Are you obliged to follow instructions or signs given by the pilot of the overnormative vehicle?

The question is about the pilot of an abnormal (oversize or overweight) vehicle - a person who drives in front of or behind a vehicle with excessive dimensions or mass and makes its journey safe. You are obliged to follow the instructions and signals given by the pilot. The answer is: yes.

The Road Traffic Act lists the persons authorised to give instructions and signals to road users; alongside a police officer, a soldier of the Military Police, a municipal police officer (strażnik gminny) or a railway employee, this list includes a pilot while carrying out tasks related to escorting the journey of an abnormal vehicle. According to the Act, a pilot is a person responsible for ensuring road traffic safety and minimising traffic disruption during the journey of such a vehicle. A road user is obliged to follow the instructions and signals of authorised persons, and their instructions take priority over light signals and road signs. The pilot drives a marked vehicle; they can stop you, order you to pull onto the shoulder or stop traffic at a junction to let the transport through, for example a wind turbine or a crane. You follow their instructions in the same way as those of a police officer - without argument, because a long and wide load has no room for manoeuvres.

Legal basis: Art. 6 para. 1 point 12, Art. 5 para. 1 and 2 and Art. 2 point 35c of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)