Signs and signals as they apply to heavy combinations
Sign questions in the CE test are rarely about the sign itself. They are about whether the sign applies to a vehicle of your mass, height or load - and whether a supplementary plate changes its reach. Danish signs follow the Vienna shape logic: red ring = prohibition, triangle = warning, blue circle = mandatory instruction, and rectangular plates give supplementary information.
Supplementary plates decide the case
- A plate reading "lastbil" or a lorry pictogram restricts the prohibition to goods vehicles, often with a mass threshold such as 3,5 t.
- Plates can limit a rule to certain times, directions or axle loads.
- A round sign with a red ring showing "4,0 m" is a height prohibition measured against your actual height including load, not the lorry's unladen figure.
Mass and dimension restrictions
- Signs restricting axle load (akseltryk) or total mass are decisive for a loaded combination; you must know your axle loads, not just the total.
- Width and length restrictions catch combinations where the trailer is wider than the tractor or where the outfit exceeds the signed length.
- Bridge and tunnel signs may combine height, width and dangerous-goods symbols.
Signals and lane control
- Police signals override signs, signals and markings. A raised arm means stop for traffic facing the officer.
- Motorway lane signals (red cross, green arrow) close a lane; the hard shoulder is not a running lane.
- Traffic lights: a flashing yellow means the signal is out of order and normal priority rules apply - a point examiners like because heavy combinations then need extra care at speed.
Worked example - the low bridge. You are routed on a rural road and see a round red-ring sign with "3,8 m" plus a supplementary plate showing a lorry. Your tractor's cab is 3.6 m, and the trailer is loaded with a machine standing 0.4 m above the deck, giving an overall height of about 4.0 m. Reasoning: the prohibition applies to lorries, and it is measured against actual height including the load, so you may not pass. You take the alternative route; lowering the load or letting air out of the tyres is not a lawful workaround.
Traps that cost marks
- Reading the sign for cars and assuming it also covers you, or the reverse.
- Missing a supplementary plate that narrows a prohibition to heavy goods vehicles - the sign then applies to you specifically.
- Using the unladen height from the registration document when the load is what makes you too tall.
- Ignoring lane signals or treating a flashing amber as permission to proceed at normal speed.