New national trailer weight limits will be among a number of new vehicle standards take effect for agricultural vehicles from 2016 and will also include braking, lighting and visibility among others.

The new standards are being introduced following a comprehensive review, including a public consultation, undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) over a prolonged period since 2008 which examined the current legislation, policy and practice relating to the use of agricultural vehicles on public roads.

The current regulations are in place for more than half a century, during which time agricultural vehicles have become bigger, faster and more powerful, and their use has been expanded to include a wide variety of tasks outside the scope of the current regulations. Agricultural vehicles are now widely used on our roads and they are generally constructed to very high standards. The proposed changes to the regulatory regime reflect developments in agricultural vehicle technology and require them to comply with recognised vehicle standards in relation to critical road safety areas, i.e. braking, suspension systems, tyres and lighting as well as the weights for which the vehicles are designed.

The majority of correctly maintained tractors already in use comply with the revised standards being introduced. Those that do not comply are likely to need only minor remedial works carried out such as fitment of a flashing amber beacon and/or a replacement manufacturer’s plate indicating their design axle weights and maximum permitted towable masses.

A summary of the improvements applying from January 1, 2016 is as follows: