Submission on Draft Land Transport Rule, Agricultural Vehicles ...

4.22 Pilot vehicle requirements
4.23 Federated Farmers supports the proposal to relax the requirements for agricultural
motor vehicles travelling in a convoy to be accompanied by a Class 2 pilot vehicle.
4.24 It is proposed that over-dimension category 1 and 2 agricultural motor vehicles
travelling in a convoy of three or less vehicles would not be required to have a pilot
for each agricultural vehicle. This is provided there is a pilot vehicle positioned at the
front and at the rear of the convoy.
4.25 This amendment would only apply to areas where adequate visibility is maintained,
where there is not adequate visibility on the roads a pilot vehicle would still be
required for every over-sized agricultural vehicle.
4.26 We agree that removing the piloting requirement altogether for oversized agricultural
vehicles would raise too many concerns about safety.
4.27 Removal of forks and other equipment fitted to the front
4.28 Federated Farmers supports the proposal to clarify that operators do not have to
remove forks and other mounted implements fitted to the front arms of agricultural
vehicles.
4.29 Under the External Projections Rule an operator of an agricultural vehicle has to
show they are following best practice and meeting the requirements set out in the
Agricultural Vehicles Guide 2009. Federated Farmers believes this is a sensible
safety precaution.
5. COMMENT ON ROAD USER AND VEHICLE LIGHTING AMENDMENTS
5.1 Although some concern has been expressed to us about an ‘over saturation’ of
flashing lights, Federated Farmers supports the proposal that slow moving
agricultural vehicles registered from May 2013 require to be fitted with and to use
amber beacons. We will also be encouraging farmers to use them even if their
vehicles were registered before that date.
5.2 The value of the beacon is when there is a large difference between speed of the
vehicle and the speed of the traffic. Concern has been expressed to us that they
could be a distraction for drivers in built up areas moving at much the same speed
as the agricultural vehicle. On the other hand, the large size of agricultural vehicles
and their density relative to other road users makes it important that warning is
provided to motorists who do not regularly come into proximity of such large
vehicles.
5.3 Federated Farmers accepts that the amber flashing beacon must be visible for at
least 100m. Where a towed vehicle obscures the amber flashing beacon another
beacon may be fitted on to the towed vehicle.
6. VEHICLE INSPECTION (AND LICENSING) REQUIREMENTS
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