Closure of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland is adding roughly 40 miles to any journey in the area, meaning that commercial drivers are struggling to complete deliveries in one shift.

The bridge was closed due to a safety flaw in its steelwork and the closest alternative crossway is the Kindcardine bridge, which adds 45 minutes to a driver's journey.

On Friday 4th December, the FTA said that queues as long as 11 miles were backed up on the Kindcardine Bridge due to the Forth Road bridge closure.

Similarly, drivers at Clackmannanshire Bridge were victim to unexpected tailbacks of around six miles.

Based on comments from members of the FTA, the Scottish government is considering asking the Department of Transport to change drivers' hours regulations to enable them to make their deliveries in one shift.

The FTA's head of policy for Scotland Chris MacRae commented on the unfortunate timing of the bridge closure saying that it "will cause serious issues in terms of delivery times and drivers' hours over the Christmas period".

A planned reopening of the Forth Road Bridge isn't expected until the New Year, when it's hoped that it will be functioning again for the mass return to work.