Colorado Pilot Car Requirements
When Colorado requires a pilot car, how many, and when a height pole car is needed. Set by CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol.
CO, reviewed October 2026
The short answer for Colorado
Colorado does not publish a single width trigger for pilot cars. The escort requirement is written into each permit, so confirm it with CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol.
Daytime width escorts depend on the CDOT Pilot Escort and Oversize Restriction Map color; loads over 16 ft high need a front escort with height pole; over 115 ft long on four-lane highways need a rear escort.
Check your load for Colorado
Oversize permit required in Colorado
- Width 10 ft 0 in exceeds the 8 ft 6 in legal limit.
Colorado's width-escort thresholds are set in the permit conditions. Confirm with CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol.
Colorado escort thresholds
| First pilot car | Not confirmed: check your permit conditions |
|---|---|
| Second pilot car | Not confirmed: check your permit conditions |
| Height-pole escort | 16 ft 0 in tall and over |
| Length escort | 115 ft 0 in long and over |
Height pole by load height in Colorado
| Load height | Permit needed | Height pole car |
|---|---|---|
| 13 ft 6 in | No | Not required |
| 14 ft 0 in | No | Not required |
| 14 ft 6 in | No | Not required |
| 15 ft 0 in | Yes | Not required |
| 15 ft 6 in | Yes | Not required |
| 16 ft 0 in | Yes | Required |
Before you book an escort
- Read the escort conditions on your Colorado permit. They control over any summary, including this one.
- Ask about certification and insurance rules for escort drivers at CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol (303-757-9539).
- See the full Colorado oversize guide for legal dimensions, travel hours and holiday limits. New to the terms? The glossary covers pilot car and height pole.
Sources
- https://freight.colorado.gov/route-planning/rules-regulations
- https://freight.colorado.gov/resources
- https://freight.colorado.gov/permitting-information
- https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/GenerateRulePdf.do?ruleVersionId=8635&fileName=2%20CCR%20601-4
- https://csp.colorado.gov/services-we-provide/port-of-entry/permits-and-forms
Colorado Pilot Car FAQs
- How wide can a load be in Colorado before it needs a pilot car?
- The width at which Colorado requires a pilot car is set in the permit conditions. Confirm it with CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol when you order the permit.
- When does Colorado require a height pole car?
- A height-pole escort is required at 16 ft 0 in tall and over in Colorado. The pole is set just above the load so the escort driver finds low wires and structures first.
- Is a pilot car required for long loads in Colorado?
- Colorado lists a length trigger of 115 ft 0 in for an escort. Check the permit for how many escorts a long load needs.
- Do I need Colorado pilot car certification?
- Escort driver certification and reciprocity rules differ by state and change often. The permit conditions from CDOT Office of Freight Mobility and Safety (Permits); port of entry operated by Colorado State Patrol state who may escort a load, so confirm certification and insurance requirements there before you book an escort.
- Where do the pilot car numbers on this page come from?
- They are taken from Colorado's published permit rules and statutes, reviewed in October 2026, with the source links listed on this page. Where a figure could not be confirmed it is marked as not confirmed rather than estimated.
Summary of height pole at 16 ft 0 in, reviewed October 2026. Regulations change and this is not legal advice; the conditions printed on your permit control.