The team at FCANZ have heard a few anecdotal stories lately about farmers getting pinged by Police while driving their tractors, so we took the opportunity to have a chat with Senior Sergeant Hugh Tait, of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team based in Dunedin, about how fencing contractors and rural contractors can make sure they’re keeping their employees and other road users safe while out and about in the tractor.
What licence is required to drive a tractor on public highways?
Class 1 restricted as a minimum. This will allow you to operate a tractor under 40km/h on the roads. Modern tractors can exceed 40km/h so ensure your staff are aware of the limitations if they are on restricted licenses.
Are track endorsements required for track machines?
The NZTA Agriculture Vehicles guidance states that tractors are not special type vehicles, however any motor vehicle
that runs on self-laying tracks requires a T endorsement.
What conditions does a tractor have to meet to be warrantable / road-worthy / compliant?
Just the basics: if you’ve got good tyres, brakes and lights, ensure things aren’t falling off or protruding from it then it should be okay. Not necessarily clean and tidy, but the quality of the gear makes a difference. If operators are keeping on top of the little things, the big things take care of themselves.
Are you allowed passengers in the tractor cab?
All passengers should be restrained.
We’ve probably all taken the kids for a ride in the tractor on the main road at one point. If there was an accident on the road and if WorkSafe got involved, the owners manual of the tractor typically states that the passenger seat is for training purposes only. In a worst-case scenario, you’d be in serious trouble, correct?
Yes, unfortunately. Speed would be an interesting one as well. If you’re doing under 40km/h as per the dimensions of the tractor, then you’d lessen the consequences. But like you say, if the manufacturer’s instructions state it is for training only, then it’d be pretty hard to explain what kind of training you’d be doing especially with a young child in
the jumpseat.
When do you need to use lights/flashing lights on the tractor?
Ideally you’d have them operating continuously. Having headlights going and the beacon light on is good as it alerts motorists to a larger slow-moving vehicle. Steer away from having your hazard lights on. An issue we see reasonably regularly are tractors with hazard lights on trotting along nicely and then decide to turn right, across the highway. As they are slow moving the following vehicle tries to go around them, not realising that the tractor intends to turn right because the hazards have been on the entire time. Having your hazards on is probably more of a hazard than not having them on.
Do forward facing lights have to be able to be dipped? Are we able to use the big work lights across the top of the cab when driving?
When driving, your cab mounted work lights should be off. You should just have your normal road lights going which should have a dip function. Given how bright and strong work lights are, you’re likely to end up dazzling everything coming in the other direction.
Is there a counter argument for where lights are generally front, centre and bottom of the bonnet? 9 times out of 10 if you crab your bucket around, the lights are facing the cross member of the loader so you’re not getting any vision out of it either.
Agreed – that would be good justification to have the cab/work lights on, so other drivers can see it from further away. If you’ve got the ability to only put two of the four work lights on, do that. Just use common sense.
Are there any other safety issues to consider?
Cell phones: sadly they are becoming more and more present in our lives and especially so for business purposes. I am sure we have all seen people in cars, trucks & tractors on the highway using a cell phone. If you haven’t got Bluetooth or an earpiece, avoid the temptation to be on your phone whilst driving.
Hazard Panels: we regularly see more European farm machinery coming into New Zealand, which come with the Euro-standard panels, red and white, instead of orange and yellow. Distributors know they can’t leave them on there, but some of them still do. Owners need to talk to their supplier to get these replaced so the vehicle is road legal.
Should the loader be up or down when travelling on the road?
An interesting one. If you look at the guide it talks about minimising risk to other road users and making it safe for yourself. What is the safest option? You just have to work it out for yourself at the time with the equipment you have. For example, if you’ve got the bucket up, gravity can make it top heavy and unsafe for the driver. With the bucket down it enhances visibility and the stability of the vehicle, but the bucket can be well out in front of the vehicle, which is a hazard. You are potentially obstructing your lights as well. If you’ve got the bucket down, you need to be aware of the front edge and rotate up or down, ensure any spikes/tines are covered minimising risk for other road users.
What about driving tractors after dark?
Basic lighting requirements are required – headlights, tail lights and amber beacon as a minimum. As per the earlier question be aware of leaving work lights on as they are generally brighter than most and can dazzle oncoming traffic.
Anything overdimension (over 3.1M) has restrictions that apply. There needs to be a marker light on the exterior of the hazard panels, but take practical steps to do what you can to make it safe for all road users.
What are the requirements/restrictions for A-frame utes behind tractors?
Users need to be aware that fitting an A-frame to a vehicle can affect the ability of the vehicle to absorb energy the way it was designed to do, potentially reducing the effectiveness of airbags.
Safety chains need to be attached between the A-frame and the tractor, and lights are required if the ute obscures the lights of the towing vehicle.
It really is down to the operator to make sure the A-frame is in good condition. We probably get one incident per year where there is a failed A-frame and the ute has taken its own path and ended up in a paddock or hit someone/something. It would be good practice to have the A-frame inspected as part of your pre-start; around the welds, joins, couplings etc, and it can’t hurt to get an engineer to inspect annually. Our safety inspectors also talk about the connections to the chassis on the ute – keep an eye on wear/tear around these connections.
What about the towing weight for an A frame – are there any regulations for that?
No, it would be down to the tow capacity of the trailer. The quality of the metal or the boxing in the A-frame would be essential. It needs to be welded up by a Certified Welding Engineer who has experience in making A frames.
Is there a limit on pivot points?
Yes. You can’t hook a trailer on behind the ute which is attached to the A-frame. Overall length restrictions will also come into force (25m absolute maximum).
How common are accidents where tractors are involved?
Thankfully not that common but we probably get a couple a year. Unfortunately due to the size & weight of the machines there is often a fatality. When you’re working on farm roads, the rural back roads are typically smaller gravel roads and when you’ve got a tractor with duals on and at maximum width, coming around a blind corner or over the brow of a hill, that’s where accidents happen. And unfortunately, on a small gravel road you can’t do much to avoid it.
Is there anything tractor drivers can do to stop people from overtaking at stupid times?
Not really – you can’t control other drivers so you can only control your machine. People are becoming busier and in more of a rush, less patient if you like, so are prepared to overtake in silly spots. Be aware of your environment and what is coming behind you, identify safe areas and pull off where you can.
Operating heavy machinery on the road is a skill that should never be taken for granted, especially around those that are not capable or aware of the limitations of large machines.
Dashcam footage is increasing as Police receive footage several times a week from larger transport operators. Spreading the message that dashcam footage can result in fines or infringements all helps with improving driver behaviour. Cameras in vehicles can also be gold for operators when there is an accident, where the footage clearly shows the cause of an accident, reducing the risk for operators.
Further guidance on Agricultural Vehicles and A-frame towing can be found on NZTA’s website:
Article written by Heather Kawan
Published in WIRED Issue 72 / MARCH 2024 by Fencing Contractors Association NZ
