Kentucky Pilot Car Requirements

When Kentucky requires a pilot car, how many, and when a height pole car is needed. Set by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Motor Carriers - Overweight/Over-Dimensional Permits.

KY, reviewed October 2026

The short answer for Kentucky

Loads wider than 12 ft 0 in need a pilot car in Kentucky, and wider than 14 ft 0 in need two. A height-pole escort is required at 14 ft 11 in tall.

Kentucky asks for a first pilot car at 12 ft 0 in wide. 28 of the 45 states that publish a width wait until a wider load, and 1 start earlier; 15 more match it.

Multilane: rear escort over 12 ft wide or 110 ft long, front and rear over 14 ft wide, 2 front and 2 rear over 16 ft; two-lane: front and rear over 12 ft wide, front over 75 ft long; front height-pole escort over 14 ft 11 in high.

Check your load for Kentucky

Oversize permit required in Kentucky

  • Width 10 ft 0 in exceeds the 8 ft 6 in legal limit.

No width-based pilot car at 10 ft 0 in wide.

Kentucky escort thresholds

Kentucky pilot car thresholds by dimension
First pilot car12 ft 0 in wide and over
Second pilot car14 ft 0 in wide and over
Height-pole escort14 ft 11 in tall and over
Length escort110 ft 0 in long and over

Pilot cars by load width in Kentucky

Escorts to plan for at each width, from the thresholds above. The permit sets front and rear positions.

Pilot cars needed by load width in Kentucky
Load widthPilot cars
8 ft 6 in (legal width)None required for width
9 ft 0 inNone required for width
10 ft 0 inNone required for width
11 ft 0 inNone required for width
12 ft 0 in1 pilot car
13 ft 0 in1 pilot car
14 ft 0 in2 pilot cars
15 ft 0 in2 pilot cars
16 ft 0 in2 pilot cars

Height pole by load height in Kentucky

Height pole escort by load height in Kentucky
Load heightPermit neededHeight pole car
13 ft 6 inNoNot required
14 ft 0 inYesNot required
14 ft 6 inYesNot required
15 ft 0 inYesRequired
15 ft 6 inYesRequired
16 ft 0 inYesRequired

Before you book an escort

  • Read the escort conditions on your Kentucky permit. They control over any summary, including this one.
  • Ask about certification and insurance rules for escort drivers at Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Motor Carriers - Overweight/Over-Dimensional Permits.
  • See the full Kentucky oversize guide for legal dimensions, travel hours and holiday limits. New to the terms? The glossary covers pilot car and height pole.

Crossing a border? Compare Kentucky with a neighbor: Ohio, Tennessee.

Sources

Kentucky Pilot Car FAQs

How wide can a load be in Kentucky before it needs a pilot car?
Kentucky requires the first pilot car at 12 ft 0 in wide and a second at 14 ft 0 in wide. Loads up to the 8 ft 6 in legal width travel without a width escort.
When does Kentucky require a height pole car?
A height-pole escort is required at 14 ft 11 in tall and over in Kentucky. 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 Kentucky?
Kentucky lists a length trigger of 110 ft 0 in for an escort. Check the permit for how many escorts a long load needs.
Do I need Kentucky pilot car certification?
Escort driver certification and reciprocity rules differ by state and change often. The permit conditions from Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Division of Motor Carriers - Overweight/Over-Dimensional Permits 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 Kentucky'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 first pilot car at 12 ft 0 in wide, two at 14 ft 0 in, height pole at 14 ft 11 in, reviewed October 2026. Regulations change and this is not legal advice; the conditions printed on your permit control.