Scotland Gritter Names: Here are the hilarious names of Scotland’s gritters and how to track them – from Sled Zeppelin to Basil Salty
Scotland’s fleet of gritters have become world famous thanks to their quirky names.
With the weather turning cold for the first time this year, the battle is on to keep Scotland’s roads free of ice and snow.
On the frontline on the fight agains the freeze are the country’s fleet of 240 gritters, based at 42 depots.
It’s a serious business but when you see them on the motorway or city roads, the names painted on the side of the vehicles might give you a chuckle.
Since 2020 the gritters have had a range of hilarious names, many of which reference famous Scots or aspects of Scottish culture – from Andy McFlurry and Lew-Ice Capaldi, to Gonnae Snow Dae That and Yes Sir, Ice Can Boogie.
They’ve proved to be such a hit – with the website that lets you track them sometimes registering over 100,000 visitors a day – that other countries have followed suit. Last year in the USA the Minnesota Department of Transportation held a public poll to come up with funny names, as did a number of Canadian towns and cities. Winning names included Plowasaurus Rex, Sir Salts-A-Lot, and Snowboni.
Here are all the names in Scotland and how to track them.
How did the gritters get their names?
The idea to give Scotland’s gritters amusing names dates bqack to 2020, when Amey – a company responsible for maintaining public highways and bridges, performing inspections, and keeping the roads clear from debris and snow – ran a competition to let the public name the winter-busting vehicles.
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Running from December 23, 2020, to January 23, 2021, the online submissions proved to be a massive success – a world apart from the famous poll to name a scientific research ship that came up with the moniker Boaty McBoatface.
How can I track Scotland’s gritters?
A full map of Scotland’s gritting fleet can be found at scotgov.maps.
Double click to zoom in on the map, and click and drag your cursor to explore the interactive map of Scotland.
Mega Melter
Always Be Grit-full
Blizzard BEAR
BEAR-illiant
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