The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has called for a ban on tractors and "slow moving vehicles" from using the country's motorway network due to safety concerns.
According to the Road Safety Authority (RSA), a tractor can be driven on a motorway if it can travel at or maintain a speed of at least 50km/h.
IRHA President Ger Hyland said Ireland is "currently the only country in the EU that allows tractors on motorways".
He said they should be removed if Ireland is serious about road safety and preventing further road deaths.
"Tractors cause a build-up of traffic behind them on the motorway, with people pulling into other lanes at the last minute to avoid the slow-moving tractor," he said.
"Tractors are a regular sight on our motorways during the summer months, sometimes pulling trailers of hay and silage bales or pulling slurry spreaders or other heavy machinery.
"A family in a car driving in heavy fog on the motorway at 120km/h could come across this tractor and have very little time to react. This is presenting a clear and present danger to other road users and is a serious tragedy waiting to happen," he added.
The IRHA has said many of their members' HGVs are getting stuck behind tractors and trailers, leading to congestion and dangerous manoeuvering on the motorway network.
It has has called on the Government to work with the RSA and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) to take action and ensure that tractors stick to local and regional roads and not use motorways that are designed for fast-moving intercity traffic.
In response to the IRHA's call, the IFA said tractors that travel on motorway are equipped for speeds above 50km/h.
"In most cases, the journey they are undertaking is local so the time spent on the motorway is short," it said in a statement.
"Many farm holdings are fragmented, so farmers need access to the road network."
The IFA said it will oppose any move to drive tractors off the motorway network.
IFA President Francie Gorman said the "attempt to ban tractors from our motorways has nothing to do with road safety, as implied by the IRHA".
"It is part of a campaign to corner the market for transporting goods on our roads," he said.
