Authority to direct traffic

What does authority to issue orders mean?

Traffic control interventions - such as briefly stopping oncoming traffic at a bottleneck - are generally the responsibility of the police. For large and heavy transports, however, this sovereign task can be delegated to specially trained and officially approved escort personnel. Both the individual and the company entrusted with this task are regarded as authorised parties.

The transfer is carried out by the responsible authority as part of the transport permit. The accompanying staff act as administrative assistants and are allowed to carry out the traffic control measures specified in the permit independently - with appropriately equipped support vehicles and only on the approved route.

Why this is important

• Less dependence on police capacity: Transports do not have to wait for available police escort.
• Better planning: Appointments can be kept more reliably, downtimes are reduced.
• Consistent safety: The measures are ordered by the authorities and are implemented by trained staff.
• Relief of the authorities: Police will only be involved where the approval expressly provides for it.

Requirements

The authority to issue orders is tied to clear conditions. These include in particular:

• Proven training of accompanying staff for traffic control measures
• Appropriately equipped support vehicles (e.g. BF3/BF4 with variable message signs)
• Express transfer by the authority in the respective approval
• Implementation exclusively within the framework of the specified requirements and route

Our role

BKF Service GmbH plans and accompanies transports in which traffic control measures are provided by accompanying personnel with authority to issue orders. During the route inspection, we identify the places where such measures are necessary and take them into account in the approval process and operational planning.