Safety Flags, Oversize Load Signs and Wide Load Banners

Using wide load signs, safety flags and wide load banners are a requirement for any commercial motor vehicle handling an oversized load or wide load, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

We've outlined the guidelines below. Rules and regulations are subject to change from the FMCSA, State DOT, Canada DOT and other governing agencies. For more information, check federal and your state regulations for current guidelines.

If you have any questions about our flags, oversize load banners or of our other vehicle and driver safety supplies, please contact our sales team. According to the FMCSA, any commercial vehicle carrying a load that extends 102mm (4 inches) beyond the sides or 1,219mm (4 feet) beyond the rear, must have the extremities of the load marked with fluorescent orange or red safety flags measuring at least 18" x 18" (457 mm square).

Proper placement of the safety flags can vary by the size of the load. If the load is less than 2' wide, one safety flag is needed at the extreme rear of the load. If the oversized load is wider than 2', two safety flags are needed at the extreme rear of the load. Safety flags must also mark the maximum width of the load beyond the sides of the trailer.

The requirements for oversize load signs typically differ from state to state but a good general rule of thumb is a wide load banner should be mounted to the front and rear of any overwidth or overlength vehicle or combination of vehicles and loads. We carry three different sizes of oversize load /wide load banners for the truck and for the pilot car. All feature a tough yellow vinyl background with black letters for DOT compliance. The pilot car's banner may be modified in height and width to fit the escort vehicle, but color scheme and letter size must not be modified. We also carry a 12" a 96" red and white vertical striped d-marked oversize banner for Canadian regulations.