Hauliers felt nature's wrath when storms battered Britain in October.
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Karen Miles has been talking to some of the operators who had to cope with flooded roads and depots—and looks at an insurance policy designed to get you back on the road after disaster strikes...
Jt's not often said that Northern Ireland has it easy. But when the UK was hit by devastating floods in October, the province got off relatively lightly. It certainly rained bard, but all hauliers had to cope with was mud slippage on a single road in the North-West.
Looking at reports from mainland Britain, they had good reason to feel grateful for the luck of the Irish as hauliers in England and Wales struggled to deliver the goods. TV news reports brought images of devastation from the Severn valley, the Wye and the rivers of South Wales. The Rhonddha Valley was hit by 300mm of rain in just eight days with residents rushing around with sandbags, desperately trying to save their homes and livelihoods.
For hauliers the flood waters meant breakdowns, delays, stock damage and the cost of hiring in extra vehicles and trailers.
Ironically, all that extra water delayed many ferry sailings as well as closing roads—and not only in low-lying areas. At the peak of the flooding even the A66 Trans-Pennine route was shut to HGVs for 10 hours.