In an effort to prevent overtaking motorists being caught out by the sheer length of road trains, WA has just introduced new signage regulations that require trucks to display signs showing how long the vehicle is in metres … and what that equates to in car numbers.
These will replace the standard ‘long vehicle’ or ‘road train’ signs attached to the back of haulage trailers.
It’s probably fair to say that not a lot of grey nomads are game to overtake a road train, which can be 50 metres or more in length.
However, Main Roads WA says the extra information now being displayed will allow motorists in general to make better decisions and lead to safer overtaking.
Some of the new truck signage that will be in display, PIC: Main Roads WA
The new signage will be displayed on the rear of restricted access vehicles, including road trains and other heavy vehicles. It will indicate the number of trailers and the total length of the vehicle, depicted as an equivalent number of car lengths.
Main Roads WA says this visual representation is designed to give road users a more accurate understanding of the size of these vehicles, aiding in safer road sharing.
This existing ‘road train’ or ‘long vehicle’ signs currently cover vehicle combinations ranging from 22 metres to 60 metres in length.
The new signage system was tested by Main Roads on regional roads during 2022 and 2023. It says the trial received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with approximately 90% of respondents supporting the new signage.
While WA is currently the only state to implement this type of signage, there has apparently been interest from other interstate road authorities.
Interstate Heavy Vehicle Operators traveling into WA will not face penalties under the new regulations, as existing warning signage will still be recognised and accepted.
The WA transport industry has been given a six-month transition period from the first of this month to comply with the new regulatory signs.
However, Western Australia’s road train operators say they have been blindsided by the new signage regulations.
Cam Dumesny, chief executive of the Western Roads Federation, told the ABC that, under the rules, some truck drivers would need to carry four different signs and change them depending on how many trailers they were hauling.
“If you’ve got a couple of hundred trucks in a fleet … [that] could be worth $200,000 to $300,000 in signs,” he said. “You might do a task and change trailer combinations, so trucks will have to take all these signs with them.”
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With my husband having been a truck driver in years gone by we have always tried to be very cautious about passing the huge road trains of today. Although the downside of this new ruling is going to cause an initial extra cost for transport operators and some extra work for drivers we believe this type of signage is a good thing. If the travelling public are more aware of how long the combination in front of them is then hopefully this will make them more cautious before making an overtaking manoeuvre.
What a great idea. It would also help if passing lanes had a sign at the start indicating the length of the passing lane as some are very short.
It appears to be a very sensible change to advisory signs on the rear of heavy vehicles. Even small changes that can save lives and injuries is a step in the right direction.
With regard to the cost of signage of a fleet of vehicles if the fleet is 2/300 vehicles, I would imagine signage would be affordable to the company that owns the fleet.
Great sign .But But are the laws finding you if you change your comberion,from 4 to 3 trailers or down to 2 . Good idea but at what cost,if the one sign for 2-3-4 trailers I think it would be taken up by all companies
Good idea but make it affordable to buy the signs or one sign with the 3 truck lengths on it
First adventure crossing from Melbourne to Albany along the Nullarbor in our 93 petrol Landcruiser, we came up behind a road train going up a slight incline. We thought we had to overtake it. I think it probably took almost a full minute at 4500 revs to get past this rig. We settled at around 100 kph after our great feat. One minute later this thing was up our backside. That was the one and only time I ever tried passing one on the open road. Lesson learned.
Even when we are doing 110, they are still right up your backside, and no where to pull over.
What a fantastic idea . Truck drivers are fully aware of their length and wish all other drivers including car and caravan drivers would take into consideration how long their truck and trailers can be and how long it takes to pass them in time . These signs will give vehicles following information as to what type of transport combination is in front of them . It will also give them an opportunity to make sound decisions as to pass or not. Trucks are much higher than a car and have visibility far more time than a car and see an oncoming vehicle well before the car driver will , it must make them recoil knowing this car and van beside them is going to be in trouble unless the truck driver slows his vehicle and pulls off the road which can be fraught with dangers for all travelling along at that time near him. The truck driver has no idea the road side surface and will it take the weight of the load or will the truck and trailers bite in and become uncontrollable.So the trucker is forced to make decisions that could be avoided if caravan people use a uhf set and don’t try to pass unless that truck driver says it’s all clear for them to do so. These sign gives following drivers the ability to understand just how long they are going to be on the wrong side of the road to make a safe pass. Frankly if a truck with 200 ton is in front of me , I’m going to stay behind him and even drop back . He’s going to move away from me because at speed I’m not going to keep up with him anyway. He’s on a time frame , I’m on a holiday trip . About Cost , it’s an absorbable cost, and business expense that will need to be factored into the equation , being it’s already been passed by government they could be provided through a system that allows truckers and businesses to pay for them over time just like registration fees, but unfortunately if it’s already law it doesn’t give much time to accumulate the signs required or organise a payment scheme. The government should of sought input from users prior to launching the sign use.
Storage of signs , Storage of these signs would not be a problem as most trailers are equiped with boxes on them for all required equipment. It’s another checking and changing thing that truckers will need to do before each trip , but if it prevents one accident by informing impatient travellers behind them what they are facing to pass, then these signs have done there job and will most importantly save lives , prevent the loss of vital transport infrastructure and improve quality of life for all concerned, including lowering stress levels for our transport workers while on the road working . All truckers need to go home to their families safe, just as the rest of us want to do .. anything that makes it safer for road users is better than the present situation. It should be adopted throughout the nation, so it’s uniform everywhere.
