Farm Guide
Farm Equipment on the Highway

Farm Equipment Rules

Rules of the Road for Farm Equipment
HTA 41, 66, 106, 128, 130, 132, 150, Criminal Code of Canada

Generally, rules of the road, such as stop signs, right-of-way, traffic lights, turning, etc., that apply to cars and trucks also apply to farm equipment.

Some rules do not apply to the operation of farm equipment on the road. The following list contains examples only. Please refer to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) for all applicable rules:

Rules that do apply

• Careless driving
• Dangerous driving
• Impaired driving
• Signalling (electronic or hand/arm signals)

Rules that do not apply

• Slow driving
• Seat belt requirements
• Farm equipment operating on the shoulder of the road

Where to Drive on the Road
HTA 148, 149

Farm equipment may be driven on the travelled portion of the road, on the shoulder portion of the road, except where prohibited, or on both portions when operating wide equipment.

Narrow farm equipment should be driven completely on the travelled portion or completely on the shoulder of the road. If the driver has doubts about the safety of operating completely on the shoulder, the driver should operate completely on the travelled portion. Drivers must exercise extreme caution when it is necessary to move between the shoulder and the travelled portion of the road.

Wide equipment, that requires the use of both the travelled portion and the shoulder, should be driven by using the complete portion of the travelled portion with the remaining equipment width on the shoulder.

Travelling partially on both travelled and shoulder portions of the road with wide or narrow equipment and not leaving the full width of the travelled portion of the road available to vehicles passing in the same direction can constitute a serious hazard for the equipment driver and motorists attempting to overtake.

Farm equipment, regardless of width, must by law, give up one-half of the roadway when being overtaken or passed in the opposite direction.