Low bridge GPS: warned before the bridge, not under it

Why bridge strikes keep happening

A bridge strike rarely comes down to a driver who did not care. It comes down to a route from an app that did not know the vehicle's height, a sign that was obscured or missed, or a detour onto a road the plan never covered. The damage is not limited to the trailer: rail lines are stopped for inspection, roads are closed, and the fine and insurance consequences follow the driver.

The fix has two parts. The route has to be calculated for the real height of the vehicle, and there has to be a warning that works when you are not on that route.

Start with your height, measured properly

Navitruck's routing uses the height in your vehicle profile against the clearance data on the map. Measure the vehicle at its tallest point in its normal loaded configuration: roof-mounted units, exhaust stacks, aerials and high-cube trailers all count. If the height varies with the load, use the tallest case. A profile that is a few centimetres too low is worse than none, because it gives you a route you trust for the wrong vehicle.

An alert before the bridge — even in the background

Routing alone does not cover the moments when strikes actually happen: a closure that pushes you onto side streets, the search for a customer's gate in an industrial estate, or a short hop across town with no destination set. Navitruck keeps comparing the road ahead with your profile while the app runs, in the foreground or behind another app, and gives you a sound and on-screen warning early enough to stop or turn.

• Works with or without an active route
• Keeps running with the app in the background
• Uses the same offline map data, so it does not need signal

Avoid zones for the places you already know

Some hazards are local knowledge rather than map data: a bridge that is signed correctly but always tight, a town-centre street with a camera-enforced ban, a depot approach with an awkward turn. Navitruck lets you draw your own avoid zones on the map. Routes are calculated around them, on top of the restriction avoidance that comes from your profile.

Built for trucks, coaches and RVs alike

Low bridges are not only an HGV problem. Coaches, double-deckers, motorhomes and cars towing tall caravans are all struck every year. Navitruck uses the same height-based routing and background alerts for every vehicle type, alongside weight, width, length, hazmat and tunnel restrictions, offline 3D maps for every region, lane guidance and speed cameras.