Ohio Code 4511.64 – Slow-moving vehicles or equipment crossing railroad tracks
(A) No person shall operate or move any crawler-type tractor, steam shovel, derrick, roller, or any equipment or structure having a normal operating speed of six or less miles per hour or a vertical body or load clearance of less than nine inches above the level surface of a roadway, upon or across any tracks at a railroad grade crossing without first complying with divisions (A)(1) and (2) of this section.
Attorney's Note
Under the Ohio Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Misdemeanor of the third degree | up to 60 days | up to $500 |
| Misdemeanor of the fourth degree | up to 30 days | up to $250 |
| Minor misdemeanor | up to $150 |
Terms Used In Ohio Code 4511.64
- highway: means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way open to the use of the public as a thoroughfare for purposes of vehicular travel. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Motor vehicle: means every vehicle propelled or drawn by power other than muscular power or power collected from overhead electric trolley wires, except motorized bicycles, electric bicycles, road rollers, traction engines, power shovels, power cranes, and other equipment used in construction work and not designed for or employed in general highway transportation, hole-digging machinery, well-drilling machinery, ditch-digging machinery, farm machinery, and trailers designed and used exclusively to transport a boat between a place of storage and a marina, or in and around a marina, when drawn or towed on a street or highway for a distance of no more than ten miles and at a speed of twenty-five miles per hour or less. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Operate: means to cause or have caused movement of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Person: means every natural person, firm, co-partnership, association, or corporation. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Railroad: means a carrier of persons or property operating upon rails placed principally on a private right-of-way. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Railroad train: means a steam engine or an electric or other motor, with or without cars coupled thereto, operated by a railroad. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Roadway: means that portion of a highway improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, except the berm or shoulder. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Traffic: means pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars, trackless trolleys, and other devices, either singly or together, while using for purposes of travel any highway or private road open to public travel. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Vehicle: means every device, including a motorized bicycle and an electric bicycle, in, upon, or by which any person or property may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except that "vehicle" does not include any motorized wheelchair, any electric personal assistive mobility device, any low-speed micromobility device, any personal delivery device as defined in section 4511. See Ohio Code 4511.01
- Whoever: includes all persons, natural and artificial; partners; principals, agents, and employees; and all officials, public or private. See Ohio Code 1.02
(1) Before making any such crossing, the person operating or moving any such vehicle or equipment shall first stop the same, and while stopped the person shall listen and look in both directions along such track for any approaching train and for signals indicating the approach of a train, and shall proceed only upon exercising due care.
(2) No such crossing shall be made when warning is given by automatic signal or crossing gates or a flagperson or otherwise of the immediate approach of a railroad train or car.
(B) If the normal sustained speed of such vehicle, equipment, or structure is not more than three miles per hour, the person owning, operating, or moving the same shall also give notice of such intended crossing to a station agent or superintendent of the railroad, and a reasonable time shall be given to such railroad to provide proper protection for such crossing. Where such vehicles or equipment are being used in constructing or repairing a section of highway lying on both sides of a railroad grade crossing, and in such construction or repair it is necessary to repeatedly move such vehicles or equipment over such crossing, one daily notice specifying when such work will start and stating the hours during which it will be prosecuted is sufficient.
(C) Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one predicate motor vehicle or traffic offense, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of two or more predicate motor vehicle or traffic offenses, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
If the offender commits the offense while distracted and the distracting activity is a contributing factor to the commission of the offense, the offender is subject to the additional fine established under section 4511.991 of the Revised Code.