Exempt railroad crossing plaque: what it means
The EXEMPT plaque at a railroad crossing tells drivers of vehicles that normally must stop at every crossing, such as school buses, that a routine stop is not required here. They must still stop if a train is approaching or on the crossing, or their view is blocked.
What does the EXEMPT plaque mean?
MUTCD Section 8B.11 says that where authorized by law, an EXEMPT plaque with a white background may be used below the crossbuck. It informs drivers of vehicles carrying passengers for hire, school buses carrying students and vehicles carrying hazardous materials that a stop is not required at that crossing, except when rail traffic is approaching or occupying it, or the driver’s view is blocked.
Quick quiz
What does the sign at the top of this page mean?
- A railroad crossing: yield to trains.
- Some vehicles need not stop here.
- A railroad crossing is ahead.
Show answer
B. Some vehicles need not stop here. Certain vehicles are exempt from the routine stop, but must still stop if a train is approaching or on the crossing, or the view is blocked (MUTCD Section 8B.11). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 8, Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings: Section 8B.11, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA
Where will you see it?
Below the crossbuck, or on a yellow version below the advance warning sign, at crossings with little or no train traffic.
What should you do?
If you drive a car, nothing changes: look and listen at every crossing. If you drive a bus or a hazmat vehicle, the plaque only removes the routine stop.
What do people get wrong?
Thinking EXEMPT means trains never use the crossing. A train can still come.
Common questions
Who does the EXEMPT plaque apply to?
Vehicles that must normally stop at crossings, such as school buses, vehicles carrying passengers for hire and hazmat vehicles (MUTCD Section 8B.11).
Is there a yellow EXEMPT plaque?
Yes, below the advance warning sign (Section 8B.11).
Compare with
Railroad crossbuck signA railroad crossing: yield to trains.
Railroad crossing ahead signA railroad crossing is ahead.
Want to test someone else? Play a road-sign quiz with friends and family.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Section 8B.11.
- MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 8, Traffic Control for Railroad and Light Rail Transit Grade Crossings: Section 8B.11, FHWA
- MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025
Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.