Driving HGVs in Fog and Poor Visibility

What this is about

Fog and poor visibility for HGV drivers. Winter ice decisions and night-work hours rules are separate topics.

Lights

• Use dipped headlights so others see you; follow the Highway Code for fog lights — on in seriously reduced visibility, off when it clears so you do not dazzle
• Keep lenses clean; a dirty light is half a light in fog
• Do not rely on high beam bouncing back at you in dense fog

Speed and space

• Cut speed before you “feel” late — an artic needs room you cannot see
• Increase following distance; brake lights appear late in fog banks
• Avoid sudden lane changes; indicate early and commit only when sure

When to stop

If you cannot see far enough to stop for a stationary queue or broken-down vehicle, find a safe place to park and wait. Pressing on to “make the slot” is how multi-vehicle fog crashes start.

Driver habit

Treat fog as a reason to call traffic early, not as a personal challenge. Arriving late beats not arriving.

What to remember

Fog shrinks your stopping distance and other drivers’ ability to see an artic. Slow earlier, use the right lights, and park up when you cannot see a safe gap.

Read the article through before you apply the rule on the road. Figures and exceptions change. If your operator’s procedure or a roadside check says something different from a web summary, follow the written procedure and official sources (DVSA, DVLA, GOV.UK, and the regulation that applies).

For “Driving HGVs in Fog and Poor Visibility”, keep the practical chain: check before you leave, record correctly on the tachograph or in documents, tell planning when something does not add up, and do not move the vehicle if you know it is illegal or unsafe.

If a colleague, customer or short message asks you to skip a check, ask for it in writing. Stopping on time and a call to the desk costs less than a penalty, a prohibition, or a collision.