---
title: "‘Spready Mercury’ and ‘Gritney Spears’: Scotland’s Snowplows Have Amazing Names"
description: "Better yet, you can track them on an interactive map any time of day."
date: "2020-12-11"
modified: "2020-12-11"
authors:
  - name: "Rob Stumpf"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/rob-stumpf"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/38120/spready-mercury-and-gritney-spears-scotlands-snowplows-have-amazing-names"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
---

# ‘Spready Mercury’ and ‘Gritney Spears’: Scotland’s Snowplows Have Amazing Names

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2020/12/20201211-Scotland-Gritters-Hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The world needs a bit of joy right now; something to make everyone forget about the state of things and just have a bit of silly fun. Usually it's Santa taking care of holiday cheer this time of year, but it's 2020 and things wouldn't be right without something being askew. So instead of looking to the skies to see some reindeer and a sled, I ask you to glue your eyes to the screen and turn to a map maintained by Scotland's department of transportation where it tracks hilariously named snowplows cleaning up the roads.

This is the [*Trunk Road Gritter Tracker*](<https://scotgov.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2de764a9303848ffb9a4cac0bd0b1aab>). It's an interactive map where the world can peer down onto the roads of Scotland and see exactly where the country's snow plows—locally referred to as "gritters"—are battling the wintery conditions.

![message-editor%2F1607709747530-snowplows.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1607709747530-snowplows.jpg>)
**via Arcgis | Traffic Scotland**

The map has been around since 2016, so these gritters have *technically* been trackable for about four years, but the inanimate objects have actually carried names for much longer.

According to the *BBC*, Transport for Scotland began naming the heavy metal fleet back in 2006. It even ran a competition in primary schools across the country where students were responsible for coming up with the best names. Thankfully, Scotland got some better submissions than [Boaty McBoatface](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8289/boaty-mcboatface-is-heading-to-antarctica-on-its-first-mission>).

And in case you were wondering—yes, the names are proudly displayed on the side of the trucks in big bold letters for all to see.

https://twitter.com/_/status/923497799102160897

Here are some of our favorite gritters out on snow patrol right now:

- Mr. Plow
- Ice Destroyer
- BFG (Big Friendly Gritter)
- License to Chill
- Ready Spready Go
- Gritty Gonzales
- Sprinkles

The country has a total of 230 salt spreaders in operation, many of which carry equally creative names. The [*Scotland Herald*](<https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18921747.scotlands-gritters-winter-hilarious-names/>) published a comprehensive list of more than 60 trucks that have been christened into the fleet, and if you've got time to kill (be honest, you do), it's worth reading through them all.

I'm just so happy that *Gangsta Granny Gritter*, *Spready Mercury*, and *Fred* can keep everyone safe this winter.

*Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@thedrive.com*

## Author
After putting down the camera and leaving the tuner car scene behind, Rob has been covering the automotive world since early 2017. Rob’s blend of technology and automotive backgrounds coupled with his industry insight give a unique perspective of what the future of mobility holds.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/allthingslow/>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/RobDrivesCars>)