New gritter names revealed as KCC's winter fleet prepares for action

Date: 26 October 2026
Topics: Travel and transport

Children from Stones In The Community were the first to see the new gritters

Kent County Council’s (KCC) annual gritting parade has marked the start of the winter season as its new fleet of gritters prepare to keep Kent’s roads safe.

The annual parade is an important part of KCC's winter preparations, allowing gritter drivers to familiarise themselves with the routes they will cover throughout the season.

The event, held at KCC's Aylesford Highway Depot, brought together gritting teams, representatives from KCC and its highways contractor Ringway, as well as Econ Engineering, the company that built the gritters, as preparations continue for the winter season.

Each of the 62 vehicles in the brand-new fleet have also been given new names as children from across Kent have been taking part in a gritter naming competition.

A row of Kent County Council gritter lorries parked at a depot on a wet day, lined up side by side with yellow and white winter maintenance equipment ready for service. — The new gritters in Aylesford are ready for the winter season

Children from holiday club Stones In The Community were among the first to see the winning names displayed on the gritters. Over the summer, children from the group took part in the competition by learning all about gritters while creating their own models out of recycled materials.

During the parade, they also had the opportunity learn more about how the vehicles operate, the new technology and safety features inside, and the important role they play during periods of snow and ice.

All children who came up with the winning names received a digital ‘Gritificate’ as a thank you for their efforts.

Grittersaurus Rex, the winning name that roared to victory in last year’s naming competition, was only used for one season so has been brought back as a name for 2026.

Taylor Drift was picked as a winning name

KCC's fleet of 62 gritters, ordered through our contractor Ringway, stands ready to treat the county's primary road network, helping people continue to travel safely during wintry weather. Each vehicle was built especially for Kent by Econ Engineering at their factory in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

The winter season officially starts on Monday 2 November 2026 and will run until mid-April.

Last winter, gritting crews worked around the clock whenever conditions required. They were called out on 44 occasions, which is the equivalent of of 2,176 individual runs.

Peter Osborne, KCC Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: "Today's gritting parade is a brilliant way to kick off our winter preparations and celebrate the children who came up with fantastic names for our gritters.

"It also marks the start of a lot of hard work behind the scenes. Our teams are ready to respond when frost, ice or snow is on the way, and months of planning and preparation go into every gritting run to help keep Kent moving through the winter."

Toby Howe, KCC's Winter Service Manager, said: "Preparing for winter is a year-round process. Our drivers, vehicles, salt supplies and response plans are all put through their paces well before the colder weather arrives.

"The parade is an important opportunity for our teams and drivers to refresh their knowledge of our winter processes, helping us deliver a fast and effective response when treatment is needed."

Patrick Connolly, Contract Director at Ringway, said: "We’re proud to support Kent County Council with a new fleet of gritters and dedicated winter crews ready to respond when needed. Keeping Kent’s roads safe throughout the winter is a responsibility we take seriously."

Jonathan Lupton, Managing Director at Econ Engineering said: “We’re proud to have built the 62 gritters helping keep Kent moving this winter, and to work with KCC and Ringway in serving local communities. It’s been wonderful to see children get involved in the naming competition and learn more about the vehicles and the people who operate them. We hope the winning names bring a smile across Kent and perhaps inspire the next generation of gritter drivers.”