Evening all.
Just a quick question.
When you come to a bridge, how much clearance are you happy with?
Reason i ask, i started my new career as a driver 4 weeks ago and admittedly im still relying on my satnav more than i should to get me round the country.
Anyway, end of last week my satnav tried to send me under a bridge with only 2 inches of clearance.
I avoided it and found another way.
What do you experienced drivers consider a safe gap between your truck and any bridge?
Cheers
Rich.
Rich T:
Evening all.
Just a quick question.When you come to a bridge, how much clearance are you happy with?
Reason i ask, i started my new career as a driver 4 weeks ago and admittedly im still relying on my satnav more than i should to get me round the country.
Anyway, end of last week my satnav tried to send me under a bridge with only 2 inches of clearance.
I avoided it and found another way.
What do you experienced drivers consider a safe gap between your truck and any bridge?Cheers
Rich.
Any gap and its job done
No gap and your in trouble
simple
Rich T:
Evening all.
Just a quick question.When you come to a bridge, how much clearance are you happy with?
Reason i ask, i started my new career as a driver 4 weeks ago and admittedly im still relying on my satnav more than i should to get me round the country.
Anyway, end of last week my satnav tried to send me under a bridge with only 2 inches of clearance.
I avoided it and found another way.
What do you experienced drivers consider a safe gap between your truck and any bridge?Cheers
Rich.
or you could ask a stobart driver, on second thoughts perhaps not
Two inches clearance should be OK they do err on the safe side. However beware of a road that has just been re-surfaced!
It pays to bore yourself to death with the rules regarding bridge measurements. Theres a DfT download of it somewhere but off the top of my head its something like youll mainly find bridges at say 14ft 0in or 14ft 3in, or 14ft 6in or 9in a bridge is measured at 14ft 5in they’ll take it down to the next lowest increment so a 14ft 5in bridge will be marked at 14ft 3in.
My trailer these past two days has been 15ft 3in, so I add an inch on as play room so that means really I’m looking at bridge heights of 15ft 6in because 15ft 3in is too small.
The signed height is the max height of a vehicle that can pass, it is not the height of the bridge, so if you’re the same height of the sign, you can go through.
Bridges are measured, rounded down to the to 0, 3, 6 or 9 inches in the foot, then have 3 inches deducted and signed at that height.
So it measures, 14’8", round down to 14’6", 3 inches deducted, so it’s signed at 14’3"
As above, if you are definately running at 14’ 6" you can safely pass under a bridge of that height, be aware of arched bridges that you don’t drift to one side as you pass through.
Couple of things to remember, if you have a lifting axle very often the vehicle raises at the drive axle (usually) when the lift axle is raised, so be aware that 14’ 6" you were absoluetly sure was the height might be 3" higher when you raise the lift axle, this all comes under learning your vehicle, so physically measure it empty with any lift axles raised so you know the exact height.
Also be aware of road undulations just before and under the bridge, not just obvious bumps but undulations which at speed might cause a rebound in the suspension.
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top advice , also if in doubt get out av a look and ■■■■ those behind …
p.s. juddian get yourself on my thread “explaiin your username” … 
m.a.n rules:
p.s. juddian get yourself on my thread “explaiin your username” …
I know I know I know. I once met my esteemed colleague in Milton Keynes and he explained the username. I’m not blabbing though as he threatened me with a particularly vicious Chinese burn if I told.
just before kew bridge theres a 14 ft 9 inch bridge, been under with a 14 ft 9 inch trailor no probs
I allow 2 inches, but if the wife asks I allow 6 inches 
there are two railway bridges on the old A350 out of Poole, now signed B3508 which is not the lorry route away from the docks, but if the new lifting bridge is out of order again and the old bridge is 15ft 3 it is the only way, these are big tall arched bridges that have never had a height problem before until the council widened the right hand lane pavement to create a cycle and pedestrian route pushing the lorries heading away from Poole to their left towards the bottom of the arch were it meets the straight side and just painted a line on the road which is supposed to indicate the safe height area of the carriageway, which is fine as long as another lorry is not passing under it in the opposite direction as naturally you would move left to give clearance between the two vehicles, but then they are hitting the bridge which is quite evident because of the damage being caused to both of the bridges yet still no signs or the old style white lines indicating the safe area of the arch have been put in place, and i do not suppose it will happen until the dislodged bricks fall on a pedestrian,
Rich T:
Evening all.
Just a quick question.When you come to a bridge, how much clearance are you happy with?
The sign on the bridge isn’t the height of the bridge, it’s the maximum height of the vehicle that can go under it.
As long as the sign on the bridge is the same or higher than what the one on the trailer is I’m happy. I have no concerns taking a 14’ 3" trailer under a signed 14’ 3" bridge, loaded or empty no matter what unit.
If you rely on the sign in the cab, just be sure its the correct height and not a random number the Prev driver put in just to show something. That signs is the drivers responsibility albeit few companies provide the equipment, opportunity or training on measuring.
Isn’t it Scanias which tend to lift the trailer by quite a bit more than others so the “based on 1500mm 5th wheel” thing you get on many trailers is potentially out.
Since we run 15’ 9" deckers mostly, I won’t do anything under 16’ and have even avoided those where theres a sensible alternative. Pretty sure thry’d rather i used a little more fuel than wacked it due to an incorrect road sign.
Conor:
Rich T:
Evening all.
Just a quick question.When you come to a bridge, how much clearance are you happy with?
The sign on the bridge isn’t the height of the bridge, it’s the maximum height of the vehicle that can go under it.
As long as the sign on the bridge is the same or higher than what the one on the trailer is I’m happy. I have no concerns taking a 14’ 3" trailer under a signed 14’ 3" bridge, loaded or empty no matter what unit.
What he said,
From the document
Prevention of Strikes on Bridges over Highways
A Protocol for Highway Managers and Bridge Owners
Measuring headroom and determining signed height
3.1
The clearance under bridges spanning public roads in the UK, below which low bridge
signing is required, is 16’-6” (5.03m). All bridges with a headroom of less than this, at
any point over a carriageway, should be signed in accordance with the guidance
given in Chapter 4 of the Traffic Signs Manual (TSM)2 , section 7. This will, in all
situations, allow a minimum safety margin of 3” or 0.1m3.2
The signed height at low bridges is referred to in this document as the (maximum)
safe vehicle height, as it represents the maximum height of vehicle/load combination
which can pass safely on the carriageway under the bridge without impacting on it,
allowing for vehicle (suspension) bounce, and safety tolerances. This is the height
which will usually be given to hauliers.
As above posts. The main trouble is not unknown or incorrect bridge heights, but unknown or incorrect vehicle height.
If a bridge is marked at a height you can bet your licence it is at least that.
Check and double your vehicle height. As noted lift axles etc alter 5 wheel heights. A trailer height “based on 5th wheel of XXcm” is ok, but are you sure of your 5th wheel height?I
I wouldn’t bet my licence on what I’m told by someone a vehicle height is, I’d check myself.
stevieboy308:
The signed height is the max height of a vehicle that can pass, it is not the height of the bridge, so if you’re the same height of the sign, you can go through.Bridges are measured, rounded down to the to 0, 3, 6 or 9 inches in the foot, then have 3 inches deducted and signed at that height.
So it measures, 14’8", round down to 14’6", 3 inches deducted, so it’s signed at 14’3"
So going off this how can they legally mark Beeston bridge at 14’3"
wrighty1:
stevieboy308:
The signed height is the max height of a vehicle that can pass, it is not the height of the bridge, so if you’re the same height of the sign, you can go through.Bridges are measured, rounded down to the to 0, 3, 6 or 9 inches in the foot, then have 3 inches deducted and signed at that height.
So it measures, 14’8", round down to 14’6", 3 inches deducted, so it’s signed at 14’3"
So going off this how can they legally mark Beeston bridge at 14’3"
I don’t know that bridge, so you’re gonna have to help me out
stevieboy308:
wrighty1:
stevieboy308:
The signed height is the max height of a vehicle that can pass, it is not the height of the bridge, so if you’re the same height of the sign, you can go through.Bridges are measured, rounded down to the to 0, 3, 6 or 9 inches in the foot, then have 3 inches deducted and signed at that height.
So it measures, 14’8", round down to 14’6", 3 inches deducted, so it’s signed at 14’3"
So going off this how can they legally mark Beeston bridge at 14’3"
I don’t know that bridge, so you’re gonna have to help me out
This one on the A49 at Tarporley clearly marked at 15’ in the past but now marked at 14’3", nothing has changed apart from the council decided upon this action supposedly due to bridge strikes. I can easily fit under at 14’9" but in theory I’m possibly breaking the law, I think I’d argue that one as it’s now marked up with the wrong height [emoji848] 
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