Protruding cargo: what are the rules?

If you are transporting a large object, which is larger than your car, trailer or truck and therefore protruding, certain rules apply. We have briefly listed the rules for each vehicle for you.

Car insurance? Calculate your premium!

Divisible load or indivisible load?

A distinction is made between divisible cargo and indivisible cargo. Divisible cargo means that you can divide the cargo into smaller parts. Think of a package or object that you can disassemble. Indivisible cargo is cargo that you cannot divide or disassemble without damaging the object. Indivisible cargo is, for example, a ladder or pole.

There are more stringent requirements for divisible cargo than for indivisible cargo. This is because you can easily make the load smaller. Therefore, you are expected to do so in order to reduce the risk of accidents.

Protruding cargo trailer/trailer

For a trailer or trailer, cargo may NOT protrude at the front. Divisible cargo may protrude a maximum of 20 cm at the sides, indivisible cargo may protrude more than 20 cm at the sides if the trailer is not wider than 3 m. At the rear, divisible cargo may not protrude more than 1 m, indivisible cargo may protrude more than 1 m under a condition. That condition is that the load does not project more than half the length of the trailer, with a maximum of 5 m from the rear axle.

Example: If you have a trailer 6 meters long, the protruding (indivisible) load should not protrude more than 3 meters behind the rear axle of the trailer.

Excellent cargo car

Divisible cargo may NOT protrude from the front of the car, indivisible cargo may not protrude more than 1 m from the front. For both divisible and indivisible cargo, they may not project more than 20 cm to the sides of a car. Also, they both may not project more than 1 m at the rear.

Excellent cargo truck

Divisible cargo may NOT project in front of the truck. Indivisible cargo may not project more than 4.30 m in front of the center of the front axle of the truck. At the rear, divisible cargo may not project more than 1 m. At the rear, indivisible cargo may not protrude more behind the center of the rear axle than half the length of the truck with a maximum of 5 m. For the sides, the width of the truck including indivisible cargo may not exceed 3 meters. If the load extends more than 10 cm on the side edges, marking signs and additional lighting must be installed.

Marker sign protruding load

In some cases, you must use a marking sign. This is required if the load protrudes more than 1 meter in length (at the front or rear) or if the protruding load protrudes more than 10 cm in width (with the exception of a passenger car).

A marker sign is a square sign with parallel diagonal stripes in red and white. The stripes must have a width of no less than 7 cm and no more than 10 cm. If you transport protruding cargo at night, you must also pay attention to lighting. You will need at least one white light in front and one red light in the rear.