Gritters have been hitting the roads in recent days as temperatures dropped to freezing point across the country.
Scotland's gritters have risen to prominence in recent years due to their hilarious names and a website that allows you to track their movements, and people are loving their names.
They range from Gritty Gritty Bang Bang to Yes Sir Ice Can Boogie to Chilly Connolly and Fred.
From October 1st to May 15th, a 24-hour dedicated winter maintenance service operates on all Scotland's trunk roads.
In total 230 vehicles spread salt and plough snow in Scotland on 51 Winter Patrol routes in addition to the 92 Precautionary Treatment routes.
Here's a list of the gritter names:
Amber Snowy
Arctic Angel
BFG Big Friendly Gritter
Blizzard Bear
Chilly Connolly
Darth Spreader
For Your Ice Only
Fred
Gangsta Granny Gritter
Grit A Bit
Grit Expectations
Gritallica
Gritney Spears
Gritter Bug
Grittest Hits
Grittie McVittie
Grittle Mix
Gritty Gonzales
Gritty Gritty Bang Bang
Han Snow-lo
I Want To Break Freeze
Ice Breaker
Ice Destroyer
Ice Queen
Jeremy Brine
Lew-Ice Capaldi
Licence To Chill
Luke Snowalker
Meltin' John
Mr Plow
Mrs Gritter
My Name’5 Doddie
Nitty McGritty
Penelope Gritstop
Plougher O’Scotland
Polar Bear Explorer
Polar Patroller
Ready Spready Go
Rumble
Salty
Sandy The Solway Salter
Scotland’s Bravest Gritter
Sir Andy Flurry
Sir Grits A Lot
Sir Salter Scott
Slippy McGritty
Snow Bother
Snow Destroyer
Snow Dozer
Snow Trooper
Snowball
Snowbegone Kenobi
Snowkemon Go
Sophie Salt
Sprinkebell
Sprinkles
The Golden Great Gritter
The Grittest Snowman
The Incredible Ice Bear
The Snow Buster
The Snow Solution
The Winter Explorer
True Gritter
Yes Sir Ice Can Boogie
What's your favourite? Let us know!
How do they plan where to send the gritters?
Each Operating Company is required to obtain the services of an expert weather forecasting provider and operate a computerised road weather information system.
This displays data from road sensors, weather cameras, forecasts and weather radar to assist the operating company to make decisions on the deployment of winter maintenance resources.
Expert meteorologists provide daily weather forecasts to the Winter Service Managers from October 1st to May 15th.
The forecasts arrive around midday, allowing daily winter action plans to be prepared by 3.00pm, outlining pre-treatment arrangements on roads for the next 24 hour period.
Operating Companies monitor forecasts using actual data from weather stations and sensor sites. Further information is also collected by liaising with the weather forecaster, gritter drivers, winter patrols, the police and third parties.
Weather stations throughout the trunk road network relay information to the Operating Companies, including temperature, wind speeds and rainfall. Many of the weather stations have cameras attached allowing decision-makers to remotely monitor the locations.
Operating Companies monitor and update this database of information around the clock, with any changes required to action plans being implemented, as far as is reasonably practicable, in advance of adverse conditions.
Where it is not possible to predict adverse conditions, the Winter Service Manager has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that reactive requirements are implemented within the required timescales.
You can track the gritters here.
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