Abnormal loads: Other information

Restrictions

Restrictions on movements of abnormal and indivisible loads (AILs) within certain time periods and specific parts of the network are detailed below for the forthcoming year (2024):

Bank holidays

Holiday	Date from	Time	Date to	Time
New Year 2023/24	29 December 2023	3pm	2 January 2024
Easter	28 March	3pm	2 April	6:20am
May Day	3 May	3pm	7 May	5:40am
Whitsun	24 May	3pm	28 May	5:30am
Late Summer	23 August	3pm	27 August	6:30am
Christmas	24 December	3pm	27 December	8:15am
New Year 2024/25	31 December 2024	3pm	2 January 2025	8:15am

Major events

Devon County Show – Westpoint, Exeter (A30 and A376)

Event date	Date from	Time	Date to	Time
16 to 18 May	16 May	5am	20 May	5am

Royal Cornwall Show – Showground Wadebridge (A30 and A39)

Event date	Date from	Time	Date to	Time
6 to 8 June	6 June	5am	10 June	5am

Boardmasters – nr Newquay (A30 and A39)

Event date	Date from	Time	Date to	Time
7 to 11 August	6 August	6pm	12 August	5:30am

Summer period – Fridays at 3pm until Monday at first light

Event date	Date from	Time	Date to	Time
All weekends	28 June	7pm	9 September	5:30am

Day time movements and peak traffic times

In general, abnormal indivisible loads (AILs) shall only be moved during daylight hours from sunrise to sunset Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), but are prohibited during peak traffic times where there is a requirement for an escort:

Monday to Friday 7:30am to 9am and 4pm to 6.30pm

Night time movements

During the hours of darkness, AILs are given a general dispensation to travel on the M5 Motorway (from the Force Boundary J26/27 MP 224.0 A and B) to specific points on continuous dual carriageways A361, A30, A38 and A380 under compliance with regulations and codes of practice.  AILs may be authorised by the force abnormal loads officer to move beyond the below arterial route points under strict control measures and, or with, police escort on special duty:

Arterial route	Point
M5 J27 to A361	to Portmore AbLoad layby prior to A39
M5 J29 to A30 East	to Honiton By-pass
M5 J30 to A30 West	to Carland Cross
M5 J31 to A38	to Abnormal Load layby Smithaleigh (for Plymouth) and Tamar Bridge (for Cornwall)
M5 J31/A38 to A380	to Eagle Farm layby

Arterial route width restrictions

Arterial route	Width restriction
A38 Glynn Valley	3.2 metres from Doublebois to Bodmin By-pass (and Return)
A39 Allen Valley	3 metres from St Kew Highway to Valley Truckle (and Return)
A389	No AILs between Bodmin and Wadebridge
A385	3 metres from Western Bypass A381 Totnes to A38 (and Return)

 

Dispensations

A dispensation is a permission for an abnormal load to travel without having to notify us each time.

Please use our dispensation enquiry form to ask about our dispensations.

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