Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways
Transporting improperly marked and lit farm equipment at night presents a significant road safety hazard. Recent studies show low visibility is responsible for a significant number of collisions between farm equipment and motor vehicles during the day.
Reducing the risk of collisions is not only up to the farm equipment operator. Motorists need to be observant and alert to slow-moving farm equipment on roadways, especially in the early morning and evening when most equipment is being moved.
Responsibility
Equipment operators and owners are responsible for ensuring that existing and new equipment meet the requirements. They are also responsible for maintaining lighting and marking equipment on existing and new implements to ensure they continue to meet the requirements. Your dealership or lighting supplier can help you get the lighting and marking equipment you need to comply with the regulation.
When purchasing equipment from a dealership, ensure it is adequately marked or lit before moving. It's important to be as visible as possible, and to be recognized by other drivers for the size and position of your equipment on a road.
Equipment affected
Both new and existing equipment is affected. However, the Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways Regulation treats each differently.
Existing equipment: is agricultural equipment manufactured before January 1, 1998. Existing equipment:
- can use markings only (reflectors, flags, etc.) when moved in the daytime
- must have lighting when moved at night or during periods of insufficient light
- can use temporary or portable lighting equipment, such as after-market warning lamps with magnetic bases - “hard wiring” of existing equipment is not necessary
New equipment: is agricultural equipment manufactured on or after January 1, 1998. New equipment:
- must be fully equipped with all required lighting and markings when travelling on public roads, day or night, the same as any existing equipment that travels at night
- must have warning or extremity lights that flash in unison.
New self-propelled and towed equipment must have all extremity warning lights connected by hard wiring. Towing vehicles and towed equipment will be connected via a standardized seven-pin electrical connector.
All the requirements are available in the Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment Regulation.
You may find this publication helpful: “Be Seen, Be Safe.” It is additional information on the safe transport of farm equipment on Manitoba highways, developed by the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI).
