ESCORT CAR SERVICES

Chris Bennett’s road escort vehicles help wide, slow and heavy loads to reach their destination safely, while also protecting other road users as they overtake. 

With a dedicated in-house fleet of liveried road escort vehicles for abnormal loads, we’re your one-stop shop for HGVs and a wide variety of trucks and trailers, along with the escort vehicles needed to complete your convoy. 

Our escort vehicles comply with Highways England’s Code of Practice for lighting and marking, so that every vehicle involved in your delivery falls within the industry-standard operating guidelines. 

Are escort vehicles mandatory for abnormal loads? 

There is no mandatory UK legislation requiring escort vehicles for abnormal loads. Until 2004, wide and heavy loads were routinely escorted by police vehicles, but this is no longer the case.  

As a result, present-day abnormal loads have the choice between a third-party escort company, self-escorting by the heavy haulage operator, or no escort vehicles at all. 

However, abnormal loads must be notified to local authorities, including the police, highways operators and bridge authorities. 

To ensure safe movements of abnormal loads, both for fellow road users and for the goods being transported, outrider escort vehicles are a valuable addition to the convoy.

What standards should escort vehicles meet? 

Escort vehicles for abnormal loads should meet a detailed set of standards which govern their lighting and marking. 

This includes escort vehicle livery in a conspicuous colour, with high-visibility and reflective chevrons, flashing beacons in specific colours, and text signs (e.g. ‘WIDE LOAD’). 

Guidelines state that escort vehicles should have a minimum of four wheels – third-party providers who use outrider motorcycles for abnormal loads do not comply with the Code of Practice. 

All Chris Bennett (Heavy Haulage) Ltd escort vehicles are equipped in line with relevant legislation, with fully trained drivers who are also aware of the rules and regulations surrounding escort vehicles. 

Notifying authorities about abnormal loads 

Abnormal loads above a certain width, length or weight require careful route calculations and notifications to the relevant authorities. 

When you hire Chris Bennett (Heavy Haulage) Ltd to handle your wide or heavy load delivery, we can prepare all the documentation as required, and work with local authorities and police to make sure all the necessary notifications are made ahead of time. 

 Read more about this on our Abnormal Loads page. 

Contact Chris Bennett Today 

Chris Bennett has over 40 years of experience in the road haulage and transportation industry, and we draw on that knowledge and expertise to offer first-class heavy haulage and escort vehicle services. 

We have FORS Gold accreditation, allowing us to deliver abnormal loads to construction sites and other destinations across London, and proving our commitment to safe haulage operations. 

Every job is individually quoted and we will assign an experienced team member to carefully assess the best truck, trailer and escort vehicles to transport your load safely. 

For more information about our heavy road haulage and escort vehicles, call us on 0161 406 8466 for a no-obligation chat about your upcoming haulage movements.