At the risk of re igniting an old favourite (limper vs proper full time drivers), it would seem that a lot of these incidents are caused by our temporary flip flop wearers. Will the agency involved have to repair Stobbies trailer out of their insurance?
If so, hopefully they will get severely punished by rising insurance and go to the land of ’ out of business parasites '.
Surely at some point, haulage companies will start getting fed up of agency drivers and start employing more full timers? At which point as Juddian alludes to; decent pay for better drivers. I pull different trailer heights every day, it is a simple case of using the Mk1 eyeball. Perhaps as someone else stated-a driving ban for a period of time from the TC?
If it cost every driver who hit a bridge hundreds or even thousands of pounds, I guarantee you the amount of incidents would shrink dramatically.
If it cost every driver who hit a bridge hundreds or even thousands of pounds, I guarantee you the amount of incidents would shrink dramatically.
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The licensing agency could easily assign a new offence code, then the agency/company insurance companies could add that to the DD/DR exception.
I think that is a smart suggestion Jude H. Failing that, the offending driver could be chained to the local idiots bench and be bummed to death.
Rowley010:
I personally don’t think it should be instantly sackable. It should depend on your record. Or if you’ve got 2 or 3 other smaller incidents to your name and then you go and hit a bridge, then yeah, there’s the door. But if it’s your first ever thing. Like the other poster said. What’s 4.3m in feet and inches? There’s a multitude of factors which can cause a bridge strike. Not always just being either a total bell end or foreign! Personally I check and check double check heights and routes and touch wood I hope I never do it. But we’re all human and mistakes happen.
I’m sorry but not knowing what 4.3m is in imperial isn’t an excuse today. If you have a smart phone you can literally just Google “What is 4.3m in feet” and it will tell you!
3.281 feet in a metre for those who don’t know.
How hard can it be to hang some gongs up a few hundred metres before a bridge that would be an additional indicator of an impending strike.
Can’t cost that much surely■■?
eagerbeaver:
3.281 feet in a metre for those who don’t know.
Or, 4.3m is 14" 10’ give or take.
bazza123:
How hard can it be to hang some gongs up a few hundred metres before a bridge that would be an additional indicator of an impending strike.
Can’t cost that much surely■■?
It’s not hard, but why should the tax-payer pay £10,000 a bridge (or whatever it is) to install them?
The onus should be on the operator to ensure that they have competent and trained staff. Maybe the the height should be on a daily check sheet/trailer check sheet?
Judehamish:
bazza123:
How hard can it be to hang some gongs up a few hundred metres before a bridge that would be an additional indicator of an impending strike.
Can’t cost that much surely■■?
It’s not hard, but why should the tax-payer pay £10,000 a bridge (or whatever it is) to install them?
The onus should be on the operator to ensure that they have competent and trained staff. Maybe the the height should be on a daily check sheet/trailer check sheet?
Doesn’t seem to matter, you’ll still get the ones who don’t bother with the daily check.
A driving ban would be a good way forward.
If we had compulsory height sticks in cabs (checked for condition on MOT/service) and a driving ban if guilty (providing that the marked height is correct) of a bridge strike, I honestly think that 80% of them would not happen.
eagerbeaver:
I think that is a smart suggestion Jude H. Failing that, the offending driver could be chained to the local idiots bench and be bummed to death.
Ooo that sounds a tadge harsh.
Poke them with a pointed stick for starters and if they show no signs of remorse . .
No one can guarantee they’ll never hit a bridge, anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded.
Everyone makes mistakes, like all the people are doing right now that have read the above and said that’s a load of ■■■■!
Of course we can and should limit the potential by getting the tape measure out, setting the height indicator, planning and checking routes etc. And I won’t have any sympathy for drivers that haven’t done that. But mistakes will still be made, by very good drivers too, more than likely when things go wrong, like missing a turn, road closures, add to that running out of time, trying to find somewhere to park / turn round, end up on a familiar route that was made familiar in a lower vehicle etc. 99.99999999% of the time we’re still on the ball, but it’s never 100% for anyone, there’s still that chance.
No amount of training or retraining can stop people making mistakes. Pilots on the whole are a far brighter bunch than drivers and have a lot more training, but when I watch air crash investigation, it more often than not comes down to human error, granted they do have more going on.
No amount of cost to the individual will stop people making mistakes, there’s enough people pay the ultimate price by killing themselves through making mistakes and taking risks.
To anyone who hasn’t already accepted it, we need to accept that people make mistakes, all of them. Fail-safes should be there to catch them mistakes, dangling chains, or over height sensors with big flashing lights and sirens!
stevieboy308:
To anyone who hasn’t already accepted it, we need to accept that people make mistakes, all of them. Fail-safes should be there to catch them mistakes, dangling chains, or over height sensors with big flashing lights and sirens!
^ +1
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ … lltale.jpg
But it’s not a mistake though is it? It is sheer incompetence. It is pretty much one of the most basic requirements to drive a LGV.
- Drive on the correct side of the road.
- Know the size of your vehicle.
3.Try and close the curtains if ■■■■■■■■■■■■.
So yes. I can guarantee I will not hit a bridge. Not sure about getting point no3 wrong though.
always wondered why a sensor similar to a reversing sensor cannot be fitted to the front of the trailer senses an obstruction ahead sets off an alarm in the cab simples would work for bridges canopys anything
eagerbeaver:
But it’s not a mistake though is it? It is sheer incompetence. It is pretty much one of the most basic requirements to drive a LGV.
- Drive on the correct side of the road.
- Know the size of your vehicle.
3.Try and close the curtains if ■■■■■■■■■■■■.
So yes. I can guarantee I will not hit a bridge. Not sure about getting point no3 wrong though.
Then I think you’ve a dangerous mindset, that could lead to complacency, unless of course you are the 1 exception that proves the rule that humans make mistakes.
I’ve never hit a bridge, but I’ve forgotten to lock my car, forgot to shut the baby gate a few times, left the oven on etc and like most mistakes, I’ve gotten away with them with no harm done, which is what usually happens when we make mistakes. Don’t think you’ve any better than the rest of the population, you’re prone to mistakes like the rest of us, unless you really are the chosen one!!
An I right in thinking you’ve not been driving that long? If so, don’t get too cocky too soon, it’ll bite ya
I’ve made lots of mistakes mate. Replying to you was just one of them.
eagerbeaver:
But it’s not a mistake though is it? It is sheer incompetence. It is pretty much one of the most basic requirements to drive a LGV. I can guarantee I will not hit a bridge. Not sure about getting point no3 wrong though.
The vertical height dimension is always a potential flaw in human perception.Even when walking it’s very easy to hit your head on a low over head obstruction that’s been forgotten about,or misjudged.In the case of high vehicles it’s probably more often just a case of just completely forgetting about that dimension.Rather than not seeing the bridge ahead or not knowing the height of the vehicle when leaving the yard.Such as double decker bus drivers taking a single decker route. 
Height sticks will get bent out of shape, run over and flattened or just plain lost…
Posting the height on the front of the trailer, inside the cab and on the bridge clearly is insufficient to stop this from happening day after day.
I don’t accept that we all make mistakes. Why have some drivers never hit a bridge in their entire career yet other drivers hit bridges, parked cars, have pulled over fuel pumps, torn off side gaurds, gouged fridge walls almost on a weekly basis?
I’ve come across many bridges I couldn’t get under but never hit any of them and that was before Trucknavs, overheight vehicle warning signs and MASSIVE GREAT BIG LETTERS saying LOW BRIDGE.
yourhavingalarf:
Height sticks will get bent out of shape, run over and flattened or just plain lost…
Posting the height on the front of the trailer, inside the cab and on the bridge clearly is insufficient to stop this from happening day after day.
I don’t accept that we all make mistakes. Why have some drivers never hit a bridge in their entire career yet other drivers hit bridges, parked cars, have pulled over fuel pumps, torn off side gaurds, gouged fridge walls almost on a weekly basis?
I’ve come across many bridges I couldn’t get under but never hit any of them and that was before Trucknavs, overheight vehicle warning signs and MASSIVE GREAT BIG LETTERS saying LOW BRIDGE.
You don’t accept that we all make mistakes… Guessing someone did when you were born by dropping you!!
