Minimising Downtime: Windscreen Replacement for HGVs & Trucks

As every HGV and truck fleet owner will know, your drivers are on the road a lot. 

Covering thousands of miles at all hours of the day, it’s fair to say that HGVs and trucks are probably confronted with everything the British weather throws their way on a more regular basis than any other type of vehicle. 

With this in mind, a damaged windscreen on any of your fleet’s vehicles needs to be promptly addressed to ensure the safety of your drivers, other road users and the overall efficiency of your fleet. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at windscreen replacements for HGVs and trucks, explaining what you need to do if yours suffers from any damage. 

Can you drive an HGV or truck with a cracked windscreen?

HGVs and trucks have far larger windscreens than cars, and whether you can drive with a damaged windscreen will depend on where the damage is located and its size. 

As a general rule, if the damage is in the driver’s line of vision it will always be illegal to drive. This is because drivers must have a clear view of the road ahead at all times to be able to drive safely. 

To help drivers better understand whether they can legally drive their HGV or truck when it has suffered windscreen damage, the windscreen has been separated into three different zones as follows:

• Zone A – Also described as the swept area of the screen, Zone A is 350mm wide and is centred on the steering wheel. This is the most important part of the windscreen, as it is directly in the driver’s line of sight and if any damage is sustained in this area then you cannot drive the vehicle until it has been fixed.
• Zone B – This is described as the remainder of the windscreen’s swept area. While it covers most of the passenger’s side, the damage may encroach into Zone A depending on how big it is. More damage is ‘allowed’ in Zone B but it will vary on the size and severity.
• Zone C – Zone C is the remainder of the windscreen and is considered to be the least important part of it. While you can usually still legally drive a HGV or truck with Zone C windscreen damage, we’d always recommend having it repaired before getting behind the wheel.                

HGV and truck windscreen repair and replacement 

Windscreens can become damaged extremely easily, and even an innocuous-looking chip can soon become a severe crack if not attended to.

The most common way that an HGV or truck’s windscreen can become damaged is from stones, pebbles and rocks on the road being thrown up by other vehicles and hitting it.

The type of damage that has occurred – scratch, chip or crack – as well as its precise location on the windscreen will determine the urgency of the action, but we’d always recommend having a windscreen fixed or replaced as soon as damage occurs. Otherwise, the damage may get worse resulting in more costly repairs. 

At The Windscreen Company, we have decades of experience in repairing and replacing windscreens on all kinds of vehicles, including HGVs and trucks. We provide a rapid service across the South East, West Midlands and Essex, aiming to get your drivers back on the road as soon as possible to minimise downtime and disruption to your business. 

For more information, to book a windscreen repair or replacement for your fleet or to find out more about our trade accounts, get in touch with our team today.

The Windscreen Company

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The Windscreen Company, has over 20 years of experience in windscreen repair and replacement. Since 1998, they have been at the forefront of industry innovation, leveraging the latest technology to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.

The Windscreen Company's, help-and-advice pages offer valuable tips and guidance on maintaining vehicle safety through quality windscreen care, while also featuring updated industry realted content.

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