Guide
Abnormal load escorts and attendants: when they are required
Updated
Escorts are the visible part of an abnormal load movement and the part customers most often assume is optional. The thresholds that trigger them are published, and they are about dimensions rather than about how careful the driver is.
The published thresholds
The gov.uk special types enforcement guide sets out attendant and notification requirements for over-width and over-length movements (gov.uk). In summary, as the guide states them:
| Situation | What the guide states |
|---|---|
| Load width of 3 metres or less, but side projection over 305mm | 2 days' notice to police |
| Load width exceeding 3 metres, including projections | 2 days' notice to police |
| Load width exceeding 3.5 metres, including projections | 2 days' notice to police and attendant required |
| Load width exceeding 5 metres, including projections | Approval from the Secretary of State in the form of a VR1 permit, 2 days' notice to police and attendant required |
| Single rigid unit over 18.75 metres, or a combination over 25.9 metres | 2 days' notice to police in all areas where it will be used, and it must be accompanied by an attendant |
| Front or rear projection exceeding 3.05 metres | 2 days' notice to police; an attendant is needed where a projection exceeds 2 metres to the front or 3.05 metres to the rear |
The guide also notes that where an STGO vehicle is over 3.05 metres wide, the police must be told regardless of the weight of the vehicle, and it sets out separate marker board and lighting requirements for projections.
Attendants, private escorts and the police
- Attendant
- A second person whose job is the movement itself: warning other road users, assisting the driver at pinch points and helping manage the load's passage. Required at the thresholds above.
- Private escort vehicle
- Marked escort vehicles run by the haulier or a specialist escort company. Common on wide loads and long convoys, and the practical way most attendant requirements are met.
- Police involvement
- Requested through the notification process rather than booked by the customer. Where police assistance is needed for a movement, it is arranged as part of the notification and can affect both timing and cost.
What escorts do to a quote
- Each escort vehicle is a vehicle and a person for the whole movement, including positioning to the start and returning afterwards.
- Long routes multiply it. A movement spanning several force areas or several days multiplies escort time, not just mileage.
- Timing restrictions interact. A movement pushed to nights takes escort resource at premium hours.
- Cancellations still cost. Escorts are booked against a date; if your site is not ready, the resource has usually already been committed.
Figures on this page are taken from the gov.uk special types enforcement guide and were checked in August 2026. Requirements for a specific movement depend on its exact dimensions, its route and current guidance, so confirm them with your haulier rather than working from this summary.