Railroad crossing signs
Railroad Crossing Ahead sign
A railroad crossing is ahead. Slow down, look and listen, and be ready to stop.
- Circle
- Yellow
- MUTCD W10-1
Shape and background first
Federal designation W10-1 in the MUTCD, the national standard every state signs to.
What the MUTCD specifies
Designation: W10-1
MUTCD Section 8B.06
Conventional road size: 36 in diameter
Standard: Post an advance grade crossing warning on each highway approach, except for the circumstances listed in Section 8B.06.
Source: Federal Highway Administration, MUTCD 11th Edition (December 2023), Part 8, Table 8B-1; Section 8B.06, verified 2026-09-26.
What the test wants you to know
The mistake people make
The round yellow sign is the only circular warning sign in the system and exists purely for railroad crossings. Remember it as the advance warning, not the crossing itself.
The sign people confuse it with
Railroad Crossing Ahead gets mixed up with Crossbuck more than any other pairing in this category. Put them side by side and the difference is obvious, which is exactly why it is worth doing once rather than meeting them cold in the exam.
Railroad Crossing Ahead
A railroad crossing is ahead.
Crossbuck
Marks the railroad crossing itself.
