September 2002

"Bridge-bashing" incidents involving high lorries can be banished with system called Bridgewatch that sounds a warning in the cab if there's a low bridge in the vicinity. That, anyway, is the claim made by the manufacturer, Bridgeclear.

The in-cab device is pre-loaded with a database of all low bridges in the country, and the driver can enter the current height of the vehicle before starting a journey. An integral GPS unit checks the vehicle location constantly, and gives a continual display of the nearest low bridge and route number it's on. At a distance of 1km and 500m from the bridge, visible and audible warnings sound.

The system is available on five-year lease, with an initial price of £240 and a weekly payments of £4. These cover maintenance and annual database updates, which are done with a supplied disk and cable from a portable PC. The purchase price is £999, falling to £850 for substantial volumes.

The first user is logistics group Gist, which has fitted the system in half a dozen vehicles at its Barnsley depot, where trailers over 16ft high are used routinely. A further six units are now on order.

 

Sam de Beaux, Gist's engineering director, says the system has offered drivers reassurance, as well as eliminating bridge-related accidents. It's particularly helpful, he says, when they want to avoid a hold-up, and need to know if an alternative route is safe.

Bridgeclear told m.logistics the device can take input from a compatible GPS unit and aerial if these are fitted on vehicles, reducing the unit cost. Future versions are likely to detect other barriers such as weight-limited roads or narrow bridges. Later the company may consider adding new features such as in-cab navigation or tracking.