The New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association has released a new safety video explaining what purple and amber flashing lights on load pilot vehicles mean for other road users.
Association chairman and heavy haulage company owner Mark McNeilly says there had long been a lack of knowledge in the wider freight sector about what drivers are required to do when they encounter a pilot vehicle.
“If a driver sees a load pilot with purple and amber flashing lights coming towards them, this means that there is a load approaching that is at least 5m wide and will be taking up most of the road,” McNeilly says.
The three-minute video is aimed at other heavy vehicle operators, giving advice on how to react when they come across a pilot displaying the flashing lights.
“With wider loads there will be at least two pilots ahead of the oversize load, and drivers are required to follow the instructions of the load pilots, for example, where to pull over and stop,” McNeilly says.
He says load pilots also used CB radios to alert truck drivers of an approaching oversize load.
“While we know that many trucks these days are not fitted with CB radio, it is one of the useful tools that load pilots have to provide advance warning of the load.”
The video, produced as a free resource for freight operators and road users, sets out what to expect when oversize loads are transported.
“One of the other things to expect, is that often very heavy loads on transporters will be required to slow down and drive slowly over a bridge to ensure that the bridge is not damaged.
“At this time, we ask other road users to follow the instructions of the load pilots, to stop ahead of the bridge and be patient while the bridge is being crossed,” McNeilly says.
The association says load pilot vehicles were there to provide sufficient warning to road users and give heavy vehicles time to slow down and stop when required.
