What does the Low Ground Clearance Grade Crossing sign mean?
The Low Ground Clearance Grade Crossing sign (MUTCD W10-5) is a railroad crossing sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. The crossing hump is steep enough to strand a long or low vehicle on the tracks.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 8, Table 8B-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the Low Ground Clearance Grade Crossing sign?
| MUTCD code | W10-5 |
|---|---|
| Group | Railroad crossing signs |
| Shape | Diamond |
| Color | Yellow background, black symbol and border |
What a diamond means. A warning. It tells you what the road does next and obliges you to do nothing in particular, which is the distinction test writers probe most often.
What yellow means. General warning of a permanent condition ahead.
Railroad crossing signs. Advance warning, crossbuck and the passive versus active distinction. Rare on the road, common on the test, and the questions turn on who has right of way.
What is the Low Ground Clearance Grade Crossing sign often mistaken for?
Low Clearance (W12-2), which is about height above the vehicle. W10-5 is about the underside of the vehicle grounding out, and it is a CDL question.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupRailroad crossing signs | GroupWarning signs |
| ShapeDiamond | ShapeDiamond (advance) or horizontal rectangle (mounted on the structure) |
| ColorYellow background, black symbol and border | ColorYellow background, black legend and border |
| What it meansThe crossing hump is steep enough to strand a long or low vehicle on the tracks. | What it meansThe structure ahead has less headroom than the posted figure. |
What are the other railroad crossing signs?
All 8 railroad crossing signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.