Wide, long or valuable? We bring the right escort.
Type a load’s width and length: the escort check gives the escorts, warning gear and speed limit in the national guidelines. High-value cargo gets our own covert escort crews.
- Every provincePermits on the route
- Police escortsArranged where needed
- 24-hourControl centre tracking
The wider it gets, the more escorts.
- 01
Measure
Width and length give the road usage factor. Up to 0.54, flags and a warning board, no escort.
- 02
One own escort
Over 0.54, an escort with an amber light and roof board follows about 250 m behind.
- 03
Two own escorts
Over 0.94, a second escort drives about 250 m ahead. Top speed: 50 km/h outside towns.
- 04
Traffic officers
Over 2.73, traffic officers: two, or one with an own escort. We arrange them with the permits.
Request an escort quote
Your escort
Step 1 of 7- Escort for
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- Cargo
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- From
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- To
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- When
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- Permits
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- Escort check
- Optional
Seen on the road, or not seen at all
An abnormal load's escorts are there to be seen: the permit sets them from the load's size. A high-value load's escort is covert: our own crews, working to a method statement.
Abnormal loads
- Own escortAmber light and roof board
- BehindAbout 250 m back
- AheadAbout 250 m in front
- Height gaugeOver 4.7 m high
- Traffic officersTold 72 hours ahead
High-value cargo
- Covert escortOur own crews
- Method statementPlanned before the move
- Trained crewsFor high-value delivery
- Enclosed vansFor sensitive cargo
- Tracking24-hour control centre
The road usage factor
RUF = 1.61757 × 10⁻³ × W4.7 + 7.5 × 10⁻⁷ × L3.76, with W and L in metres. 3.0 by 30.4 m gives 0.56; 3.75 by 40.2 m gives 1.61.
Speed limits
Open road and town: 70 and 40 km/h with warning gear only; 60 and 40 with one own escort; 50 and 30 with two; traffic officers decide, up to 60 and 40.
When loads travel
Daylight only, as a rule. Weekends only for small loads on wide roads; public holidays only if the permit allows; embargoes in school holidays and long weekends.
Where we operate
Our head office and 24-hour control centre are at 69–71 Barlow Road, Jupiter, Germiston, with an office in Durban. We apply for abnormal-load permits through every province on the route.
- Germiston depot69–71 Barlow Road, Jupiter, Germiston 011 873 4786
- Durban · Greyville81 Berea Road, Greyville, Durban 031 305 0438
Part of Shipping & General Transport
Shipping & General Transport is a privately owned South African logistics company built on trustworthiness, perseverance and reliability. Truck Escort Services is one of its specialist services: escorts for abnormal loads and high-value cargo, with the permits and the transport, by one company.
Visit shippingandgeneral.co.zaWhen does a load need an escort?
Mostly when it’s wide and long. TRH 11, the national guideline for abnormal loads, works out a road usage factor from the overall width and length: up to 0.54 needs no escort, up to 0.94 one own escort, up to 2.73 two own escorts, and above that traffic officers. A load over 4.7 m high also needs an escort ahead with a height gauge, and one sticking out more than 1.8 m at the back needs an escort behind.
What is the road usage factor?
A number from the load’s overall width W and length L, in metres: RUF = 1.61757 × 10⁻³ × W4.7 + 7.5 × 10⁻⁷ × L3.76. Width counts far more than length. At the legal maximum of 2.6 by 22 m it is 0.23; at 3.75 by 40.2 m it is 1.61.
What’s the difference between an own escort and traffic officers?
An own escort is provided by the carrier: a car or light vehicle up to 3,500 kg with an amber flashing light and an abnormal-load board on the roof. Traffic officer escorts come from the road traffic authorities, normally two vehicles, and the permit office may let one of them be an own escort.
Where do the escorts drive?
Under the standard permit conditions the first escort drives about 250 m behind the load and the second about 250 m ahead, or wherever a police officer directs. A height escort drives 10 to 50 m ahead, with a non-conducting gauge 100 mm higher than the load.
What does an escort vehicle carry?
An amber flashing light visible from 150 m, a roof board at least 1,200 by 400 mm reading “ABNORMAL LOAD AHEAD” in red letters, two red flags of 600 by 600 mm for warning traffic when needed, and dipped headlamps on throughout.
How fast can an escorted load go?
On the open road and in town: 70 and 40 km/h with warning gear but no escort, 60 and 40 with one own escort, 50 and 30 with two, and with traffic officers whatever the officer decides, up to 60 and 40.
Can abnormal loads travel at night or over weekends?
As a rule, not at night. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday until 14:00) are only for small loads on wide roads; under an interim arrangement, unescorted loads up to 3.35 m wide and 4.6 m high may use the N1, the N3 and parts of other national routes. Public holidays need the permit to allow them, and provinces set embargo days in school holidays and over long weekends.
Who arranges the permits and the police?
We do. We apply for the permits in every province on the route, after a risk analysis and with a method statement, and arrange the escorts the permit sets, police escorts included. The police officer in charge must be told at least 72 hours before the journey.
Do you escort high-value cargo?
Yes. Where values are high, we deploy our own covert escort crews, working to a method statement. Specially trained delivery crews take the cargo, enclosed vans carry sensitive goods, and our 24-hour control centre tracks the vehicles, each with two tracking units on separate networks.
Is my load abnormal at all?
Check its width, height, length and mass against the legal limits on our abnormal loads site, and see which trailer suits a tall load on our lowbed site.
What do you need from me, and what does it cost?
The load’s width, length, height and mass, or for high-value cargo what it is and roughly what it’s worth, plus where it goes and when. We don’t publish prices: answer the short questions in the quote form and we’ll quote on your actual move.
Tell us what’s moving.
Seven short questions, plus the escort check if you like. No prices online, just a quote on your actual move.
