It was claimed members of An Garda Síochána have issues of interpreting specific regulations regarding tractor use on public roads.

Some of the issues include the use of hard shoulders, whether it is illegal or not to use them to let traffic out or not to and create a tailback with a slow-moving vehicle, the group said.

Despite new regulations introduced in January last year, there are said to be ongoing issues surrounding vehicle widths and lengths.

Practical use of plates

The transport committee was also told there are concerns around the practical use of learner (L) and novice (N) plates.

In some cases, trailers are changed between tractors, there is little option in a number of fleets other than to paste an L and N plate on every machine, the association added.

Elsewhere, FCI voiced concerns surrounding learner (provisional) W licence-holders and the role of the second seat in the tractor cab in such circumstances.

The Department of Transport has since said that the learner permit licence-holder must be accompanied by a qualified driver, if there is a passenger seat fitted. Where there is no passenger seat fitted, the learner permit licence-holder may operate without another person present.

Operating without a tachographs

There were also calls for a change to new legislation that has put a limit of 100km radius for tractors to travel from their base of operations.

FCI said that in order to keep tachographs out of tractors the limit needs to be raised to 250km, as many modern tractors are required to transport farm and forestry machines and farm produce over greater distances, where the use of a truck would not be practical or economical due to the relatively low value of the goods in transit, such as straw.

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