Sploom:
So,I was on my way to Swindon last night,running a 16 foot trailer.I knew about the 16 foot bridge on the a420 but when I got closer,I read the warnings that the bridge was 16 foot,and also 4.8metres.
4.8 metrrs is 15 foot 9.I didnt want to take any chances because my trailer is marked 4.88 metres which is 16 foot.Talk about confusing drivers.If I drove under and hit the bridge,what would happen then?
In the end,I turned round and made a big detour down the a34 m4,that added a lot of time.
Are there other bridges with these markings?
The road signs will have a margin of error in favour of safety. The same should apply to the veh heights and NOT round it up!!!
By that logic exactly the same ‘margin for error’ ‘should’ convert exactly into feet and inches on the sign, to what the sign says in metres.Bearing in mind the OP is clearly describing conflicting signage in that regard.
the nodding donkey:
Not this again. We only discussed this a few weeks ago. I’m not going over it al again, just ask currywürst to explain it to you.
My thoughts exactly.
But to avoid the danger of “running out of topics”:
UK drivers should focus on the imperial measurements, the metric figures are not intended to be direct conversions and were created for the benefit of our European colleagues. Anything else worse adding has already been said in CF’s thread (and dutifully ignored by reason of his bizarre mentality)
Sploom:
So,I was on my way to Swindon last night,running a 16 foot trailer.
I read the warnings that the bridge was 16 foot,and also 4.8metres.
4.8 metrrs is 15 foot 9.I didnt want to take any chances because my trailer is marked 4.88 metres which is 16 foot.
If I drove under and hit the bridge,what would happen then?
Had you accurately measured the overall traveling height when connected to the tractor unit to get the 16 foot figure? If so, no problem, it would be incorrect signage if you’d hit it.
If you were reading the height from the trailer front end and trusting to that without measuring, then hit the bridge, you’d get a Driver Conduct Hearing with the TC and a suspension of HGV entitlement (typical starting point six weeks). Your operator would also be facing a Public Inquiry (big Ouch! for them)
Thats a good point,I have to pay more attention to this before I end up whacking a bridge!
stu675:
How could you prove that you had manually measured every single trailer that you pick up?
It is expected as standard by the authorities that you know the height of your vehicle, not hitting a bridge is almost all the evidence you need, that, together with your daily defect check. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an app or paper-based, it’s a “legal document” because it is either signed physically or digitally, and in that “document” there will always be a segment for “vehicle height”.
Like most things in life, it’s only an issue when the stuff hits the fan, ie hitting a bridge, that is when you need to be be concerned about your ability to demonstrate you’ve measured the height of the vehicle.
Any decent employer should have already put all their staff through bridge strike awareness training, either by putting drivers on a decent DCPC that covers the subject, or getting them to do a decent toolbox talk.
They don’t even have to create their own content, FORS do a “Bridge Smart” e-learning module, it only takes about 20 minutes and it’s genuinely free (FORS and free in the same sentence! ) and you don’t need to be affiliated or signed up to their organization to access it, just register yourself as an individual driver. fors-online.org.uk/cms/elearning-2-2/
If you work for a company with 8,000 trailers they definitely should have dealt with this issue already, and if they haven’t, it’s an ideal situation to get one over on your TM by asking them why.
Carryfast:
By that logic exactly the same ‘margin for error’ ‘should’ convert exactly into feet and inches on the sign, to what the sign says in metres.Bearing in mind the OP is clearly describing conflicting signage in that regard.
We’ve been through this, exhaustively. No.
Or browse one of the 51 other different ways of expressing the same sentiment until you find a language that is common in your own particular reality fluentu.com/blog/no-in-different-languages/
) and you don’t need to be affiliated or signed up to their organization to access it, just register yourself as an individual driver.