  Long rig? Low rig? Permitted load? Special situations require special precautions If you are operating a vehicle with a long wheelbase, a low ground clearance, or that requires
a special weights and dimensions permit, it is especially important that you and your motor carrier
take special precautions to ensure that your rig and its cargo can safely traverse highway-rail
grade crossings The Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, a transportation industry group, worked
in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
to develop a
handbook for safe transportation of overdimension loads (also available in
printable PDF format).
The Canadian National Railway also provides
guidance for
special vehicles. Many States require railroads to be notified in advance of transporting a slow-moving or
low-clearance load across railroad tracks. If your route includes private crossings, it is important to coordinate with the landowner and the
railroad to ensure that the proper contacts have been made. If those contacts had been made, the
serious grade-crossing collision that
occurred in 2002 near Intercession City, Florida might have been prevented.
|
