An oversize load escort is a support vehicle with yellow warning lights and special markings that drives ahead of and behind a vehicle carrying a wide, long or heavy load under a special permit, warning other drivers. In Türkiye, whether an escort is required, how many vehicles and where they are positioned are set in the permit issued by the General Directorate of Highways (KGM, Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü) according to the load dimensions and road type.
What exactly does an escort vehicle do?
The escort, called a support vehicle in the regulations, creates a safety zone around the oversize vehicle. The front vehicle warns oncoming traffic and reports road conditions to the main vehicle before narrow bridges, bends and overpasses. The rear vehicle prevents overtaking attempts and makes the load visible from behind. The driver of the main vehicle and the escort crews stay in constant radio contact.
Under Article 143 of the Highway Traffic Regulation (Karayolları Trafik Yönetmeliği), vehicles travelling under a special permit and the vehicles escorting them use a yellow flashing warning light. This light is for warning only and does not grant right of way.
When is an escort mandatory?
KGM writes the requirement into the special permit based on the dimensions in the application and the route. In KGM practice, a support vehicle is required in the following cases:
- the total width of the transport exceeds 3 metres,
- the combined length of vehicle and load exceeds the threshold set by KGM (in practice 22 m, and 25 m for some permit types),
- the load overhangs the rear of the vehicle significantly.
The escort position depends on the road type:
| Road type | Escort position | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Dual carriageway and motorway | Behind | No oncoming traffic; the risk is vehicles approaching from behind |
| Two-way road | In front and behind | Oncoming drivers need to see the wide load early |
What is the difference between a private escort and a traffic police escort?
A private escort is a vehicle of the carrier or of an escort service company and can only warn; it cannot stop traffic or close a junction. A traffic police or gendarmerie escort, by contrast, carries law-enforcement authority. For very wide or very heavy loads, for urban passages, where single-vehicle passage over bridges is required or where junctions must be closed temporarily, a law-enforcement escort may be added to the permit conditions. Details are in the police and gendarmerie escort entry.
What equipment does an escort vehicle carry?
- A flashing yellow warning light on the roof,
- The special markings shown in the permit and a warning sign readable from a distance,
- Red-and-white reflective strips visible from the front and rear,
- A radio for communication with the main vehicle,
- A reflective vest, traffic cones and warning flags.
In practice, vans or pick-ups are usually used as escort vehicles. The marking rules for the load and the vehicle itself are explained in the oversize load marking entry.
Who provides it and what should be watched?
The company performing the transport provides the escort with its own vehicle or hires one from an escort service company; the vehicle operator is responsible for complying with the permit conditions. The escort is planned together with the hours set by the permit; many permits restrict transport to daylight hours (transport hours). In international shipments, each country's thresholds differ, so escort changeover at the border must be arranged in advance.
Common mistakes
- Planning the escort only to depart at the same time as the main vehicle and skipping the route pre-check.
- Leaving the warning sign and yellow light on the escort vehicle dirty, dim or covered by the load tarpaulin.
- The front escort not being ready when entering a two-way road.
How does Voltim Global support this?
In oversize and heavy cargo transport, Voltim Global handles the special permit application and the escort organisation together, so that the support vehicle requirement written in the permit is met before the departure time.