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As serious as a wheel-off
Improper pre-trip inspections blamed for majority of wheel separations
that communicated to them.”
At the same time, Parker said, it’s important to listen to drivers, too. If a driver goes to management or a maintenance worker and says his or her vehicle is unsafe to drive and is told to drive it anyway, and a wheel separation occurs, that manager or
worker can be held accountable. To prevent wheel separations, VanderZwaag reiterated that proper
pre-trips are key.
He added if you’re not the driver,
but the owner of the business, or are in charge of maintenance, it’s important not to save money when it comes to buying wheel nuts.
“It’s all about the quality and characteristics of wheel nuts,” said VanderZwaag. “Buy a brand name, buy a nut that’s marked so you know the manufacturer, so if two months later something happens, you know who to reach out to.”
He also added to ensure that during an install, steps aren’t missed. “The number one problem with hub piloted wheels, when it comes to installation is they don’t lubricate. The manufacturers of hub piloted wheels have said from day one, lubricate the threads, lubricate the washer...this is the most overlooked step when I watch guys doing the install. If your guys are (not lubri- cating), you’re going to have prob- lems. It’s so simple,” VanderZwaag
concluded. TN
A thorough pre-trip inspection is crucial when it comes to wheel-off prevention, according to the experts that spoke at the TTA’s seminar on Apr. 19.
“When you’re inspecting your truck in the morning and its -20C and snowing, is the truck going to get as much of an inspection as when it’s 20C and sunny?” he asked. “Probably not.”
Last year, according to OPP sta- tistics, there were 74 wheel separa- tions in Ontario alone.
“Just like any other crime, I know there are more instances than those that are reported,” Parker added.
And this number is pretty steady, despite the hefty consequences that wheel-offs can bring, Parker said.
“Prevention starts with the driver,” he said. “It’s all there and it’s being missed and it’s being missed seasonally.”
Parker said that to prevent wheel separations in your own fleet, it is crucial to have an open communi- cation policy between drivers, staff, and management.
“Drivers need to know what state the equipment is in,” he said. “They need to know when the wheels were last off that trailer. Because we’ll ask them if there’s a wheel-off investi- gation. We’ll ask them when the last time there was a torque check done. So the drivers need to have
By Sonia Straface
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Wheel separations are 100% pre- ventable if a proper pre-trip inspec- tion is done.
That was the clear message from presenters during a special semi- nar hosted by the Toronto Truck- ing Association on Apr. 19, which covered the scary and deadly topic of wheel separations.
Robert Monster, vehicle standards engineer with the Ministry of Trans- portation, Sgt. Scott Parker of the Ontario Provincial Police, and Rolf VanderZwaag, manager of mainte- nance and technical issues at the Ontario Trucking Association, all took to the podium to discuss the issue of wheel-offs and what can be done to prevent them in the future.
The number one cause of wheel separations, explained Monster, is failed wheel fasteners.
“About 80-90% of wheel separa- tions are caused by the fasteners,” he said. “Bearings would be the next one, and having a cracked wheel – that’s very low. What sticks out is wheel fasteners and it’s probably the most preventable defect.”
Monster said if a proper pre-trip inspection is done by drivers, these dangerous fasteners would be caught before they come anywhere close to causing the wheel to separate.
“Wheels separations don’t occur instantly,” Parker stressed. “It takes time for a wheel to separate. All 10 fasteners don’t fail at the same time. So, I’m asking you, the industry, how is this happening?”
The answer to that, according to Monster and Parker, is sub-par pre- trip inspections during which driv- ers skip the tires and wheels entirely. This speculation holds water when you look at another trend that both Monster and Parker revealed.
“Most wheel-offs happen in the month of January and the winter months,” said Monster.
The likely reason for this, he explained, is drivers rush through the pre-trip in the frigid tempera- tures that come with the winter months.
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June 2017 • Truck News 19