Page 127 - Driving Commercial Vehicles Manual+

driving commercial vehicles

When you receive a permit, you’ll also be given a list of requirements you
fast fact must fulfill including some or all of the following:

• pilot car(s)
To move oversize or
overweight loads on city or • flags
municipal roads, you may
need to get a permit from • signs
the local city government or
municipal authority. • lights
• time of day you may travel
• days of the week you may travel
fast fact • the route you must use.

If your load can’t be broken Overload permits
into smaller amounts and is
overweight or oversize, you Overloading your vehicle can make steering, braking and controlling your
may be able to purchase a speed more difficult. Use extra caution when driving overloaded vehicles. Be
permit to exceed standard prepared to drive slowly on upgrades and be careful not to lose control of
limits. your speed when going down hills.

A vehicle or combination of vehicles is overloaded whenever:
• the vehicle and its load exceed the GVW allowed under the Commercial
fast fact Transport Regulations, or

It’s estimated that one • the vehicle(s) and its load weigh more than its licensed GVW, or
heavy vehicle passing over • the vehicle and its load exceed the maximum allowable weight on any
a roadway can cause up to single or group of axles.
5,000 times more damage
than a single passenger Overload permits are issued only when loads can’t be reduced or when a
vehicle, depending upon the vehicle isn’t licensed up to its allowable weight.
heavy vehicle’s configuration
and loading.
Oversize permits
If your vehicle’s wider, longer or higher than regulations allow, you must have
an oversize permit before operating on any highway. This applies whether
your vehicle is loaded or not. Permits for loaded vehicles are only given when
the load can’t be reduced.
Permits are not normally given for loads or vehicles that are wider than 4.4 m.
The extremities of all oversize vehicles or loads must be marked with red flags
that are at least 30 cm by 30 cm. For night travel, lights are required on the
extremities — amber to the front and red to the rear.

Pilot cars

As a condition of an oversize or overload permit, a pilot car may be required.
A pilot car warns other drivers about the larger-than-normal vehicle they’re
about to encounter.

Your permit may require more than one pilot car depending on your route
and the load.

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