Arizona Escort Vehicle Operator Certification Requirements
Overview of Arizona Law
Every person operating an escort vehicle (pilot car) must be trained and certified in safety best practices for escorting over-dimensional loads. The training curriculum is based on the Pilot Car Escort Best Practices Guidelines developed cooperatively by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA). Escort vehicle operators who do not possess a valid Arizona Escort Vehicle Operator certificate, or a valid certificate from any of the other nine states* (listed below) that require certification, will be cited and the load they are escorting placed out of service.
Arizona law also requires a minimum of four (4) hours of traffic control/flagger training for escort vehicle operators. The training is based on the National Safety Council's flagger training curriculum. Arizona-based pilot escort vehicle operators that did not complete this training prior to February 1, 2010 are not certified to escort over-dimensional loads within Arizona.
A new bill signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer April 21 grants properly trained and certified pilot car operators to perform traffic control under guidelines to be developed by the Arizona Dept. of Transportation, Arizona Dept. of Public Safety and the over-dimensional hauling industry. The bill will become effective 90 days after adjournment of the 2010 Legislature, or sometime around late summer. The bill also requires that pilot escort vehicle operators maintain a minimum level of $500,000 of commercial liability insurance..
Under an agreement with ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division, the Arizona Trucking Association offers Escort Vehicle Operator training and certification, issues the recognized certification cards and maintains the database of certified operators that is accessible to enforcement officers and companies hiring pilot car services. Certification is valid for four (4) years. Click here to view database of currently certified operators.
Following completion of training classes, each applicant must pass a test covering the best practices subject matter and must score 80% to pass. Once passed, the applicant receives a signed and laminated Pilot Car Certification Card. Neither the Arizona Trucking Association nor any of its instructors guarantee that an individual will pass the certification.
Groups of twenty or more participants may qualify for onsite training depending upon availability of instructional staff. Call us at 602-850-6000 to discuss onsite class scheduling.
Escort vehicle operators already trained and certified by another state that requires traffic control training may present that state’s certificate to law enforcement officials as proof of valid certification, as long as the certificate is valid in the certifying state.
*Other states that require escort vehicle/pilot car operator training and certification are: Colorado; Florida; Kansas; New York; North Carolina; Oklahoma; Utah; Virginia; and Washington.
ESCORT VEHICLE OPERATOR TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION:
August 28: Escort Vehicle Operator Certification Training, 8:00AM - 5:00PM, ATA
<< Click here >> or registration form.
To read Arizona rules and statutes governing Pilot Escort Vehicle operation, training and certification standards << click here >> for a PDF entitled “Pilot Car Operator Rules". This 10-page document outlines the requirements that were put into rule in September 2006, based on Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-1110.
Click here to view the the 4-page document of changes that were put into rule in September 2009, based on amendments to Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-1110.