A tractor and trailer were pulled over by gardaí today (Thursday, September 19) in Co. Kilkenny for an unsecured load of bales.
It was the roads policing unit (RPU) from the Kilkenny gardaí that stopped the driver of the tractor transporting the bales of straw.
On social media, gardaí said they encountered the “Classy Massey on its last straw in the Callan area”.
The stop occurred this morning, with the gardaí stating that the bales were being transported without “a strap in sight”.
According to the Road Safety and Authority (RSA) loads carried in any vehicle should be secured so that they cannot move or fall off, or out, of the vehicle.
The RSA has said that load security is covered by road traffic legislation, which requires that loads carried by vehicles must be properly secured at all times.
It is an “offence” for a vehicle to be overloaded on a public road.
The transporting of bales should be completed by a competent, skilled driver. The job should be planned with ground conditions, slopes and over-head power lines taken into consideration.
Avoid over-loading trailers; bales should not be hanging over edges and ensure that the bales are properly secured – using straps that are in good condition.
The total length of a tractor and trailer should not exceed 18.75m (the transporting of bales is exempt from height restrictions).
According to the RSA, the maximum height limit of 4.65m does not apply to vehicles/combinations of vehicles and trailers transporting agricultural produce (i.e. hay, silage straw or other animal fodder) which is baled.
But common sense should prevail when loading trailers; no matter how short the journey is, over-loading of trailers in not advised. This only increases the possibility of an accident.