For the last 3 years I have driven a round route of 20 miles or so to deliver to Thales because of the 13’ 0" bridge… I am an 18 ton rigid. 13’8"
BUT today saw an artic that must have been 14 foot high come flying under the bridge…
Anyone got any experience of this bridge ?
If I totted it up then I must have lost a week of my life driving through Gillingham to get around it.
It would be very dreary to get jammed under this bridge so any useful experience of this bridge would be very welcome.
Any smart arse comments are welcome as long as they make readers smile…
Thanks peeps
Maybe lowering the truck or maybe you can get under the best way and the stupidest way is to probably try it but if you do hit it I think it’s £25000 for the bridge to be checked
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Well it also signposted for 4.0m which is 13ft 1.48 inches so you got some wiggle room 
Was it a 4.0m tall euro lorry?
Nice photo…sorry for the newbie question but what is the tolerance on bridge heights?
Ive always taken it as that is the maximum safe height to pass under the bridge ive never hit a bridge going by that.
Colin_scottish:
Ive always taken it as that is the maximum safe height to pass under the bridge ive never hit a bridge going by that.
Same here…never hit a bridge yet or come any where close…it’s just so frustrating to see a fellow trucker come sailing through when he must have been in a truck an inch or two taller than me.
I wonder
just how much wiggle room varies from county to county…
Suggestion…
Get down there really really really early before everyone’s awake and see if you can get under it. If you can’t there’s a turning either side that you can spin it and get out.
If you can, regret the week of your life you ain’t getting back.
I’ll admit that I’ve been under it with an 18 tonner, with a claimed height of 13’8’’ without issue, following another chap from the same firm. That way he was the ■■■■ if it went wrong… his idea.
You wouldn’t happen to be driving a white daf cf with red curtains would you? 13’8’’ is a very specific height
It doesn’t matter if there would be clearance or not, a round white sign with a red roundel means that any vehicle above the signed height is prohibited.
And there’s no train on it at the time 
You’ll be surprised how much that’ll change the height
I carry a 5m tape measure in the cab. Useful to know rather than guess remaining bed after loading ovetsized pallets. Also good to actually measure the height of your vehicle. Try it with air suspension normal and lowered. I have used ot on an unsigned bridge out in the sticks too. Saved a diversion. As Harry says the round sign gives a prohibition on vehicles over the msrked height. Triangular signs are advanced warning.
How much tolerance? In the UK I’ve no idea. But imagination says there will be some margin of error as every one covers their posterior. No-one will want to give an unsafe measure. France there seems to be 20cm or so?
I’m sure in Italy there’s approximately none… don’t ask.
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you must also take the road before and after the bridge in to account it may be fine for a short rigid but an artic could easily come a cropper if the road rises past the bridge like the rail bridge on the A472 towards little mill and usk.
The old arch in Chepstow main street used to have 13foot 6inch double deck buses running through it on service but it now has a round sign with a limit
of 11 foot on it. They really are trying to make sure their pride and joy does not get damaged.
I have heard of one bridge that had a compulsory limit put on it that meant the usual double deck school bus could not go under it any more and it meant a long diversion. The bus company moaned about this and the bridge has now gone back to a triangular warning sign.
A bridge in Rotherham is marked up at 13’ Aldwarke Lane I think for Minteq.
google.co.uk/maps/@53.44987 … 312!8i6656
I have taken a 14’ 2" trailer under there regularly, have to dump air though.
All I can tell you is iv’e been under Templecombe Bridge quite a few times in a Scania Topline and a Daf XF SSC
makes me duck every time both ways.
Been under it in a Renault Magnam. Same truck under Wilton bridge {marked at 14 ft}, going South said “High veh use centre” . Coming North was told “Overheight divert”