Nicola Sturgeon has blasted bosses for sending lorry drivers out in the extreme weather.
The First Minister said firms were reckless to clog the roads up with heavy goods vehicles during a red weather warning.
But the road haulage industry hit back at Ms Sturgeon’s “frustrating” intervention, saying communities rely on their deliveries.
In a statement to Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon also said hospitals face major challenges from staff struggling to get to work, as she said health boards are being prioritised in the drive to get Scotland moving again.
The chaos on roads such as the M80, which links Glasgow with Perthshire and Fife, was fuelled by the number of HGVs on the road, said Monica Lennon, the Labour MSP.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon said: “If I can be absolutely frank, there were far more HGVs on that road than there should have been when a red warning was in place.
“I do think we have to be very clear in the message we are sending to companies who deliver goods with HGVs – and this is not a criticism of drivers because driver safety is one of the important issues here.
“During a red weather warning an HGV should not be on one of our trunk roads unless it is absolutely unavoidable.”
Martin Reid, from the Road Haulage Association in Scotland, criticised the First Minister for her remarks.
“It’s really frustrating because she is more than happy to take the credit for the industry when it’s running well,” he said.
“The weather that we have experienced in the last two or three days is pretty much unprecedented and the network has been problematic.
“But at the end of the day our members are paid to deliver from point A to point B.
“A lot of communities absolutely rely on the deliveries from lorries.”
He added many drivers were already on the road when the bad weather hit.
The red warning was downgraded to an amber one on Thursday, which is in place until at least 10am on Friday.
That has prompted organisers to cancel this weekend’s Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen.
The advice for the public is not to travel unless it cannot be avoided.
Ms Sturgeon added: “While everything possible will be done to keep roads clear and open, if you do travel during this period you do face significant risk of encountering blocked roads and possibly becoming stranded.”
The Scottish Government’s resilience committee was due to meet to consider how to increase the number of health staff can get to work.
The SNP leader also said at FMQs that she will consider banning evictions from homes in Scotland.
The First Minister was urged to look into a change in the law by Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard, who said the France-style measure would “save lives in Scotland”.