The closest I’ve come to hitting a bridge? Well, put it this way the brand new trailer had to go back to SDC afterwards. Was 10 years ago and I still remember the number NT527C. 10 points to anyone who guesses who owned it from the number! (I was young and stupid, well, stupider)
switchlogic:
The closest I’ve come to hitting a bridge? Well, put it this way the brand new trailer had to go back to SDC afterwards. Was 10 years ago and I still remember the number NT527C. 10 points to anyone who guesses who owned it from the number! (I was young and stupid, well, stupider)
Norbert Dentressangle? (think that’s how it’s spelt)
Nolans.
Thetaff:
Nolans.
BOOM 10 Bertie points for you. Still see it from time to time. Im sure Orys will now use it as an example of how awful British drivers are! In my defence Nolans run me ragged, I was getting next to no sleep. So that’s my excuse.
i once rubbed the nuts on one in cornwall 
There’s a bridge near me that’s 14’6, and I will run 14’6 trailers under it all day long.
Everyone will tell you that a High Cube container is 14’6 on a skelly. But at Roadways, we had a few skelly’s running on Leaf Springs, went under it going to delivery, but decided to take a detour round after tipping, was very close to be honest.
I think the nearest I’ve come to a bridge (I’m in a 3.5T van) is one in Natland. The van will go under but if you hit it too fast the suspension bounces and part does touch.
Better one though was delivering to Dairy Crest in Aspatria. For some reason the gate was out and all there was, was a garage door 3/4 of the way open. I had to guys watching me both saying it was clear, but I could feel the back suspension compressing as I went under so I knew it was touching slightly. Was only doing walking pace and after repeatidly saying it was touching, I just simply asked if I was going to be held responsible for any damage. When they agreed no I pulled it out and the rubber strip off the door hit the floor. Did my next delivery and as I went back past they were just on ladders re-attaching it 
Those skells on Roadways were left over from there USL contract we had some ex Sealand gave you 13’6 running height with a high cube box on.
dew:
I think the nearest I’ve come to a bridge (I’m in a 3.5T van) is one in Natland. The van will go under but if you hit it too fast the suspension bounces and part does touch.Better one though was delivering to Dairy Crest in Aspatria. For some reason the gate was out and all there was, was a garage door 3/4 of the way open. I had to guys watching me both saying it was clear, but I could feel the back suspension compressing as I went under so I knew it was touching slightly. Was only doing walking pace and after repeatidly saying it was touching, I just simply asked if I was going to be held responsible for any damage. When they agreed no I pulled it out and the rubber strip off the door hit the floor. Did my next delivery and as I went back past they were just on ladders re-attaching it
I know that bridge in Natland fairly well, as I live less than a mile away.
Maybe there was a loaded freight train going over the bridge as you went under it . 
Cheers, cattle wagon man.
Winseer:
You can go down that side road “diversion” with the speed bumps during the day, but I dunno what you do coming the other way… Luckily for me, I usually have a second drop somewhere like Streatham, and end up leaving London area via the A23, so don’t come back that way.I would imagine indeed if you tried the “approach on crawler” during peak hours, you’d get a bit more than a few raised eyebrows!
Technically speaking, if VOSA pulled you whilst doing that, and found no height indicator (or one set to the wrong height!) in the cab, you’d get done! They’d not be pulling you if you were not acting in an “unsure” manner…
I always used to use the side road diversion myself until I tried the bridge. Generally I was coming north from croydon so it wasn’t a problem.
When I say slowed I don’t mean to a crawl, just not flat out.
I used to do a lot of out of railway work you were never too far from a bridge. You’d be amazed how many we’re noticeably higher than their markers. Often you had no choice but to approach an access point from a certain direction and this quite often meant being the wrong side of a low bridge. If it was close it was always worth try but sometimes the only alternative was to unload the machine and track it in. Fortunately most rail kit is on rubber.
Cheers
Neilf
BLOODY CLOSE 
Tarrman:
If a bridge was marked at say 14ft 6" and your lorry was 14ft 5", would you risk it?How can you be sure just how high your trailer is (if say you pick up an odd size trailer) and what leeway do you give yourself (ie 2" under the marked height?).
Don’t really know the answer here, some of our older trailers used to set off the warning lights for the arched bridge outside Salisbury on the A36 they would light up saying turn around but they would go under wth loads to spare.
Probably like a lot of drivers I’ve .gone under bridges (at a very slow speed obviously) which were plated lower than the trailer height but not hit anything.
cieranc:
Closest I’ve come to hitting a bridge is about 1/4 of a mile. That’s where the sign was that said low bridge, so I didn’t go any further. Phew, Close call or what ■■?
I did actually LOL at that. Good man. 
Closest? where we had to remove the securing chains and sheets to gain the inch needed
But to be fair - its was the only way in and we had the load sitting inbetween the chassis rails of the extended lowloader to get it as low as we could as well as dropping the trailer deck to millimetres off the floor - and we knew before we set off that it would be very tight.
The client had paid for a road closure under the bridge and also for a road planer and tarmac gang on standby at the bridge in case the road needed to be lowered then reinstated. got a photo somewhere of the load- which will look for , but not as i took it under the bridge as I was somewhat busy-
edit: picture of it resheeted for overnight before unloading but without the chains- despite the looks its not sitting in the shipping cradle any more. although the shaft ends are as we “cut and shut” the cradle to support the shafts. we opened up the cradle to allow the paper dryer to sit in between the chassis rails to gain a few more inches
For anyone interested that was a 4 day job from Goole to Blackburn- day one was loading and engineering to get the height down as low as possible - Day two was high load route from Goole to Manchester ( thats one interesting and difficult route) - Day 3 was a night move involving quite a few wrong side of roads and removal of street furniture, to the site , we had a 16 hour window of the road closure because of the tight fit under the bridge- glad to say we got under and parked well within it. the closure was that long just in case if they had to plane the road surface off and resurface. Day 4 was lift/ reassemble/repair the shipping cradle for the lift into the factory
Overall height 21 foot - and 73 tonnes
cattle wagon man:
dew:
I think the nearest I’ve come to a bridge (I’m in a 3.5T van) is one in Natland. The van will go under but if you hit it too fast the suspension bounces and part does touch.Better one though was delivering to Dairy Crest in Aspatria. For some reason the gate was out and all there was, was a garage door 3/4 of the way open. I had to guys watching me both saying it was clear, but I could feel the back suspension compressing as I went under so I knew it was touching slightly. Was only doing walking pace and after repeatidly saying it was touching, I just simply asked if I was going to be held responsible for any damage. When they agreed no I pulled it out and the rubber strip off the door hit the floor. Did my next delivery and as I went back past they were just on ladders re-attaching it
I know that bridge in Natland fairly well, as I live less than a mile away.
Maybe there was a loaded freight train going over the bridge as you went under it .
Cheers, cattle wagon man.
I don’t mean the 8" 6 one on the road out towards the Punch bowl, I’ve never dared that in the Luton, I mean the one in the centre that’s at 9" something I think.
Currently my vans got a small part of the box sticking up and that touches, so I’m very close!
Used to go through the arched bridges in Conway that were marked 12’ 6" with a 13’ 6" box trailer. Only a couple of inches clearance either side too.
Rikki-UK:
Closest? where we had to remove the securing chains and sheets to gain the inch neededBut to be fair - its was the only way in and we had the load sitting inbetween the chassis rails of the extended lowloader to get it as low as we could as well as dropping the trailer deck to millimetres off the floor - and we knew before we set off that it would be very tight.
The client had paid for a road closure under the bridge and also for a road planer and tarmac gang on standby at the bridge in case the road needed to be lowered then reinstated. got a photo somewhere of the load- which will look for , but not as i took it under the bridge as I was somewhat busy-
edit: picture of it resheeted for overnight before unloading but without the chains- despite the looks its not sitting in the shipping cradle any more. although the shaft ends are as we “cut and shut” the cradle to support the shafts. we opened up the cradle to allow the paper dryer to sit in between the chassis rails to gain a few more inches0
For anyone interested that was a 4 day job from Goole to Blackburn- day one was loading and engineering to get the height down as low as possible - Day two was high load route from Goole to Manchester ( thats one interesting and difficult route) - Day 3 was a night move involving quite a few wrong side of roads and removal of street furniture, to the site , we had a 16 hour window of the road closure because of the tight fit under the bridge- glad to say we got under and parked well within it. the closure was that long just in case if they had to plane the road surface off and resurface. Day 4 was lift/ reassemble/repair the shipping cradle for the lift into the factory
Overall height 21 foot - and 73 tonnes
Bet that was an awesome few days at work!
Bet that was an awesome few days at work!
To be honest for that company it wasn’t that major… you got to bear in mind amongst a lot of other things this was a company that had a move, and decided the only way do it it was to build a bypass around a village- not a temporary one- but a proper bypass.- Took a large amount of its trucks and equipment and hired ro-ro ships- took them to Canada and moved a complete copper mine and the township supporting it over 100kms.
They worked in every corner of the globe- from a yard in Middlesbrough- I never got out of Europe for them but they were so respected at what they did I was sent empty to Heilbron Germany to move one machine inside the factory from on workshop to another - about 500 yards ( we also picked the machine up Jacked)and skidded it to the trailer and done the same the other end to get it on its new site) then I ran solo back to the ferry. - 5 days away and carried a load for 500 yards
Removing roundabouts for a job was common place. It had the ability inhouse to lay temporary bridges over existing bridges where the original could not cope with the weight. Best job I ever had or will have… so sad its gone
I’m always creeping under bridges, I have even had to bring tyres with me, track the machine off and track it under the bridge and then reload! The tyres are to go under the tracks to stop damage to the road.
I have never hit one. But as we move a lot of plant you do need to be aware of different heights. Tractors are deceptively tall on a trailer.
Needless to say I ■■■■ people off when I slow down, even stop to look, but I would rather ■■■■ of everyone off than hit it!
I was once going to a farm and knew there was a low bridge between me and the farmer so rung him to ask what the bridge height was. He reckoned he was working in a field next to it and the bridge said 12’9". My XF with a roof spoiler was 12’6" so I thought great no worries there. Got up to the bridge and what did it say…12’5". F**k!!! I pulled right up to the bridge and got out and climbed up the ladders on my trailer gantry. Looked a bit tight I thought so jumped back in and dropped all the air out of the arse end and scraped through. Never went near that bridge again!