Know your limits: Wide vehicles on road
The maximum legal width of any agricultural motor vehicle is 2.55m, but it is possible to take wider vehicles down the road providing certain requirements are carried out. These requirements depend upon the widths involved. See below:
| Width | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 3m-3.5m. | Either 24 hours’ notification must be given to the chief constable (normally to the abnormal loads officer) of each police force area you wish to travel through or you obtain a dispensation letter from the same person Lights are required during the hours of darkness or if used in reduced visibility Speed limit: 20mph. |
| 3.5m-4.3m | Notify the police or obtain a dispensation letter An attendant is required The extremities of the vehicle must be clearly marked Lights required if used during the hours of darkness or in reduced visibility Speed limit: 12mph. |
| More than 4.3m | Notify the Department of Transport |
Dispensation letter Only exempts you from the need to notify your movement, not the requirement to have an attendant or mark the extremities as required for wider widths.
To obtain such a document you must write to the abnormal loads officer as stated above listing the dimensions of all your equipment and vehicles — don’t forget your tractors even though they could be under 2.55m wide, as they could well be required to carry the equipment.
Also send details of the area within which you intend to travel. The easiest way to show this is to outline the total area on a map.
Attendant Another person driving another vehicle positioned either in front or behind the vehicle being escorted and not someone sat in the cab of the tractor alongside the driver.
The escorting vehicle can be any other type of vehicle, except one which requires an escort itself, and can legally have an amber rotating beacon fitted. It can also use dipped headlights, but must not use its hazard warning lights.
The idea of such a vehicle is to be able to warn other road users of the presence of a large vehicle on the road, to slow them down and direct them away from any potential danger.
Hence if the vehicle was travelling down a single carriageway road, then the escort vehicle should be in front, so that the driver could travel ahead around bends to warn oncoming traffic.
If the vehicle was travelling along a dual carriageway road, then the escort vehicle should be behind, in order to keep traffic away from the vehicle.
There is no requirement to put any signs on the vehicle, but what could be better than a sign attached to the front or rear of the escort vehicle stating “Large vehicle following”?
Extremities clearly marked There is nothing in law which illustrates how this shall be done, so a piece of board or a sack/rag could be attached to the extremity, and it could even be painted red and white.| More on projections | |
| DfT information sheet on agricultural tractors. | Brief guide from the Department for Transport that gives an overview of the legal requirements when taking tractors on the road, with links through to further information. |
| NFU Business Guide on agricultural vehicle dimensions | NFU Business Guide on agricultural vehicle dimensions. Detailed guide to widths, lengths and heights (available to NFU members only). |
