There are two pieces of legislation which govern the movements of over-long, overweight and over-wide vehicles: ‘The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986’, more commonly known as the Construction & Use regulations and ‘The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003’, more commonly referred to as STGO regulations.
Agricultural machinery and vehicles normally come under the Construction and Use regulations for abnormal vehicles.
Wide load movements
The police must be notified at least 24 hours in advance when vehicles over 3m in width are moved on road when:
- there is a speed limit of 40mph or less, or
- the length of the journey exceeds 5 miles.
Additionally, for widths of at least 3.05 metres, width markers are required.
The new NPCC abnormal load guidance recommends that police forces issue a dispensation to farmers and agricultural contractors for the movement of agricultural tractors, machines, trailers, and trailed appliances for agricultural purpose without the requirement to notify the movement of such equipment up to 4.1m wide without prior notification, or for reduced notification period for all other loads up to 4.3m wide.
Most forces operate an annual dispensation scheme where the relevant force is notified once with details of the vehicles concerned and areas of operation. If the police are satisfied with the information supplied, they will issue a dispensation for the rest of the year, which takes away the need for 24 hours notice each time a vehicle is moved.
A copy of the dispensation must be carried in the cab of every vehicle to which it applies. Care must be taken to note any restrictions imposed by the police on vehicle movements when the dispensation is issued.
Contact your local abnormal loads officer to obtain an agricultural dispensation.
For more information and examples of projection markers, visit: GOV.UK | Special types enforcement guide – over length/width vehicles
Escort vehicles are a legal requirement for any vehicles that are 3.5m or more in width. The type of road being driven on will determine whether the escort vehicle will need to travel ahead of, or behind, the abnormal vehicle. Dual carriageways would require the escort vehicle behind the abnormal vehicle, whereas country roads would require the escort vehicle ahead of the abnormal vehicle.
Launch of new guidance
Farmers and agricultural contractors are being encouraged to familiarise themselves with newly published guidance on the use of escort vehicles when moving agricultural abnormal loads on the road.
The guidance has been jointly developed by the NFU, NFUS (National Farmers’ Union of Scotland) and the NAAC (National Association of Agricultural Contractors), working in conjunction with the NPCC (National Police Chiefs’ Council).
It aims to provide practical, consistent advice to help improve safety and compliance when escort vehicles are required.
Supporting safe and legal road movements
Moving large agricultural machinery and loads on public roads is an essential part of modern farming, but it can also present risks to operators, other road users and pedestrians if not managed correctly.
This new guidance brings together key legal requirements and recognised best practice in one clear document, helping businesses understand:
- When an escort vehicle or attendant is legally required.
- What role the attendant or escort driver must fulfil.
- What type of vehicle is suitable for use as an escort.
- Recommended lighting, signage and communication arrangements.
- Where escort vehicles should be positioned on different types of road.
Download the guidance
Accessing the guidance
The agricultural escort vehicle guidance is available to download (PDF). Members are encouraged to review it carefully before undertaking any movement involving abnormal agricultural loads and to ensure all operators involved in such movements understand their responsibilities.
As with all guidance of this nature, it is not a substitute for legal advice, and operators remain responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation.
Local area requirements
Each local police force has their own requirements for certain parts of abnormal vehicle movements, such as:
- movement embargoes for specific times throughout the day and night
- application timing requirements, and
- routing requirements.
It is important to check with the local police force when completing any movement application, as some forces have dedicated harvest or seasonal movement applications.
Increasingly, reports of restricted evening, night and weekend movements, and embargoes for movements along rural lanes, are being heard. It is important to question if these restrictions and embargoes are applicable to agriculture. If restrictions and embargoes are still being applied to agriculture, please contact NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458 to discuss issues experienced.
