Many truck drivers have been reporting problems when driving their new trucks and used trucks in the windy, snowy and icy conditions. The news has been heavily focused on Scottish truck drivers who have blamed the weather for disruption to their usual day to day service.
Used truck drivers and new truck drivers are struggling to battle against gale force winds and across Central Scotland there have been reports of strong winds reaching 80mph and gusts reaching around 90mph!
Even a red warning has been issued by the Met Office for Central, Tayside, Fife, Strathclyde, South West Scotland and Lothian & Borders. These notices are most unusual but currently the situation has been described by the Transport Minister Keith Brown as “a major challenge for our transport system”.
Used trucks are high sided vehicles but The Road Haulage Association has warned its members that high sided vehicles shouldn’t be used in these conditions and truck drivers should make only essential journeys.
Trucks 2 Go Ltd would like to issue a warning to truck drivers to remind them to take extra care and think about their journey. Recently a 3.5 tonne truck which was carrying a pallet of Coca-Cola was turned over by the wind in Inverness; the driver was okay but was trapped in his cab until he was eventually rescued and sent to hospital for a check-up.There have been more reports of vehicles being stranded at various crossings and drivers experiencing difficulties.
Our advice to drivers is to ensure they have a form of contact whether it is a mobile phone, radio or other item they need to be able to call for help should they need it. Secondly we would advise drivers to ensure they have ample supplies of food and water in case they become stranded and plenty of warm clothing or blankets in case they end up out in the cold.
One of the most important pieces of advice is to research and keep an eye on the weather forecast along with the wind speeds around the areas that you are travelling. If the journey is not necessary and there is a lot of potential danger then use your common sense and do not travel.
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