A bridge standing 11 feet, 3 inches in Olathe, Kansas, ripped the top off a tractor trailer this past November. Low-bridge collisions are not uncommon; in fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration considers bridge strikes a serious safety hazard.
In New York State, which is home to some of the lowest bridges in the nation, 344 low-bridge collisions occurred in 2021, according to the New York Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority; in 2022, 67 bridge strikes occurred across New York City’s boroughs alone, according to the most recent information from the City of New York’s Bridge Strike Data.
[Related: Here’s how to minimize risks of GPS routing]
Bridge strikes can result in injury or loss of life at worst and damages to infrastructure, interruption of commerce and delays in travel times at least, not to mention the impact such a crash has on a trucking company: costs related to infrastructure, equipment and cargo damages and insurance premiums, the potential loss of a driver and damages to reputation.
While it doesn’t collect statistics on the matter, the FMCSA believes bridge strikes are avoidable. That has been proven with the use of different technologies.
“Safety is essential. You don't want to be crashing into anything ever. That's at the top of the list of why it's important. Beyond that is just about pure efficiency,” said Chris Oliver, chief marketing officer at Trucker Path. “If you're routed incorrectly and recognize the truck is too tall to go under a clearance, I'm glad you recognize that and there wasn't a crash. But then you have to figure out how to turn around and take that truck the opposite direction and find a new route. There's a lot of time to be wasted there. By being able to know with confidence that you're avoiding those, you get from point A to point B much more quickly.”
