Basic Traffic Rules for Heavy Machineries

It is a usual site to see a tractor or a wheel loader on high ways and it is common etiquette to give a respective distance from it to avoid collision or getting into an accident with it. However, there are only a few of us who knows traffic regulations for this heavy equipment.

Axis Capital Group, a company which sells and rents capital equipment in Singapore and Jakarta, Indonesia has done a detailed description on the basic rules to follow and pay attention to when we are driving a heavy machine on public road. The company itself has a day-to-day experience on these tractors and who is best to know it than them.

Here are some of the rules to review:

1. Mud

Some of the materials being handled in the construction site are muds and dirt. It cannot be avoided that lump excesses of mud may be dropped on the highway. Although a small pound of grime does not seem harmful, it can also cause accidents, sometimes even fatal ones. Drivers and truck owners are responsible for mud or dirt dropped on the roads and also contributes to the accident. Authorities have already warned heavy equipment owners to take extra precaution on the dirt they have on their trucks.

2. Trailer Lights

One of the common complaints of other drivers is the failure to signal of many heavy machinery drivers. Although lights are not a legal requirement on trailers used only in daylight, this does not apply to direction indicator lights. These must be fitted and kept in working order on trailers built since 1990 and used on public roads.

Turning to the left (and especially to the right) without indicator lights can cause a serious accident which would be avoided by taking just a few minutes to fit and connect a light board.

3. Speed Limit

Different countries and cities have different speed limits and as a rule, drivers should follow it, neither to exceed nor to drop down too low. Most tractors on the market now have a 40kph or 50kph top speed, somewhat more than the 32kph (20mph) legal limit for most tractors on public roads.

4. Weigh Limit

According to reviews of safety precautions and road regulations of the government of Singapore, “the maximum gross train weight (GTW) is 24,390kg.” However, it can also be different in other countries. Road controlling authorities (RCAs) have the power to further restrict the size and weight of vehicles which can use particular roads if those roads are unsuitable for vehicles of standard maximum size or standard maximum weight limits.