Preventing Bridge Strikes: Route Planning for Haulage Offices

A bridge strike is often described as a driver error, but the risk usually starts earlier: the wrong height record, a rushed route, a missing briefing, or an office that cannot answer the driver's question quickly.

Network Rail publishes guidance on the risk and prevention of bridge strikes, and the Department for Transport has published good practice guidance for transport managers. This article is a practical route planning guide for haulage offices. It is not legal advice and does not replace official guidance, route assessment or competent transport management.

Why the office matters

Drivers are the people who meet the bridge, but offices shape the conditions around the journey. The office chooses the vehicle or trailer, creates the route or delivery plan, stores vehicle dimensions, briefs the driver, and responds when the route changes.

If vehicle height is only known by one planner, written on a cab sticker, or copied from an old spreadsheet, the system is weak. A good bridge-strike prevention routine makes height information visible at assignment and again when the driver needs it.

Keep accurate vehicle-height records

The first control is knowing the height of the actual vehicle combination. That means the tractor, rigid, trailer, body, load and equipment where relevant. A low trailer, high load, swapped unit or different body can change the answer.

store the running height where the office can see it
review height records when vehicles, bodies or trailers change
make height information visible before assigning the job
make sure the driver has the right height information in the cab
do not rely on memory or an old route note

The point is not only to keep a record. It is to stop a planner from assigning a route without knowing whether the vehicle fits.

Plan routes for the assigned vehicle

A route that works for one vehicle may not work for another. Offices should avoid treating route planning as a generic postcode-to-postcode exercise. The route should reflect the height, weight, width, access restrictions, delivery window and site approach.

Where route planning software is used, check that it is suitable for HGV use and that vehicle dimensions are kept current. Where local knowledge is used, record the important instruction so it is not lost when a different driver or planner takes the job.

Brief the driver without overloading them

A useful driver briefing is short and specific. It should not be a wall of generic warnings. For higher-risk routes, include:

the planned route or avoid points
the vehicle height the office expects the driver to use
known low bridges or restricted approaches
site access instructions
what to do if diverted or unsure
who to contact before taking an unplanned route

This works best when the job record and driver app show the same instruction. See our guide to managing multi-stop haulage jobs for a wider view of stop-level instructions.

Give drivers permission to stop and ask

Drivers should not feel pushed into guessing. If there is a diversion, road closure, site change or unclear bridge height, the office needs a simple escalation rule: stop somewhere safe, contact the office, and do not proceed under a structure unless the route is confirmed.

The office response should be calm and practical. A driver who reports uncertainty has given the operation a chance to avoid a major incident. Treat that as good reporting, not an inconvenience.

Record route exceptions and near misses

A near miss is useful only if the office learns from it. If a driver reports an unexpected low bridge, incorrect customer direction, unsuitable sat-nav route or difficult approach, record it against the customer, location or route note.

Good location records reduce repeated risk. A customer site should not keep giving the same bad approach instruction to different drivers. Our article on daily haulage office routines covers how exception review fits into the day-to-day office rhythm.

What to do after a bridge strike or suspected contact

Follow official and emergency procedures. Do not treat a strike or suspected strike as a normal delay. The driver and office should know who to contact, how to protect safety, and how to preserve the job and vehicle record. The operator should also review the planning failure afterwards rather than only blaming the person at the wheel.

Office prevention checklist

Maintain current height records for vehicles and trailers.
Check vehicle height when assigning unusual loads or swapped trailers.
Use HGV-suitable route planning where route tools are used.
Store customer site access notes in one shared record.
Brief drivers on low bridges, diversions and escalation.
Record near misses and update route notes.
Review any incident as a system failure, not just a driver mistake.

Frequently asked questions

Is a bridge strike only the driver's fault?

Not necessarily. Drivers have direct responsibility on the road, but operators and transport offices control vehicle assignment, records, route planning and instructions. A good investigation looks at the whole system.

Should every route be manually planned?

Not every routine job needs a bespoke manual route, but the office should know when a job creates extra height, width, weight or access risk. Those jobs need stronger checks.

Can a driver use a normal car sat-nav?

A normal car sat-nav is not designed around HGV restrictions. Operators should use suitable route planning tools and clear office instructions for commercial vehicles.

Final takeaway

Bridge-strike prevention is a planning discipline. Keep height records current, brief the driver clearly, make route exceptions easy to report and update location notes when you learn something new.

Preventing bridge strikes: a route-planning guide for haulage offices