Our work on the transportation of abnormal loads

Examining the issues surrounding abnormal loads and how we're helping to solve them

The industry has been reporting increased issues relating to the movement of holiday caravans and park homes for some years and over the last two years it has become very clear the root of the issue lies with how some police forces are interpreting the guidance, which dates from 2010. The outcome means, in effect, hauliers and park operators running their own transport companies are now required to request police escorts and pay for this service. The initial request for the escorting of loads began with loads in excess of 4.1 metres but recent evidence now points towards loads in excess of 2.9 metres requiring an escort. 

The additional cost of a police escort is disproportionate to the haulage costs and placing a huge financial burden on the supply chain, a substantial increase in delivery times and ultimately higher costs to be borne by customers and consumers. 

The Association of Chief Police Officers’ (ACPO) guidance for the transportation of abnormal loads, last updated in 2010, has been rightly acknowledged as outdated and insufficient for addressing modern challenges in this sector. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) and the Heavy Transport Association (HTA) and relevant stakeholders, which includes the NCC, have raised concerns about its compatibility with contemporary road safety needs, evolving transport technologies, and growing infrastructure constraints.

Through the Abnormal Loads Group, the NCC has advocated the need for a review of the guidance, highlighting the lack of a consistent approach across police force regions and the limited alignment with international best practices. The industry sees an urgent need for modernisation to reflect changes in vehicle sizes, loads, and road usage. 

These calls for reform underlined the call for an urgent review and update of the police guidance that balance operational needs with public safety, ensuring the effective and secure transportation of abnormal loads.

The primary concern remains that some police forces are not complying with the current police guidance and are taking a disproportionate approach to the movement of abnormal loads and, the NCC believes, incorrectly mandating police escorts at significant cost to manufacturers together with park operators and hauliers during what is the most challenging of market conditions. 

Existing practice

There is no statutory or regulatory requirement for abnormal loads to be escorted by the police or other civilian escort vehicles, although since 2004 the practice has grown for operators to organise their own escorts. Such escorts are colloquially referred to within the industry as ‘private escorts’. 

Police policy changed in 2004 shortly following amendments to the Special Types General Order (STGO) permitting escort drivers to be treated as attendants. Warwickshire Police announced that from 1 January 2004 it would no longer be routinely escorting abnormal loads. It was not long before other forces followed suit and the Police and Highways Authority began to encourage operators to use self or private escorts. 

Today’s challenges

Many Operators are now finding that having submitted a movement notification, they receive a response indicating that because certain dimensions exceed their trigger guidelines (width, length or weight) a police escort is required, and that the notification would be ‘rejected’ unless the operator agrees to pay for a police escort. 

If they do not request Special Police Service (SPS) they are likely to be stopped somewhere along the route and hugely inconvenienced with all the related commercial knock-on effects such as delays, missed delivery slots, ruined schedules and ultimately unhappy customers.

The justification provided to operators by police forces is that the movement and escort of abnormal loads does not constitute ‘business as usual’ for the police and therefore if the police deem the load needs a police escort, it is a “special policing service” that is chargeable irrespective of whether a request wasn’t made. 

For example, a caravan being transported might cost £30,000 but now police escorts could add £5,000. Not all abnormal loads (abnormal indivisible loads AILs) present the same level of risk, and a blanket policy does not account for the variance in load characteristics, road and transport conditions. 

The next steps

In November 2024, the NCC attended a Symposium hosted by the Roads Policing branch of the National Police Chief’s Council at which representatives from most police forces across the UK and others including National Highways reviewed a mature draft of the revised guidance. 

In summary the new guidance needs to be clear on the parameters that would trigger an SPS escort – when an operator requests it – having carried out a risk assessment, but the police may elect to provide an escort under normal duties if the risk assessment deems the public at risk.

The College of Policing is also looking to create a training syllabus to include risk assessments that would then promote a consistent methodology for all abnormal load notifications. There was also some interest in exploring the opportunity for greater training and deployment of Abnormal Loads Officers and developing the work of the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme and the use of accredited self-escorts through a recognised City and Guilds training course. 

The NCC keenly awaits the new guidance which is still under consideration and we will closely monitor how it is adopted by police forces. In the meantime, we remained deeply concerned specifically that where a “stop and direct” instruction given by a private escort driver, for example where a load has to cross central solid white lines, is deemed unlawful and can only be performed by a SPS escort. A more pragmatic approach to such requirements is urgently needed. 

If any members want to keep up to date with developments on this important subject please email us.