What are the Different Types of Rear Marking Plates?
Depending on the vehicle’s journey and characteristics as to speed and/or width, length and/or weight, rear marking plates are mandatory according to European law. The UN Regulation ECE 70 stipulates that these marker boards are fitted in addition to rear lights in order to increase the vehicle’s visibility and inform other road users that this truck or trailer is extraordinarily large and may be quite slow. ECE Regulation 69 is limited to slow-moving vehicles with a maximum speed of 40 km/h.
Rear Marking Plates as per ECE 70
Long or heavy-haul trucks and trailers in transit traffic must have special rear marking plates when passing through particular countries. The plates help to speed up and facilitate customs processing. In some countries, these ECE 70 marker plates are mandatory whereas in other countries they are only optional.
You may come across two versions of the ECE 70 plates: the ECE 70.00 and the ECE 70.01. The ECE 70.01 is an updated edition of the ECE 70 rule, and hence includes some higher demands than the older version. However, the rear marker boards for ECE 70.00 and ECE 70.01 are basically the same. They mainly differ in the film’s reflectivity performance: ECE 70.01 approved marking plates provide more conspicuity than ECE 70.00 approved plates.
Four Categories of Rear Marking Plates for Trucks and Trailers
The ECE 70.01 defines four classes of vehicles that use either rear markers with a retroreflective and a fluorescent section ("RF") or rear markers that are completely retroreflective ("RR"):
| 1 | Heavy motor vehicles | Trucks & tractors | Red fluorescent and yellow retroreflective alternate, oblique stripes |
| 2 | Long vehicles | Trailer & semi-trailer | Red fluorescent border and yellow retroreflective centre |
| 3 | Heavy motor vehicles | Trucks & tractors | Red retroreflective and yellow retroreflective alternate, oblique stripes |
| 4 | Long vehicles | Trailer & semi-trailer | Red retroreflective border and yellow retroreflective centre |
Please find more detailed information on rear marking plates pursuant to ECE 70 here.
Rear Marking Plates as per ECE 69
ECE 69 plates are mandatory on vehicles that cannot go faster than 40km/h (so-called slow-moving vehicles).
Following the example of ECE 70, there are two versions of the UN regulation ECE 69: ECE 69.00, being the previous version and hence requiring lower retroreflectivity (RA2/B), and ECE 69.01 with its more demanding stipulations as to retroreflectivity (RA3/C).
Our ECE 69 rear markers are available as self-adhesive film (sticker) or steel-sheet plate with edge trims.