Transporting a flagpole in Ireland: rules for long loads

A flagpole of 6 metres or more is longer than most cars and vans. Getting it from the supplier to the site means following the rules for projecting loads on Irish roads. Many suppliers deliver and install their poles; the same rules apply to anyone collecting one. This guide describes them.

Rear projection

The rules are in the Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations 2003:

Regulation 34 exempts poles for telephone or electricity services, but not flagpoles.

The warning device

Under Regulation 35, the warning device is either a red flag or cloth at least 300 millimetres square, or a rigid device of a similar area coloured red, or in two colours of which one is red and the other lighter than red. It is carried at the rear of a load that projects more than one metre behind the vehicle during the day.

What that means for a flagpole

With a rear projection of at most 3 metres, the length of pole a vehicle can carry depends on the vehicle’s own length and where the pole rests. A 6-metre pole on a van or trailer usually fits within the limit; a 10- or 12-metre pole is usually delivered on a longer vehicle or a trailer. Many poles come in sections that are joined on site, which makes them easier to transport.

Weight

Flagpoles are relatively light. According to an Irish supplier, a 6-metre classic fibreglass pole weighs about 10 kg and a hinged-base version about 21 kg, while a 12-metre hinged-base pole weighs about 48 kg. Concrete, a base and tools add to the load. The weights of different materials are in the guide to flagpole materials.

Roof racks

According to the Road Safety Authority, carrying a load on a roof rack is legal provided the rack or box is compatible with the vehicle, the load is securely attached with no possibility of it falling off, and neither the design capacity of the rack nor the design gross weight of the vehicle set by the manufacturer is exceeded. A long pole on a roof rack is also more exposed to crosswinds.

On site

At the site, a long pole is at its most dangerous when it is carried upright or raised. ESB Networks points out that overhead electricity wires are not insulated and that raised objects are not carried near them, and it states that no construction activity takes place within 10 metres of an overhead wire. More in the guides to flagpole safety and installing a flagpole.

Protecting the pole

Scratches and dents from transport shorten a pole’s life, especially on aluminium poles with a coating. Poles are often delivered wrapped, and the wrapping protects the surface until the pole is in place. The types of pole are described in the guide to types of flagpoles.