Hill sign
A yellow diamond with a truck on a slope. It warns of a steep downhill grade ahead.
How to read it
Despite the name, the sign is about going down: the MUTCD places it ahead of downgrades long or steep enough to call for special care. Its guidance gives examples, from a 5% grade more than 3,000 feet long to a 9% grade more than 500 feet long, and a plaque below the sign can give the grade.
Rules vary by state and country. This explains the sign's standard meaning in the U.S. Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices; it isn't legal advice.
Read next
More road signs
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with diamonds or triangles.
Sources
- MUTCD 2009 Edition, Chapter 2C: Warning Signs and Object Markers, MUTCD 2009, Part 2, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Section 2C.16
- Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, Chapter 2: Signals, Signs and Pavement Markings, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, p. 16
- Official Florida Driver License Handbook, rev. 08/2023, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, p. 51
- What Every Driver Must Know, Michigan driver manual, Michigan Department of State, Chapter 5, sign 51
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 25, 2026. How we research
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