HGV Drivers and Sat-Navs Not Working Well Together

Despite plenty of publicity that one would think should solve the problem, it continues to happen – HGV drivers finding themselves trapped on narrow village streets or country lanes after improperly following sat-nav directions. The two latest examples come by way of Buckshaw village in Lancashire.

The Lancashire Telegraph reports that a lorry recently became stuck on Main Street after the driver realised he had made a wrong turn and drove up onto an embankment. Police had to divert traffic from the area while the driver slowly manoeuvred his vehicle out of the tight spot. Apparently, the area of Main Street, Village Way, and Old Worden Avenue experience these kinds of events more often than residents would like.

In another recent incident on Euxton Lane, an HGV driver stopped traffic after realising he could not clear a low bridge passing over the road. He had to turn his lorry around to get out of the jam. According to local leaders, the problem is that HGV drivers are relying too heavily on the instructions provided by sat-nav equipment. They say drivers are either missing road signs or ignoring them altogether.

One possible solution is to increase signage and develop new weight restrictions that prevent drivers from getting close enough to local towns and villages to make sat-nav mistakes. However, that solution is not perfect in that large trucks are still required to service such local towns and villages. Perhaps a combination of signage, weight restrictions and some sat-nav training would do the trick.

Drivers need to understand that sat-nav information is not only imperfect, but it is often outdated. Sat-nav maps are meant to be used only as a general guide for getting where one needs to go. They should not be trusted implicitly, especially when a visual assessment of a local area makes it clear that sat-nav instructions could be wrong. Common sense must prevail in order to cut down on the number of incidents seen in towns and villages like Buckshaw.

Driver Training with Us

Training courses at the HGV Training Centre are designed around the philosophy that a well-trained driver is a good driver. We believe there is no substitute for high-quality training that teaches drivers how to be safe and productive while handling their commercial vehicles with skill. Naturally, we think common sense is an important part of good driving.

We do not necessarily cover all the details of sat-nav use in our training courses, but we do teach drivers relevant information relating to signage, weight restrictions and choosing the best routes. We have no desire to see them cause otherwise avoidable problems by attempting to traverse roads unsuitable for large commercial vehicles.

HGV drivers from all over the UK have earned their licences by training with the HGV Training Centre. We offer both individual training and fleet training packages for haulage and transport companies. Call us for more information regarding your training needs.

Sources:

1. Lancashire Telegraph – https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11863989.TIGHT_SQUEEZE__HGV_drivers_following_satnavs_getting_stuck_in_residential_streets/