Road safety – Mark of compliance

Companies that operate on public highways need to ensure they abide by Department for Transport regulations in terms of how their vehicles are marked up. 

Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual (Traffic Safety Measure & Signs for Road Works & Temporary Situations) was issued by the DfT in 2006 and applies to any operator of large or small vehicles, from HGVs to road-maintenance trucks, small vans and cars that intentionally stop for work purposes, or inspections on high-speed roads. Vehicles need to have high-visibility film markings covering as much of the rear-facing portion of the vehicle as possible, without obscuring windows, vehicle lighting or registration plates.

Machinery and service supplier Wirtgen Ltd recently realised that, owing to continual changes in specification, some of its vehicles had different signage. After buying two new commercial vans it called in Lincolnshire sign-maker Allen Signs to ensure its fleet signage matched up to current Chapter 8 guidance.

Said Wirtgen’s John Wood: “We wanted to standardise our vehicles so the marking on all of our vans was fully compliant to the latest Chapter 8 standards. Not every construction site requires vehicles to comply with the Chapter but we would rather err on the side of caution.”

Allen Signs MD David Allen agreed: “I’d advise companies operating on public highways to ensure their vehicles are compliant with DfT guidelines in order to protect the health and safety of their employees, other workers and members of the public.”

For more information about Chapter 8, visit the DfT website, or call Allen Signs on 01522 501500.
 

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