Hi guys, done a search but I think the internet is broke again!
Quick question, where would a driver stand if say a load of ice flew off the roof of his/her high trailer & landed on top of a car?
Insecure load or act of god?
How is a trucker supposed to check/clean the roof of a 14ft trailer? Ive never done it in 22 years of trucking other than a spell on tippers where we used to tip the trailer up a couple of rams to clear the sheet of ice & snow.
I dont think any driver would last long these days if he/she refused to take the truck out till the ice had melted!
Reason for asking is a topic being discussed on a car forum I use (alot!) about some new law thats supposed to be comming in tomorrow with regards to snow not being cleaned off the roof of a car, 60 quid fine & 3 points if plod thinks you are a hazzard to other road users or something like that.
Dont know if that new law is right or wrong, but a comment from another forum member (& good friend) saying he ānarrowly missed a whole load of ice blocks the came off the roof of an artic trailer as it accelerated onto the motorwayā got me to thinking how would plod react to that situation if my friend had been hurt?
Ive seen loads of smashed ice on side of the road around roundabouts most probably off trailers, I would think the driver would be at fault like if anything else fell of the back of a truck and damaged property, although I have never heard of anyone getting done. They do shut bridges though because of the risk of falling ice, so the highways agency obviously dont want to take responsibility of ice falling.
Yep, I pretty much thought the driver would be at fault, same old same old!
Bit of a grey aera I suppose & one Iād not really thought about to be honest.
Had plenty of snow blowing off trailer roofs over the years, bits of ice hitting the back/roof of the cab upon breaking ect.
Just thought Iād ask the question here as I didnt really know the answer.
It happens here frequently, for example if a container or trailer has been standing, and it has snowed, then thawed a bit, then frozen up again.
Of course itās the driversā responsibility to clean it off before going out on the road. Flying chunks of ice are a MAJOR hazard to other road users, and certainly not just an āAct of Godā - I mean, itās not exactly unexpected, is it?
At my last firm a temporary driver took out a trailer that had been standing and forgot to knock the ice off the roof. A chunk went through the windscreen of a coach coming the other way. No injuries that time butā¦ those coach windscreens donāt look cheap
Itās the driverās responsibility to clear snow/ice from the vehicle regardless of the vehicle they are driving. From a recent news report.
> The Road Policing Unit said that there is no specific legislation on driving with snow on the roof of a vehicle, however if it slips over the windscreen, or flies into the path of another car, it could leave the driver open to being penalised for driving without due consideration, dangerous driving, not being in proper control of the vehicle, not having a full view ahead and windows not being sufficiently clean. > > A police spokesman said: āAny snow left on vehicle bodywork, such as the bonnet or roof, could slide onto lights or windows causing dangerous obstruction to vision of the driver or signals to other road users. > > āAny large amount of snow could slide from a moving vehicle and onto a footpath or roadway possibly causing danger or injury to other road users or pedestrians.ā
I was in a truck stop in Germany a few years ago waiting to have the truck washed and there was a steady stream of vehicles being brought in by the police to clear the snow from their vehicle roofs using the spray lance at the wash. They were then issued with a fine.
IIRC one of Wilson and Haighs drivers was done for a large lump of ice coming off the top of his tilt.
Several years ago so maybe changed, but doubt it!
I picked up a tilt trailer off Hull docks once the first day back from Xmas closedown. Got to the delivery and unloaded. Noticed a massive bulge in the roof. It was a solid block of ice and must have weighed a good tonne or more. Thankfully its size meant it wasnāt going anywhere.
Reason for asking is a topic being discussed on a car forum I use (alot!) about some new law thats supposed to be comming in tomorrow with regards to snow not being cleaned off the roof of a car, 60 quid fine & 3 points if plod thinks you are a hazzard to other road users or something like that.
And they have been doimg just that in Derby today, workmates brother got done. Then again some idiots deserve doing, only this morning saw a car with only a small piece (one with of a scraper) cleaned on the windscreen, no lights or any other window cleared.
dowahdiddyman:
some new law thats supposed to be comming in tomorrow with regards to snow not being cleaned off the roof of a car, 60 quid fine & 3 points if plod thinks you are a hazzard to other road users or something like that.
New law? I thought they were using the ādriving without reasonable consideration etcā¦ā one.
So itās dangerous if a small flurry of snow falls off of the roof of a car, but itās not dangerous to have somebody working 15 hour days back to back operating a 44 tonne truck?
Itās nothing to do with safety, itās just another Stealth Tax.
There are special gantries provided in Europe apparently. Brit Pete posted it here last year, I would never use them as I may get hit by a chunk of ice from an aeroplane wing
i always clear my car of snow before using it but if anyone thinks im climbing onto a 14 ft truck and walking on a plastic roof to clear it you can b******s
Completely unrealistic for a driver to clear a roof maybe 14ft high, 45ft long. But as with everything the ā ā ā ā would land on the drivers doorstep
If you ever get caught donāt accept a fixed penalty and go to court, when you are there ask them to produce the offending block of ice as evidence
I am told the reason behind the law concerning snow on a car roof is because if the car brakes and the snow goes forward onto the windscreen the wipers wouldnāt be able to clear it leaving the driver unable to see where they are going!
jimmi:
i always clear my car of snow before using it but if anyone thinks im climbing onto a 14 ft truck and walking on a plastic roof to clear it you can b******s
If the roof is flexible, ice can usually be knocked off from the inside with a plank
Snow is a bit more problematic, but thereās usually a way if you think about it. For example, at the docks, Iāve asked container machine drivers to hold a spare container at the right height while I drive under it to wipe the snow off. Iāve also seen gantries like Wheelnut mentioned.
@jimti, itās not about being prosecuted, fpnās and so on. Itās about not sending a huge chunk of ice through someoneās windscreen.
Try altering your air to see if itāll come off the back, reverse and brake if poss in the yard, also, try forward then brake whilst in yard, clear as much as you reasonably can.
As a motorcycle rider, people donāt give a ā ā ā ā what comes off or out of their vehicles, whether it be snow, ā ā ā ā off a tipper / skip wagon, crisp packets or ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ends out of the car window etc, but that neglect could cost somebody their lives, think about that.
Now, as a truck driver, Iāve the same prob, where the ā ā ā ā are we supposed to go to get this snow / ice off? I have a mate in the container yard whoāll help if Iām in there, some others have gantryās for checking iso-tanks that you can use, but what about out on the road etc?
Thereās more risk from the ā ā ā ā we have driving than there is from ice on the roof. Letās get our priorities sortedā¦and Iād suggest that the smashed windscreen was as a result of being too close to the vehicle in front when thereās the risk of this happening!
