New Gritters

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Coming up the A38 today,near Alfreton, I passed 2 new gritters going to wherever.

Here’s one…

I would just like to ask, seeing as they aren’t gritting, why do they have the beacons flashing?? Is it a requirement because of the blade on the front?

2

These are the newbies to replace the ones that someone else started a topic up recently about snow on the motorway in July. The whole fleet are being replaced slowly as the older ones were around about 17 years old. I would suggest the guy delivering it is a “Hey look at me” type similar to heavy wrecker drivers who when towing another LGV have the beacons on that cant be seen from behind anyway. This then causes people on the opposite side having a look therefore not looking ahead. Very much like the AA and RAC guys towing with their lights on that says “Hey look at me, another car I cant fix” even though they advertise they fix ■■% at the roadside. Id keep a low profile but they seem to think at 60 mph towing a car securly fixed with a trailor board on the rearmost part that they need to tell people that theyre there.

3

Have they got any salt to put in them??

I seem to remember they had to buy 30,000 odd tons from us last winter.

4

Blade is wider than the truck, so would guess its a legal thing about the beacons… :unamused:

As for wreckers its been done on here and there is a reason for it… :neutral_face:

5

I think they do have to have lights flashing when plough is fitted.
The HA never ran out of salt at all last winter and actually supplied many local authorities.One saturday morning,i saw six Luton Council gritters loading up at our Carillion yard.
Must be forward planning which didnt use to happen at the HA :smiley:

6

I’m no defender of the look at me flashy light brigade but I think with a wide blade on it is justifiable. OK so it’s bright yellow but sometimes that isn’t enough.

7

I spotted them last week either M18 or M1 around sheffield area going south with trade plates and HA lettering.

8

When I took my truck for its tacho inspection into Imperial Trucks, formerly Kays of Mackworth, the yard was full of new MAN Gritters waiting for PDI. This was around March or April

9

Call me boring but thosenew gritters supposedly lay prewetted salt, like a salt water solution, supposed to use less salt and get better coverage as it doesn’t blow away etc and being prewet doesn’t take time to be crushed in to carriageway, something like that anyway sure someone knows more than me about it though :slight_smile:.

I guarantee though that the hoses at the depots used to fill the water tanks on the new trucks will be frozen therfore no motorways will be gritted next year or they will have to do 3 times more gritting with straight grit :laughing: (as opposed to bent grit :astonished: )

10

Coddy:
Blade is wider than the truck, so would guess its a legal thing about the beacons… :unamused:

As for wreckers its been done on here and there is a reason for it… :neutral_face:

So whats being suggested here then is the rotators that are 14 feet high alert people that there is a blade 3 feet off the ground. Seems plausable in this crazy world.

As for the wreckers, I find it pointless as you cant see them from behind on the motorway and since you will only approach from the rear why are they needed!!

11

speedyguy:
Call me boring but thosenew gritters supposedly lay prewetted salt, like a salt water solution, supposed to use less salt and get better coverage as it doesn’t blow away etc and being prewet doesn’t take time to be crushed in to carriageway, something like that anyway sure someone knows more than me about it though :slight_smile:.

I guarantee though that the hoses at the depots used to fill the water tanks on the new trucks will be frozen therfore no motorways will be gritted next year or they will have to do 3 times more gritting with straight grit :laughing: (as opposed to bent grit :astonished: )

Allow me to answer your post.

Pre wet systems are designed to help prevent roads freezing in the first place, by using a brine / crystalline salt mixture the salt sticks to the road and the brine helps prevent early freezing.

A different type of salt is used (up to 6mm from 3mm) if the snowfall is that heavy that it has managed to build up a thick layer on a carraigeway.

The gritters fill up with brine from in depot brine storage tanks so they don’t freeze as you suggest.

And yes the beacons are on because there is always going to be one numpty who doesnt see the blade on the front. (and its a legal requiremnt when travelling with a blade).

If anyone else has any questions about gritters I would be happy to answer them for you as its part of my job in highway maintenance.

Mike

12

mikeyb:
If anyone else has any questions about gritters I would be happy to answer them for you as its part of my job in highway maintenance.

One question that always seems to appear is this -
On a 3 lane motorway with the gritter in lane 2 doing a pre bad weather salting , can a truck ‘pass’ it using lane 1?
I have said many times that the answer is yes.
As a gritter driver in the above situation, would you expect trucks to pass you in lane 1 :question:

13

Hi Rog.

I don’t drive myself but yes, the gritter will be (rather “should”) doing around 35-40mph so I would expect it to be overtaken on both sides.

Although some spinner systems now can throw the salt all the way across to lane 3 (even 4) from lane 1. Only problem is getting consistant coverage with traffic passing.

Some local authorities might specify a different run speed, no idea what HA have thiers set at.

Mike

14

mikeyb:
the gritter will be (rather “should”) doing around 35-40mph so I would expect it to be overtaken on both sides.

Thank you :slight_smile:

15

I would suggest what the highway code says.

268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

When a gritter is travelling slow in lane 2 I would suggest that the above applies but most people havent seen a highway code in years, right Rog.

16

Big Jase:
most people havent seen a highway code in years, right Rog.

err… let me just get mine from under the short leg of the table… :wink:

17

ROG:

Big Jase:
most people havent seen a highway code in years, right Rog.

err… let me just get mine from under the short leg of the table… :wink:

Hey it was used to light my fire last year, was cold you no. :laughing:

18

Now I passed two of them on the m27 this morning heading towards portsmouth,didn’t think the snow lay very well near the sea :smiley:
Simon :sunglasses:

19

these 2 gritter drivers must be the lads to employ as i passed 2 on the m1 at crick mid morning the certainly got about today :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

20

Do you think they’re like fire appliances,once the flashing lights are on the limiter goes off?
Wonder if I can get scania to sort it for me on the next service :smiley:
Simon :sunglasses: