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Part One - Best Practices Guidelines

Introduction

These best practices guidelines have been compiled in response to National Transportation Safety Board’s
(NTSB’s) Safety Recommendations H-01-32, -33, and -36. Although the States, through their permitting process, have some requirements for oversize/overweight movements, no nationwide guidance is available for how law enforcement escorts should support these movements.

There are potentially four major stakeholders in the safe movement of oversize/overweight loads after a permit has been issued:

  1. Carrier
  2. CMV Driver
  3. Pilot Car Escort
  4. Law Enforcement Escort

The safe movement of permitted oversize/overweight loads requires coordinated efforts of all stakeholders. This
document contains recommendations for law enforcement escorts. It is recommended that these guidelines be
coordinated with the Pilot Car Escort Best Practices Guidelines, when taken together, provide the overall guidance for the safe movement of permitted oversize/overweight loads. These guidelines have been developed using the following sources:

  1. Current practices of law enforcement escorts
  2. Best practices recommendations of law enforcement escorts
  3. Comparative analyses of state regulations
  4. Post-crash accident investigation recommendations from NTSB.

Background

On January 2, 2000, in Glendale, California, a tractor-combination vehicle was transporting an oil refinery
condenser unit. The vehicle missed a turn in its planned route, traversed a highway-railroad grade crossing,
turned around, and was attempting to retraverse the crossing when it became lodged on the railroad tracks.
About 90 seconds later, northbound Metrolink Commuter Train 901 collided with the semitrailer. There were
minor injuries and damages estimated to be over two million dollars.

NTSB determined that the probable cause of this accident was (1) inadequate preparation and route planning for the movement; (2) poor coordination of the movement among the truck driver, pilot car drivers, police escorts, and permitting authorities; (3) a lack of recognition of the potential hazard caused by the accident vehicle at the grade crossing; and (4) the fatigue of the tractor-trailer driver and pilot car escorts.

The accident and the movements that preceded the accident demonstrate how fragmented the permitting and
route planning process can be and how poor communication among the participants can lead to catastrophe.
Although the States, through their permitting process, have some requirements for oversize/overweight movement, and permitting guidance is available through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), no overall guidance is available concerning how this type of movement should be made. Therefore, as recommended by NTSB, these best practices guidelines have been developed to assist escort vehicles in the safe movement of permitted oversize/overweight loads.

Definitions

These best practices guidelines have been developed to assist law enforcement escorts in the safe movement of permitted oversize/overweight loads. The following definitions are used throughout these guidelines:

A superload is any load that requires special approval by one or more state permit offices because of dimension
or weight. Maximum dimensions and weights under permit are to be determined by each state.

Special permit refers to a written authorization to move or operate on a highway a vehicle or combination
of vehicles with or without a load of size and/or weight exceeding the limits prescribed for vehicles in
regular operation.

Law enforcement escort refers to a government vehicle used for the express purpose as an escort
vehicle for extra-legal vehicles.

Extra-legal vehicle refers a motor vehicle, laden or unladen which exceeds legal dimensions and/or
weights and operates on highways by permit.

Pilot car escort refers to a civilian vehicle used for the express purpose as an escort vehicle for
extra-legal vehicles.

Regular operation refers to the movement over highways of motor vehicles with dimensions
and weights specified by state codes.

Coordinating officer refers to the designated official who reviews all permits and makes
law enforcement escort assignments.

Jurisdiction refers to all governmental regulatory bodies, including federal, state, city, county, municipality, etc.

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