When driving the yellow vehicles we are told that we DO NOT need to run with beacons on unless we concider ourselves a hazard or to warn others .Stationary yes H&S regs but moving not necessaryâŚ
not up to date with the UK rules but over here in EUROPE
you ALL ways see these vehicles with their lights on when
they have a vehicle ,either on the hook or on board,
try haveing tostay behind a stgo and its â â â â â â vehicle (BF3)
thats just as bad;
I believe that when they are on a recovery job they have to keep the lights going. I think its affects the tacho law.IE; When they are on recovery they donât need a tacho. This is a guess from the misty past ,because I used to drive one on International work.For example if I was transporting new vehicles I needed a tacho card .But if the vehicles were non-runners we were exempt but the lights had to be on.
In the UK I was told use your descretion. In towns built up areas when traffics busy then use them. Out on a motorway not really any need. This is when moving different when stationary. But most use them all the time even when empty! lol I have heard of a few accidents though of recovery trucks with cars on a spec frame having the towed car hit by other road users. For example pulling out when the trucks gone by and hitting the towed car, in that case the driver did have his beacons on.
No Requirement for Light to be on whilst moving, As far as I know
This is one of my pet hates, I call it the Hero Factor, The look at me Iâve got flashing lights brigade
The two types that really get me are the
Flatbed with one car on the back in the outside lane doing 70 with all his lights flashing away, What hazzard is he posing to others, surely its the same as driving a normal 7.5 tonner?
And
Spec lift with car on the back doing the same as above, Is this not the smae as towing a trailer?
Now the only recovery vehicles I think should display flashing lights when towing is the heavies as they will be moving slower and take time to pick up speed,
I get annoyed because you look at how many people have amber lights flashing in a day, take your recovery muppets, Bin lorrys driving down the road etc etc
So when I need my Amber lights to warn people of a serious hazard and try not to get myself sqwished, no one takes any notice becuase they see amber lights mis-used all day long so why should mine be any defferent 
I would rather go home in my van than in a van with blue lights on!!! 
Legally slow moving vehicles on dual carrageways have to have an amber beacon. That and a stationary vehicle is really the only reason for them to be on.
But of course you have the wanabees on the road thinking their special 
heres a good example of the hero factor
I got onto the motorway this morning, about 3 or 4 cars back from a small car type tow truck, he was going down the slip road with his beacons on, and he was right behind an artic so he must of known they were on (it has been known for people to forget to turn them off) as the lights were flashing back in his cab
he got onto the motorway and after about 2 miles and many flashes from the trucks he was blinding he turned them off, 
Ok
Then he gave a quick flash to the people he must of been going to on the other side, and carried on tot he next junction.
As he came up the slip road there was about 150 foot of waitng traffic, so rather than join the back of the queue, on come the lights again, and he goes up the hard shoulder part of the slip road and pushes his way to the island at the top,
I left him then but god know waht tricks he did next
Its idiots like these that give the professionals who do the job properly a bad name, I would put money on when he has finished work he gets into a car with the front fog lights stuck on too!!!
ralliesport:
Legally slow moving vehicles on dual carrageways have to have an amber beacon. That and a stationary vehicle is really the only reason for them to be on.
I beleive it is less than 20mph!!
Agree with everything Disco Pete is saying though! Its taking away the emphasis of the âWarning Lightâ when it is actually required! This is why no one takes a blind bit of notice to breakdown recovery vehicles, motorway maintenance vehicles and HATOs who are working on the h/s, or even worse in a live lane!!
You have hit one of my pet hates, we all loaded for Glasgow on Wed. afternoon and the two rigids that loaded 32â cabins with a 7âoverhang put orange flashing lights on., I called at rainton and caught one up as we hit the A66.10 minutes later I was nearly having a epileptic fit.
Btw I had 2x 24 loaded so it was hanging over the trailer by 3â6â, I marked it with 2 bits of red n white tape wither a single bike lights (lcd) clipped on the window guard.
I used to put a winky-pot in the end of an H-beam overhanging the back of my trailer, if it was overhanging by a fair bit (more than about a metre). I would be running at night usualyand they aint easy to see when you look at them end on, even in daylight, especially when itâs just one beam sticking out from a load of beams. You wonât miss a winky-pot.
Iâve got a short â â â lighter extension lead with a couple of crocodile clips on the ends of the wires. I would take a rear light lense cover off, attach the crocodile clips to a live and an earth terminal, put the lense cover back on and plug in the winky-pot. Job marked and done.