Thread by @thelorryist

Let's have a look at this, I am reminded so often that most people don't necessarily understand what they are looking at with this industry, so it might be quite interesting to dissect.

We call this a Bridge Strike, when you understand a bit more you can see why they happen 🧵

We can start with the lorry, UK registration, Belgian plates on the trailer, already dodgy yes?

No, the container belongs to ECS, a Belgian shipping company, in this case they also own the trailer, but they have nothing to do with the incident.

So why is the trailer here?

Well we voted for that, unfortunately. Brexit has seen a sharp decline in accompanied freight traffic in both directions, as there is a border where there wasn't before.

Trailers will now come here by themselves, and moved by a UK domestic haulier

Point being: unfamiliarity

So how many bridges are hit, can't happen that often can it?

Well every day, actually. From the last statistics released by Network Rail, we can see that on average 5 bridges are hit every day usually by goods vehicles or buses.

This figure rises to 8 per day in the winter

Easily solved, there must be a legal height limit that places restrictions on vehicle running heights in the UK?

No, there is no legal maximum height in the UK. You can run as high as you like, just don't hit anything.

So we got greedy with height. Europe has a 4 metre max

What does the law actually say? There are some requirements, which fall mostly on the driver.

It is a legal requirement for all vehicles with a height over 3 metres to display a sign in the cab displaying the vehicle height.

It is a legal requirement that this is accurate.

Not a fool proof method by any means, I can tell you most drivers don't correctly adjust it.

How are they supposed to know the height though, it's 5 metres in the air?

There are tools you can use just for this, but you rarely see them used. Here is me using mine.

So you just measure the height, display it in the cab and you are sorted?

Well no actually. You'll notice I have talked mostly in metric so far, and if you were born in the UK in the last 45 years so will you.

But have you noticed that a lot of bridges display imperial units?

Legally speaking, in the UK, it is only a requirement to display the bridge height in feet and inches (imperial).

In reality, most bridges will now display both, but it is not unusual to find imperial only.

Yet we measure vehicles in metric. Most trailers may look like this:

You may also notice on that trailer, it makes reference to a "fifth wheel"

We have another variable: coupling height. Every truck may have a different one which will affect the overall running height of a trailer.

To complicate matters further, the suspension adjusts height too

Generally speaking, we don't go for an HGV licence because we were good at maths. There is quite the calculation to do here before you even start driving.

This is the driver's responsibility, and it should be, but I can tell you it doesn't happen enough, because it is difficult

Know your height? Plan your route. But few do that because for the last 20 years, sat nav has been doing that for us.

Paper maps are gone.

They saw this coming of course and designed HGV sat nav, but it is still prohibitively expensive (£300+) so most drivers don't use them

But there are always the signs right? Fool proof.

Not really. When interviewed following a strike it has become clear a lot of driver's do not understand what they are looking at.

What's the triangle, what is the circle? Does the posted height clear me to that?

Do you know?

For clarity: circles give orders, triangles give warnings.

It is an offence to pass the circular over the height posted, triangle is warning you to take your best chance.

Arch bridges usually have triangles, and goalposts. What if you can't turn round?

Is there a safety margin? We think so, but we also think this is mostly to allow for road re-surfacing allowances.

Notice how bridge signs are always in 3 inch increments?

The advice is give yourself a good six inches.

Most men can't be trusted with that measurement.

Not a big deal though right? Just reverse out and disappear.

Not at all. Although the first reaction of many will be to try and run away. If you hit a railway bridge, then lives may be at stake.

First action: ring the railway! Stop the trains. Every rail bridge will have a sign

Fault doesn't matter at this point, but unfortunately, once you stop a railway, the money gets big very fast.

Sign looks like this: rail line code, the distance from terminus in miles and chains (80 chains in a mile, yes we are that insane) and the bridge name.

Tell them this.

Ok so you have knackered the bridge, blocked the traffic, ruined everyones day, and away you go with a slap on the wrist.

No, Network Rail and the Traffic Commissioners are thoroughly fed up with this, and so hitting a bridge is a one way ticket to a Public Inquiry. Guaranteed.

Consequences for the driver involved are likely to be a minimum 6 month suspension of the vocational driving licence.

For the Operator (company running the lorry) it may well mean the revocation of their Operator's licence. Which means the end of the business.

Serious stuff.

Shall we talk about some empathy?

This job is hard. Take it from me, 20 years behind the wheel. There are no easy days.

If this happens to you, it is rough, the driver you may think a complete idiot is about to go through the mill.

If you think it is easy, join us, we need you

But in reality, I know you don't want that, I don't blame you.

You want clear roads, your stuff on the shelves to buy, your family safe, and your railway to run like we all pretend it does.

So just give a smidge of patience to the HGV. It is your stuff on the truck after all

Drivers, my 2 pence:
-Know your height (measure it!)
-Know your route (buy a bridge map, plan it, forget satnav)
-Adjust your height indicator, every time
-Read and understand the signs
-Phone off and away (no distraction)
-Believe it can happen to you! Be ready.

Peace out

Footnote:

It's human error, it always will be.

But show me this many variables, and I have hopefully shown you why it happens.

Control the risk.

Mobile phones are public safety enemy number one, the technology is there to stop it, but then it could also detect the bridges.

I don't have a book, but while you are here can I recommend you check out 'When the Dust Settles' by Professor Lucy Easthope @LucyGoBag

Her particular brand of empathy and kindness is right up my street and you will learn so much you never knew you needed to about disaster