Page 72 - Newcom

TRUCK 72 COVER STORY NEWS
April 2016
MTO officer Mitch Morissette conducts a wheel inspection.
Drivers can prevent wheel-offs
Continued from page 34
any movement.
A loose wheel will often vibrate or
sound different than a secure wheel when thumped.
“When you find one that is loose, the sound is totally different than what a tight one is,” he said.
Drivers should also look for cracks, especially around the wheel holes and on the face of the wheel. The driv-
er’s role in preventing wheel separa- tions cannot be overstated. In Ontar- io, wheel-offs constitute an absolute liability offense, meaning the vehicle owner is held responsible with no de- fence and will incur a fine of between
$2,000 and $50,000.
Bridgestone’s McDonald said fleets
need to impress upon their drivers the importance of regularly inspecting the wheels and also having issues ad- dressed immediately.
“If the mechanic or the wheel in- staller makes a mistake and you get
a little bit of movement on the wheel, the pre-trip inspection is where the driver is going to see that movement,” McDonald said. “I don’t think driv- ers understand that when they see some fault, a little bit of movement or clocking of the wheel behind the nut, that they’re out of service right then. I don’t care if your garage is 150 yards down the road, you do not move.”
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