Notification of Abnormal Load Movements

Under the Road Traffic Act, road haulage companies are required to notify highway authorities, bridge owners etc about the movement of abnormal loads.

An abnormal load (special order) is defined as anything which does not comply with the Construction and Use (C + U) Regulations. The C + U Regulations cover axle arrangements and loads for "normal vehicles", i.e. cars up to heavy goods vehicles and wagons up to 44 tonnes GVW, 11.5 tonnes axle load, max.

All abnormal load movement notifications in Greater Manchester are dealt with by Manchester City Council on behalf of all 10 Metropolitan Districts including Tameside. A small number of very heavy or bulky load movements are referred back to the individual Authority for further advice.

Guidance will be given on preferred routes subject to the type and size of the load.

The carrying capacity of bridge structures along the route will be checked.

It remains the haulage companies responsibility to check the proposed route prior to departure for road works and street furniture obstructions.

The Government has employed Serco Ltd, to produce a national web based site for abnormal load movement advise. The system is on line on www.esdal.com and it is now possible for a haulier to plan the route of an abnormal load movement utilising current information on headroom and bridge weight restrictions.

It is envisaged that the ESDAL system will eventually result in a paperless notification system.

However, the paper notification process remains in place, notifying and seeking the approval of highway authorities and private bridge owners directly.

Contacts:

 Greater Manchester Abnormal Loads Unit, Greater Manchester UTC Unit, 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, M1 3BN
 0161 247 3163 abnormal.loads@manchester.gov.uk

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