Broken down on a motorway in an HGV: smart motorways, red X and Go Left

A motorway breakdown is the most dangerous kind, and an HGV makes it more so: the vehicle is wide, slow to move, may be carrying a load, and the driver is often alone. The rules below come from the Highway Code and National Highways. Your employer's procedure and any instruction from the police or a traffic officer take priority.

Which Highway Code rules apply to a motorway breakdown?

The breakdowns section of the Highway Code now runs from rule 275 to rule 287, and the motorway section from 253 to 273. The rules that matter most when an HGV stops are:

Rule	What it says
258	A red X, or red flashing lights, above a lane means the lane is closed. You must not drive in it. If every lane shows a red X the road is closed.
269	You must not use a hard shoulder except in an emergency or when directed to. On a smart motorway a red X or blank sign over the hard shoulder means it is closed except in an emergency.
270	Emergency areas are marked by blue signs with an orange SOS telephone symbol and must only be used in an emergency.
271	You must not stop on any carriageway, emergency area, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency or when told to.
275	A place of relative safety is a service area, a lay-by, an emergency area or a hard shoulder; hard shoulders offer less protection than the others.
277	On a motorway: go left, get safe, get help. Do not place a warning triangle on the carriageway. If you cannot get left, stay in the vehicle with seat belts on and hazard lights on and call 999 immediately. Do not return to the vehicle even if it is raining, cold or dark.
278	Before rejoining from an emergency area you must use the emergency telephone provided and follow the operator's advice.
279	Disabled drivers who cannot follow rules 277 and 278 should stay in the vehicle, keep the seat belt on and call 999.
280	Do not try to remove an obstruction from a motorway yourself; call 999.

Rule 265 is also relevant for HGVs: goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes must not use the right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes, so if a fault develops you are already on the left side of the road, which helps.

What is the Go Left procedure?

National Highways summarises the procedure in three steps.

Go left. At the first sign of trouble, put the left indicator on and move into an emergency area, a lay-by or the hard shoulder, as far left as possible, and switch on the hazard lights. If you can reach an exit or a service area with the vehicle still moving safely, that is better still.

Get safe. Leave the vehicle by the passenger side, put on a high-visibility vest if you have one, and get behind the safety barrier. Move well away from the vehicle, uphill of it where you can. Do not attempt a repair and do not return to the vehicle to keep warm or dry.

Get help. Use the free orange SOS telephone in an emergency area or on the hard shoulder, which connects to National Highways and tells them exactly where you are, or call 0300 123 5000. Face the traffic while you speak. Then call your operator, breakdown scheme or a provider found through HGV247.

What if I cannot get off the carriageway?

If the vehicle stops in a live lane, or you cannot reach a place of relative safety, stay in the cab with your seat belt fastened and hazard lights on, and call 999 immediately. Tell the operator you are stationary in a live lane and give the road, direction and marker post. National Highways will set a red X over the lane or close the road to protect you. This is the one situation in which staying in the vehicle is safer than getting out.

What changes on a smart motorway?

Smart motorways use technology to manage traffic and come in three forms. All-lane running has no hard shoulder at all; the left-hand lane is a live lane and emergency areas are provided at intervals. Dynamic hard shoulder schemes open the hard shoulder as a running lane at busy times and signal it with a red X or blank sign when it is closed. Controlled motorways keep a permanent hard shoulder but use variable speed limits.

The practical consequences for an HGV driver are that the left-hand lane may be live traffic, emergency areas can be a mile or more apart, and stopping anywhere else makes you a stationary obstruction in a running lane. National Highways watches these motorways with cameras and stopped-vehicle detection and will close the lane behind you, but only once the stop has been detected. Getting to an emergency area or an exit while the vehicle can still move is worth a great deal.

What does a red X mean and what happens if I ignore it?

A red X above a lane means that lane is closed, usually because of a stopped vehicle, roadworks or an incident. You must move out of it as soon as it is safe and must not enter it. Ignoring a red X is a moving traffic offence. Since June 2019 it has been enforced by Home Office type-approved cameras and carries a £100 fixed penalty and three penalty points, and some drivers are prosecuted in court instead. For a professional driver the points matter as much as the fine.

What powers do traffic officers have?

National Highways traffic officers, in their black-and-yellow vehicles, have powers under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to stop and direct traffic, place temporary signs and manage incidents on motorways and trunk roads in England. You must comply with their directions. Under the Removal and Disposal of Vehicles (Traffic Officers) (England) Regulations 2008 they can also remove, or require the removal of, a vehicle that has become stationary on the network. In practice a traffic officer will ask what recovery you have arranged and how long it will take; if the answer is unsatisfactory, or the vehicle is in a dangerous position, they can order statutory recovery at your operator's expense. Have your own arrangements in hand before that conversation.

How does a motorway breakdown affect drivers' hours?

The tachograph rules do not pause because the vehicle has stopped. Article 12 of Regulation (EC) 561/2006, as retained in UK law, allows a driver to depart from the driving and rest limits to the extent necessary to reach a suitable stopping place, provided road safety is not jeopardised and the reason is recorded manually on the tachograph printout or record sheet at the latest on arrival. Time waiting for recovery of a known duration can normally be recorded as a period of availability; if the duration is unknown, record it as other work. Tell your transport manager early so the rest of the shift and any onward move can be planned lawfully.

What should I tell the recovery operator?

• The road number and carriageway direction, for example M62 westbound.
• The last junction you passed and the next one ahead.
• The nearest marker post. These small blue posts every 100 metres show the distance in kilometres and the carriageway letter, and they are the most precise location reference available.
• Whether you are in an emergency area, on a hard shoulder, or in a live lane with a red X set.
• The vehicle configuration, weight and load, and whether it can be moved under its own power.
• Whether a traffic officer is present, because they may set conditions for the recovery.

Before you rejoin

When the vehicle is repaired or a recovery operator arrives, do not pull out of an emergency area into traffic. Rule 278 requires you to use the emergency telephone first so that National Highways can set a red X or slow the traffic to let you rejoin safely. From a hard shoulder, build speed on the shoulder before merging when there is a safe gap.

HGV247 is not an emergency service. In danger, call 999 first; then use the directory to find and contact suitable providers near the vehicle.