Background to Gritter Naming on the Southwest network

Our Gritter Naming appeal, was previously run soley in conjunction with local schools, but moved online in 2020 as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, and was opened to the wider Scottish public.

During the winter period 2020 to 2021, an appeal to name the fleet of gritters covering 400 miles of Scotland’s trunk roads from Glasgow to Dumfries and through to Ayr and Stranraer, received over 1,200 online entries. It has grown in popularity year on year and encouraged wider engagement with the Scottish public, as well as attracting interest from media organisations and individuals around the world.

A full list of the winning names is published in January each year, and they join our existing named gritters on the network, including “Yes Sir, Ice Can Boogie”, “Buzz IceClear”, IRN-BRU®’s “Grits You Thru” and Tunnock's "Caramelt Wafer".

You can view our fleet of named gritters, listed on the right of this page. Gritter names normally stay in place over subsequent winters, but are sometimes retired due to reaching the end of their operational life, or to make room for new suggestions.

Our Gritter Naming Appeal for the 2023/2024 period will open shortly and you can find more information about how to contribute here.

We've been expecting you, Mr Bond

Many of the names submitted paid tribute to James Bond actor and Scottish icon Sir Sean Connery in 2020; and as a result five of the newly named vehicles are badged in tribute to Sir Sean, and reference several of the Bond movies.

These are “Dr Snow”, “Coldfinger”, “You Only Grit Ice”, “On Her Majesty’s Slippery Surface” and “TroonRaker”