwag lights and an OVERSIZE LOAD AHEAD sign on its roof.
The bigger the vehicle and its load, the more pilot or escort vehicles it will have.
Driving safely near pilot or escort vehicles
Approaching an oversize vehicle
If you see a pilot or escort vehicle approaching with its warning lights flashing, you should:
- slow down
- move over if necessary
- respond to gestures by the driver of an escort vehicle
- give way to the oversize vehicle.
Following an oversize vehicle
If you are following an oversize vehicle, you should wait until the rear escort vehicle operator signals you can overtake. You must pass both pilot or escort vehicles and the oversize vehicle in one manoeuvre within the speed limit.