I,ve got to take a flat bed container with a wide load tomorrow. It;s only 500 mm oversize so not a problem, but having never done a wide load I wondered what the rules and regs are. So if any one can tell me or tell me where to look I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance
If you mean 500mm wider than your trailer (presuming that’s 2500mm wide) then nothing needs doing - only over 3m wide (not 2.90m as some will try to tell you) do you need to notify police, mark the load etc
with 500mm overhang walk 20feet in front of your truck then turn round and look at it, the overhang will be no wider than your mirror arms so you dont even need to drive any diferently {and you certainly dont need any orange flashing lights 
}
It was supposed to be 3.1 M . When I measured it it was only 2.9 plus straps, well the windy up bits. But I put the marker boards and the lights on, non flashing ones. there was a dispute about what colour the lights should be, they are red and white but somebody said they should have been orange.
I would still like to know about the rules and regs for future reference cause if we get another I bet I know who will be doing it.
It is 9’ 6" in old money.
knight:
It was supposed to be 3.1 M . When I measured it it was only 2.9 plus straps, well the windy up bits. But I put the marker boards and the lights on, non flashing ones. there was a dispute about what colour the lights should be, they are red and white but somebody said they should have been orange.
I would still like to know about the rules and regs for future reference cause if we get another I bet I know who will be doing it.
I think the reg’s have changed (in a few details) since I last did wide stuff which was about 10 years ago.
At that time there was nothing about the colour of your marker lights, other than the normal construction and use regs, ie you can’t show white to the rear or red to the front, orange was acceptable as a side marker colour. There was another reg for wide loads though, an orange flashing beacon was not acceptable as a marker light.
dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/dr … iagram.pdf
if its just wide stuff you are bothered about then print this off and keep it handy
jj72:
If you mean 500mm wider than your trailer (presuming that’s 2500mm wide) then nothing needs doing - only over 3m wide (not 2.90m as some will try to tell you) do you need to notify police, mark the load etc
oops 
I took a steel semi-circle on a 7.5tonner when I first started out that was literally 2mm over 3mtrs across. Luckily, the guy on the humber bridge must have had a worn/cheapo tape measure and let it through as a normal load (3000mm or less) as I only had enough money for a normal 7.5t 
thats not to mention the 35’ + posts I took on the same vehicle, literally just legal (with assistant) but the dodgyest thing Ive ever done driving wise; there was a fair overhang each end (bang on the limit) with the tops a good 8 foot past the head board over the cab, could feel the weight lifting off the tyres and back again as the posts “bounced” 
I didn’t stay long, they just couldnt see the sense in hireing a 26tonner for such jobs - and that’s before I start on the arguments about driver’s hours (they knew absolutely diddly squat and didn’t understand what I was doing after everyone else had treated it like a van - no breaks, no w.t.d, no nothing).