Grit lorries

MikeHiow · 19 Feb 2010 at 21:52

Just passed a grit lorry on my way home, much to my frustration as my front bumper has just been resprayed. But this wasn't the usual showering, it was like he was spreading bloody ballast!

I observed much harder grit than usual on my remaining journey, making one hell of a racket as it smashed into my plastic arch liners - much worse than normal.

It seems it was thicker, perhaps grit/sand after the rock salt shortages? I found "splats" on my bumper the size of 1Ps, but no obvious damage, although, I imagine any damage won't be obvious until its light tomorrow.

It also doesn't help that it seemed to be going pretty damned fast too.

Anyone have any experience of this? Is there any basis for complaint and/or compensation if any damage resulted from a grit lorry? Especially if they were potentially using something other than rock salt?

[TW]Fox · 19 Feb 2010 at 21:53

Nothing you can do. I had the same thing going up the M5 on Friday.

On the way back I was just about to pass a gritter when its orange lights started to flash. I shifted down and nailed it past

ajstan · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:01

It's happened to me, I had a quick look and couldn't see anything, not much you can do tbh.

xyphox · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:02

Had this like half hour ago strangely, pretty annoying.

JRS · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:03

Absolutely sod all you can do, from experience. I had the reg plate of the gritter truck, the location, the time, and I got nowhere.

Clarkey · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:07

Are they using brine now? I'm convinced I drove past a brine spreader last night. A large amount of water hit the car as I drove past an oncoming truck. To be honest it gave me a heck of a fright, was on an unlit section of road which was totally covered in snow, made a hell of a noise when it hit combined with suddenly not seeing anything at all out of the screen.
It wasn't just spray though, I'd passed loads of other trucks with no spray, and in the light there were salty white streaks all over the car, up the bonnet and the roof too.

username · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:07

if there were big splats it might have been one of the newer ones that mix water in with the rock salt so it works better, but sometimes it clumps and you get massive clumps flung out.

cm1179 · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:12

been hit a lot recently too, i'm sure the grit is getting bigger, it's certainly mullering the lacquer

Skeeter · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:30

Hey, you know, they could just not bother and then you could post threads about how you skidded on ice and crashed into a ditch. Thats much more convinient than a bit of grit spraying your lovely paintwork very occasionally.

Some people.

Adam_D200 · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:34

Got absolutely pelted on a single carriageway road by a gritter going the other way at great speed... thought the bloody screen had cracked by the noise it made

DIABLO · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:35

My dad drives a grit lorry and says they have changed the grit to salt ratio because of the shortage of salt around here at least.

[TW]Fox · 19 Feb 2010 at 22:37

DIABLO said:
My dad drives a grit lorry and says they have changed the grit to salt ratio because of the shortage of salt around here at least.

Errr there is no 'grit' these days?

ShadowMan · 19 Feb 2010 at 23:22

All "grit" is salt on the roads and yes, most gritters will be running pre-wet brine mixes currently.

HA has put us onto a limit of 10g/m2 which isnt very high so there shouldnt be a huge amount of clumped or solid material around.

This goes for the main trunk routes and Northamptonshire specifically. I cannot confirm for other areas or local spreading by councils.

Fr0dders · 19 Feb 2010 at 23:36

[TW]Fox;15999199 said:
Errr there is no 'grit' these days?

during the last cold snap Scarborough council were mixing it with Beach Sand to make it go further

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8446325.stm

arknor · 19 Feb 2010 at 23:44

And a Norfolk company has been selling crushed dishwasher tablets to help meet customer demand.

lol wtf? wouldnt they just disolve.

cat litter would obviously work because it absorbs a lot of mositure/water and its going to have a lot of friction even frozen, but dishwasher tablets wtf?

Fr0dders · 19 Feb 2010 at 23:45

you can buy dishwasher salt

im guessing this is what they make tablets out of, so it must have a salt content.

Skeeter · 19 Feb 2010 at 23:58

arknor said:
lol wtf? wouldnt they just disolve.

Yes, because Salt isnt soluble at all :confused:

arknor · 20 Feb 2010 at 00:05

salt raises the temprature water freezes at though

how am i suposed to know dishwasher tablets contain aparently some salt!

NeverWinter · 20 Feb 2010 at 00:06

Yeah one got me the other night too.

monkey_boy · 20 Feb 2010 at 00:33

The site manager at work sent a message round asking anyone to buy as much dishwasher powder and salt as possible and people would be reimbursed. Dread to think how much it cost to grit the car park