Lorries getting into trouble and causing chaos in the small country roads of Great Britain have been making headlines again.  The Telegraph ran an article recently about how large HGVs are destroying village roads and damaging houses when their drivers try to take a short cut to avoid traffic on the main roads or get “led astray” by their Sat-Navs!

You do not have to go very far on the internet to discover hundreds of videos on YouTube showing lorries getting stuck under bridges or wedged between houses.  Whilst a lot of this content is amusing and no doubt is a winner with its internet audience, there is a very serious side to these incidents.

Richard Turfitt, Senior Traffic Commissioner recently issued a statement saying that bridge strikes and vehicles getting stuck on roads that are not suitable for HGVs remains a serious issue and stressed that operators and drivers who fail to observe appropriate prevention measures could be subject to significant regulatory action.  This statement was on top of previous ones Mr. Turfitt had made in 2019 and 2020 when he stated that the use of personal satellite navigation devices should be prohibited among drivers of large vehicles by their employers.

The Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Document on Driver Conduct makes clear that if a Traffic Commissioner is notified of a vehicle colliding with a bridge or other infrastructure on the roads with carelessness or negligence as the cause, a starting point for action against the driver is “revocation of their vocational entitlement and disqualification for six months”.

Cost of Bridge Strikes?

Network Rail state on their website that bridge strikes by large vehicles cost the UK tax payer around £23 million per year and they cause long delays to train services affecting many thousands of people when they happen.  On average there are around 1,800 bridge strikes per year in the UK with the peak times for them apparently being March and October.  Network Rail states that their research has shown that an astonishing 43% of large vehicle drivers admit to not measuring their vehicle before heading out on the road and 52% admit to not taking low bridges into account when planning routes.

Recent “landmark” legal cases mean that Network Rail now claims back costs from hauliers of any bridge strike, and they clearly state on their website that they aim to claim back 100% of the costs of all repairs and downtime to the network.  At an average cost of £13k per bridge strike that could mean that any driver involved in such an accident will be giving their employer a significant financial headache to deal with even if the operator is covered by its insurance policy.

Network Rail has issued a document advising drivers how to avoid a bridge strike which can be accessed by clicking here.

The consequences of a bridge strike for a transport operator could be any of the following:

• Fines and repair costs from Network Rail for repairing a rail bridge.
• Death or serious injury to the driver, or to passengers and other road users.
• Negative publicity for the transport operator
• Costs for train delays as a result of striking a rail bridge.
• Litigation from other vehicles or passengers involved.
• Prosecution by police, followed by;
• Being called up to a Public Inquiry and the operator’s driver being called to a driver conduct hearing by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

Lorries versus Country Roads

The annual cost to the UK economy of large HGVs and vehicles getting stuck in the narrow and winding country roads across the country is not so clear cut, but a quick internet search produces with many examples of (mostly) lorry drivers who have missed the “No HGVs” sign and blindly followed their Sat-Nav through tiny villages where eventually they get stuck!

This incident was in Cornwall where a truck coming from Peterborough got stuck in the small roads of Forder near Saltash in Cornwall.  From press reports the lorry was carrying seed to a farm, but the driver apparently missed the farm entrance and despite a “No HGVs” sign continued down the narrow lane.  An 80-tonne crane was needed to remove the trailer, and power cables in the location had to be removed to allow the crane to gain access to the trailer and the cab, which meant power to the village had to be cut.  The road was blocked for over 3 days because of this error.  The news reports do not detail who had to pay for the recovery, but it is likely that even if it was the HGV operator’s insurance that picked up the bill, the operator will end up paying for such incidents in the end through higher insurance premiums and/or reduced insurance coverage.

How to Avoid Such Incidents?

Knowing the height of your vehicle before you get in and drive is the key to ensuring that these type of incidents do not occur.  Similarly, planning a route to avoid narrow roads and low bridges, including knowing where these “obstacles” might be in case of a diversion or needing to avoid heavy traffic is also good practice.  Finally, ensuring that none of your drivers use personal Sat-Nav or smart phone navigation apps to plan their routes but have a commercial vehicle guidance system or even a good old fashioned road map (provided it is referred to properly and in advance) should ensure that you as an operator will not become yet another ‘OMG’ video clip on social media and more importantly will not end up having to attend a hearing before the Traffic Commissioner at which your Operator’s Licence may be at risk of serious regulatory action.

As always if you need help or advice on any aspect of this article, or any other issue that might be affecting your transport operation then call us now on 01279 818280 or click here to send an email and let our team of expert solicitors get you on the right road.  We are here to help.

© Richard Pelly, November 2024