Following the announcement of the initial Mobile Crane operator trial by Gwent Police and due to a significant amount of interest from operators and other forces, we are now pleased to announce that South Wales Police and Dyfed Powys Police abnormal load departments are also participating in the trial.

Due to the scale of the trial there is no longer a requirement for crane operators to opt in. 

To make this trial a success with the potential for expansion to other operators in the industry, the HTA support and encourage our members to comply with any conditions specified by the police authorities.

A full route list of embargo free routes for operators is available which includes all set conditions as well as examples (to help operators take full advantage of the trial), maps, list of known routes suitable for no-embargo, known routes with issues requiring compliance with embargo periods etc is available to download as a PDF here (see below) or from any of the 3 police force abnormal load officers.

Any questions or queries can be directed to the trial lead at Gwent Police george.john@Gwent.police.uk

Message from Gwent Police

"Gwent Police would like to this the opportunity to thank you for working with us to keep our roads safe.

Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed Powys police are committed to making the public roads a safer place, whilst supporting many of the industries that rely on use of the road network to keep infrastructure projects moving.

Over years gone by Embargo Periods have been setup to minimise congestion and disruption during peak travel periods as a blanket catch all condition. It is our intention to re-align the Embargo’s introduced in and open and transparent manner. By using evidence led traffic flow data we can support the industry to keep wheels turning lifting or adjusting embargo periods, but also restrict the movements where necessary to ensure congestion/disruption is minimised and safety is maximised.

For the first stage of this trial, we have opted to lift embargo periods for multi-lane carriageways for mobile cranes. Mobile Cranes despite in some cases being slightly longer and heavier than usual, have the ability to sit within their own lane of traffic. On a multi-lane carriage way this does not prevent other road users from passing safely and additionally can travel, often at speeds similar to other traffic.

We will use the data collated during the trial to explore in what area’s it can be expanded, terminated or where stricter rules are required to make this a success for all."

The first stage of the trial will only apply to mobile cranes starting on Monday 15th July 2024 with set conditions:-

Conditions

• Be a motor vehicle that’s specially designed or built to carry out lifting operations
• A motor vehicle which has a crane permanently mounted as part of the vehicle chassis design (the definition excludes lorry mounted cranes)
• Have a Gross Vehicle Weight of 80T or Less
• Have a Maximum Width of 3m
• Have a Maximum Length of 25.9m
• Will comply with any specific embargo conditions that may be implemented during the course of the trial such as no travel during one off peak times such as football matches, concerts, which will be notified in advance.

Movements

All movements as normal must be conducted in full compliance with any legislation.

No Embargo Routes

No Embargo will apply for any multi-lane carriageway (embargo periods remain for any single lane carriageway).

No movement is permitted during the following times unless Embargo Free Route as previously defined:-

• During periods where a major event has been planned (you will be notified)
• Between 07:00 – 09:00 Monday to Friday
• Between 16:00 – 18:30 Monday to Thursday
• Between 15:00 – 18:30 Fridays
• All UK Bank Holidays
• Other times at the discretion of the force (you will be notified)
• Hours of Darkness (unless Pre-Authorised by Gwent Abnormal Loads Officer or under Police Escort)

NB: Any deviation from the restrictions above can only be given by a suitably trained officer from Gwent Police, having given due consideration to road safety, route and congestion issues.

Mobile Crane Embargo Trial.pdf