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I've seen this traffic sign in Switzerland. What does the second panel from the top mean? The panel is a rectangle, maybe 1½ times wider than high, depicting on the left a symbol that looks like a dart drawn within a rhombus, and on the right the text ►1,8m◄. The latter may indicate a maximum width but there is a different panel for that, so I expect the meaning to be a bit different.

traffic sign

I could not find this sign on this list of traffic signs in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Something is only permitted with AWD when having permission from the municipality of Ennenda, but what?

A few km away I saw the panel again, with the same symbol on the left, but on the right a maximum mass (12 t) rather than a maximum width:

another panel

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    I assume you're only allowed to drive on the road if you have AWD and permission. And given the top sign, the road (or trail) is probably only for jeeps, ATVs, etc. I would bet the yellow sign is in fact telling you about the width of the trail, but I don't know what the symbol on its left means.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 22:43
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    @NateEldredge I've added a second photo of a different occurence of this symbol, is this case for a surfaced road, so I'm not sure if we're on the right track...
    – gerrit
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 22:51
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    Hm. It almost looks like some sort of military insignia.
    – Nate Eldredge
    Commented Jun 14, 2019 at 23:05
  • Both current answers are excellent, but I think what nohillside has that the comments lack is a citation showing that yellow with black border is for military use.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 17:42
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    @AndrewLazarus: While true, if we want to be nitpicky, that's not what was asked in the question. The question is specifically about the significance of the left symbol on its own, and in the context of the sign it appears in. The fact that other attributes of the sign somewhat restrict the scope of the sign in general is certainly relevant, but can also be seen as marginal to the concrete question asked (compared to the other answer that directly explains the meaning of the symbol).
    – O. R. Mapper
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 21:03

2 Answers 2

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Signals with a black border and black text on yellow ground are military signals, as defined in Art 101.8 of the Swiss Road Signal Ordenance (Signalisationsverordnung, not available in english):

Gelb-schwarze Signale, ausgenommen die Signale «Hauptstrasse» (3.03) und «Ende Hauptstrasse» (3.04), richten sich ausschliesslich an die Führer von Militärfahrzeugen.7 Die Signale haben einen gelben Grund; der Rand, die Schrift und die Symbole sind schwarz. Die Bestimmungen zum Schutze der Signale (Art. 98 SVG) sind anwendbar.

They are only valid for drivers of military vehicles while in active duty.

The meaning of these symbols is the following

enter image description here

(Image courtesy of Swiss Army Logistics Base, not available online)

  • Top left: military use [of road] allowed
  • Top right: max weight 5t
  • Bottom left: max width 1.8m
  • Bottom right: trailer allowed

On how to read the sign post in the first picture in general, the general rule is to read from top to bottom:

  • Passage is forbidden for any motorized vehicle
  • Motorized military vehicles are allowed to pass if they are less than 1.8m wide
  • Permission (for civilians) to use the road with a motorized vehicle can be granted by the municipal council of Ennenda
  • In any case you need an all wheel drive to use the road
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    As a side note, it's rather strange that the Ennenda council needs to approve it, considering I took the photo in Hinter Klöntal, west of Glarus, and Ennenda is east of Glarus, but there's probably an obscure Swiss political reason for that :)
    – gerrit
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 12:58
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    @gerrit These municipalities can be rather large, it might also be that Ennenda just owns the land there, and the road leading across it. Also, council may not be the best translation, "Gemeinderat" is the executive body in this case.
    – nohillside
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 13:24
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    @nohillside Rat is usually best translated as council (or counsel, depending on the context), and that is probably the case here. A municipal council can be an executive body, though sometimes you'll see board instead.
    – phoog
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 16:32
  • @nohillside Google maps certainly doesn't think Ennenda covers Hinter Klöntal. Odd
    – Martin Bonner supports Monica
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 9:56
  • @MartinBonner To make things even more interesting, "Effective from 1 January 2011, Ennenda is part of the municipality of Glarus" :-)
    – nohillside
    Commented Jun 17, 2019 at 10:30
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The pictogram on the road-sign is just the symbol within the swiss armed forces for a Truck driver. That's the reason why you probably won't find it unless you know what you are looking for.

The drivers themselves will get a badge like the one below. a badge

So this sign is an instruction for a military truck driver.

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    Now I wonder why this is the symbol for a truck driver…
    – gerrit
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 20:15
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    Ooh, so my hunch did bring me somewhat on the right track! I suspected it was not a warning pictogram at all, but some kind of an emblem ... but I didn't get further than to checking Ennenda's coat of arms and seeing it looks different. @gerrit: Well, I can see a steering wheel on a long steering column (like it is found in some large vehicles like trucks), which is adorned with something like flags or a wreath.
    – O. R. Mapper
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 20:57
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    @Hosch250, it's a steering wheel with stylized chevrons. A fairly clear symbol for "military truck driver".
    – Mark
    Commented Jun 16, 2019 at 5:23
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    @mark Having driven an older army-style vehicle, I guessed the emblem represented 6 gear-sticks. (gearbox, high/low lever, 2WD/4WD/6WD lever, overdrive lever, 2x PTO/winch engage levers, etc)
    – Criggie
    Commented Jun 18, 2019 at 1:01
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    Just my 2p, it looked like a radio antenna to me, and I was thinking of how the radio guys are 'auxiliary' an so might the lorry drivers be. However, then everyone would have that badge other than just the lorry drivers, so I guess it doesn't make sense.
    – djsmiley2kStaysInside
    Commented Jun 18, 2019 at 11:19

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