Bridge strikes are a serious problem warns senior traffic commissioner

Chris Tindall
May 22, 2019

Bridge strikes by HGVs are a serious problem for the industry and are attracting unwanted attention from Westminster, according to senior TC Richard Turfitt (pictured).

He said the impact of a strike stretched much further than structural damage and was leading to frustration and anger among commuters. The senior TC also appeared to hint that moves to come down hard on companies for failing to route their vehicles correctly could be in the pipeline.

At the Woodfines road transport conference, Turfitt said: “We can joke about the stupidity of drivers but this is becoming a very serious problem for the industry. It’s attracting political attention. It’s creating a huge amount of problems for the public, with passengers sitting on trains for hours.”

He added: “You need to make sure route planning is done properly. Control the route, your operation and instruct your drivers properly. Otherwise I will take action.”

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About the Author

Chris Tindall

Chris Tindall started writing for the haulage and logistics industry in 2002 and quickly realised there was enough going on to keep him busy for a very long time. He’s covered a broad range of significant issues, including GPS jamming by criminals, platooning, Brexit and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lack of safe and secure lorry parks and he helped secure the release of a lorry driver in a Polish jail due to misuse of the European Arrest Warrant.

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