CPA and CLOCS consult on new guidance for driving plant on public highways
CPA and CLOCS have opened consultation on good-practice guidance covering competence, plant suitability, route planning, management authorisation and operator road-travel checks.
Consultation open until 6 November
CPA announced on 16 October 2026 that it and CLOCS have opened public consultation on draft good-practice guidance for driving construction plant on the public highway. The work follows a fatal incident involving a vulnerable road user earlier in 2026.
The draft includes competence, plant suitability and route-planning considerations, together with checklists for management authorisation and operator road-travel checks. Comments are invited until 6 November 2026.
Why lifting and plant teams should take note
Excavators, telehandlers and other mobile plant can move between site and highway environments. Road travel introduces a different set of interfaces and should be explicitly authorised and planned rather than treated as an extension of site operation.
- Verify operator competence for the proposed road movement.
- Confirm the machine is suitable and legally configured for highway travel.
- Plan the route and vulnerable-road-user interfaces.
- Use management authorisation and operator checks.
- Separate road-travel controls from lifting-mode assumptions and configurations.
LiftPlanProUK provides planning and management support. Site-specific information must be checked and every lifting operation approved by a competent person.