Escort or Pilot Car Requirements in Louisiana

Escort Vehicle Requirements

• Length Requirements:
  Loads over 90 feet long one escort vehicle required
  Loads over 125 feet long requires Louisiana State Police escort
• Width Requirements:
  Over 12 feet one pilot car is mandatory
  Over 16 feet state Police escort needed on both 2-lane and multi-lane roads
• Height Requirements:
  Over 15 feet 10 inches may require a height pole, especially off the Interstate
  Over 16 feet 6 inches route-specific escort requirements apply

Special Rules City of New Orleans (Non-Interstate Routes)
If a load is:

• Wider than 12 feet
• Taller than 13 feet 6 inches
• Longer than 90 feet
• Then a local police escort is required when traveling off the Interstate system

Sings, Lights and flags Requirements and Additional Information in Louisiana

Sings, Lights and flags Requirements:

•  “Oversize Load” Signs:
  These are mandatory for vehicles carrying loads that are:
  Over 10 feet in width
  Over 75 feet in length
  Or have a rear overhang that exceeds the legal limit
• Flagging Requirements:
  All overwidth loads must have red or orange warning flags placed at each corner of the load and at any protruding points.
  Overlength loads also require flags, especially at the rear extremities; however, signs are not mandatory for length alone.
  Any rear overhang extending more than 4 feet must be clearly flagged.
• Height Only Loads:
  For loads that only exceed the legal height limit, no flags or signage are required.

Miscellaneous Provisions – Louisiana Oversize Load Rules

Transporting Attachments for Heavy Equipment: When transporting heavy equipment such as a dozer, components like the blade or side boom can be removed and hauled on the same truck. For other types of equipment, such as excavators, small attachments like buckets or forks that weigh 500 pounds or less are permitted to be carried alongside the main unit on the same load.

Louisiana Oversize Permits Cost:

Depending on the type of permission, Louisiana oversize permits have different costs.
In Louisiana, oversize permits can cost anywhere from $10 per trip to $2,500 for an annual permit. Single trip permits are typically $10, while annual permits for vehicles transporting a single piece of heavy equipment can cost $2,500. There are also options for monthly permits and permits for specific types of equipment.

• Single Trip Permits:
  Cost: $10 per trip.
• Annual Permits:
  Cost: $2,500 for vehicles transporting a single piece of heavy equipment, not trailer-mounted, with a gross weight not exceeding 120,000 pounds.
  Dimensions: These permits typically have height, width, and length limitations (e.g., 14’4″ height, 12′ width, 90′ length).
• Other Annual Permits: There may be other types of annual permits with different cost structures, such as account code-based annual fees for non-divisible loads.
• Other Permits:
  Monthly Oversize Permit: $10 charged per active permit day.
  House Movers Equipment Permit: $15 charged monthly.
  Critical Off-Road Semi-Annual Permit: $0.07 per ton-mile traveled.
  Oilfield Special Equipment Permit: $15 monthly rate.