Bridge strikes: a guide for HGV, bus and fleet operators
Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, Network Rail reported 1,666 bridge strikes, equivalent to about 4.6 per day.
A bridge strike can lead to a police investigation, scrutiny of the systems behind the driver and potentially regulatory action involving the Traffic Commissioner. The senior Traffic Commissioner has explicitly warned operators that regulatory action is a real possibility where appropriate control measures aren't in place.
So, what should fleet operators and professional drivers know about bridge strikes?
What is a bridge strike?
A bridge strike is a collision between a vehicle, its load or equipment and a bridge. Network Rail states that most vehicles involved are HGVs and buses which attempt to pass underneath bridges despite exceeding the stated height restrictions.
The consequences of a bridge strike can be far-reaching, extending beyond the vehicle and driver to passengers, other road users, and the wider transport network.
How much does a bridge strike cost?
Network Rail estimates that a bridge strike costs approximately £13,000 on average, with an overall annual cost to the UK taxpayer of around £23 million.
For the operator involved, however, the financial impact can extend beyond bridge damage. Depending on the circumstances, a bridge strike can result in vehicle and load damage, recovery costs, vehicle downtime, disruption to deliveries or passenger services, infrastructure claims and significant management time dealing with the aftermath.
Criminal or regulatory proceedings may also arise from the incident, meaning the visible damage at the bridge is only one part of the eventual cost to the business.
What causes bridge strikes?
It can be tempting to treat a bridge strike simply as driver error. In practice, there can be several contributing factors, including:
inaccurate or unavailable vehicle-height information
inappropriate route planning
unsuitable navigation systems,
unexpected diversions,
vehicle or trailer changes and
poor communication between drivers and those responsible for planning routes.
Operators are expected to assess bridge-strike risks and plan routes in advance so far as reasonably practicable. Drivers, transport managers, and planners should be appropriately trained, and drivers should have adequate information about the vehicles they operate.
Who is responsible for preventing bridge strikes?
Preventing a bridge strike isn't solely the driver's responsibility. In his October 2024 letter to operators, Senior Traffic Commissioner Richard Turfitt reminded businesses that operators must ensure vehicles are operated without unacceptable risks to road safety, including the risk of bridge strikes.
Among the control measures operators are expected to consider are:
Ensuring drivers have access to height conversion charts;
Providing height measurement gauges at appropriate sites;
Establishing the running height of each vehicle and trailer and recording it on the technical record;
Making running-height information available to anyone responsible for planning or altering a route; and
Properly training drivers, transport managers and planners to assess bridge-strike risks.
This means bridge-strike prevention should form part of the operator's wider fleet compliance arrangements rather than being left entirely to individual drivers.
What should you do after a bridge strike in an HGV or bus?
All bridge strikes should be reported to the police in the first instance. Railway bridge strikes must also be reported to the rail authority using the telephone number displayed on the bridge identification plate.
The immediate aftermath can also mark the beginning of an investigation. Police officers may want to establish how the collision occurred, while the operator may need to communicate with infrastructure owners and other organisations. Drivers should therefore know where to get specialist legal advice immediately.
LMP 24/7 can be used following a bridge strike, giving drivers access to specialist road traffic lawyers from the outset. Early involvement ensures drivers get legal advice before giving detailed accounts and helps identify potential issues affecting both the driver and the business.
Can a bridge strike lead to prosecution or regulatory action?
Yes. Depending on the circumstances, investigators may examine the driver's conduct, and there may be consequences for their vocational driving entitlement.
Can a bridge strike affect an operator's licence?
Yes. The senior Traffic Commissioner has specifically warned that operators who fail to take appropriate control measures to prevent bridge strikes risk regulatory action that could affect their operator's licence.
Traffic commissioners can consider the operator and transport manager's conduct alongside the driver's. A bridge strike can raise questions about whether the operator had appropriate systems in place to manage a foreseeable risk. Investigators may consider matters such as route planning, vehicle allocation, vehicle-height records, driver and planner training and the implementation of company procedures. This is why an apparently isolated driving incident can develop into a much wider compliance issue.
Regulatory action is not automatic simply because a bridge strike has occurred. The key issue is what the circumstances reveal about the operation and the controls the business had in place. That makes the evidence of what happened before the bridge strike particularly important:
Was the route appropriately planned?
Was the correct vehicle allocated?
Was its running height known?
Had relevant employees been trained?
Were procedures actually being followed?
Operators need to demonstrate that appropriate controls existed in practice, not simply that they appeared in a policy document.
Operators should also review what happens after an incident.
Do drivers know who to contact? Is there a clear reporting procedure? Who manages communication with the police and other agencies? Is specialist legal advice available immediately?
Operators should consider both bridge-strike prevention and incident response policies to reduce the likelihood of an incident and control the consequences if one occurs.
LMP Legal supports fleet operators before and after an incident. Our compliance support helps businesses review policies, training and operational procedures before an incident occurs, whilst our unique LMP 24/7 service provides immediate specialist legal support following bridge strikes.
Contact LMP Legal today to learn how you can be supported in the golden minutes following a bridge strike.
