DIH
14-Jan-11, 20:14
I've just been reading the now closed thread about gritters and would like to add a bit to it.
My other half is a gritter driver and I have hardly seen him since the end of November since all this snow and ice has started. He has been out from 6am - 5pm most days and he, like the rest of his colleagues is absolutely shattered. The concentration required to drive in these conditions is immense for such long periods. A lapse of concentration could result in a gritter of the road and there aren't that many to start with.
They grit the routes that is laid out for them and spread the amount of grit that is stated by their employers. They can only be in one place at a time and they have to observe the road conditions as well. They are also driving on the snow/ice as the grit comes out of the back of the lorry.
They DO try to get round as many roads as they can.
This is his job and it has been a hard one this year due to the extreme weather Caithness has faced. I know he sits on his bum all day in a warm lorry but I for one wouldn't swap places with him. He sets of for his work at 5.30am driving 6 miles into Wick on untreated roads as well, so he can get out in his gritter to treat the roads for you.
These men deserve a lot more praise than their getting so well done boys :)
My other half is a gritter driver and I have hardly seen him since the end of November since all this snow and ice has started. He has been out from 6am - 5pm most days and he, like the rest of his colleagues is absolutely shattered. The concentration required to drive in these conditions is immense for such long periods. A lapse of concentration could result in a gritter of the road and there aren't that many to start with.
They grit the routes that is laid out for them and spread the amount of grit that is stated by their employers. They can only be in one place at a time and they have to observe the road conditions as well. They are also driving on the snow/ice as the grit comes out of the back of the lorry.
They DO try to get round as many roads as they can.
This is his job and it has been a hard one this year due to the extreme weather Caithness has faced. I know he sits on his bum all day in a warm lorry but I for one wouldn't swap places with him. He sets of for his work at 5.30am driving 6 miles into Wick on untreated roads as well, so he can get out in his gritter to treat the roads for you.
These men deserve a lot more praise than their getting so well done boys :)