In all my time driving I have NEVER once, I repeat, never once seen a driver check his trailer wheelnuts. It only takes a minute. Be warned, I have found several loose wheelnuts. Not working for cowboy firms either. TNT springs to mind. They literally undid in my hand.
that because most companies use wheel nut markers and usually the dispach office wont have a tourque wrench let alone a wheelbrace in the cab there also many drivers may consider it not there job which it is really
alix776:
that because most companies use wheel nut markers and usually the dispach office wont have a tourque wrench let alone a wheelbrace in the cab there also many drivers may consider it not there job which it is really
I wouldn’t say ‘most’ companies have wheelmarkers. I’ve read articles about this. Even with wheelmarkers there is no guarantee they’re tight. you may not necessarily spot a loose wheelnut with markers anyway. Drivers get so used to casting a quick eye over the markers, and 99.99% of the time having tight wheelnuts, that one could easily be missed. A physical check will prevent you going out of the yard with loose wheelnuts.
It seems that the driver is under so much responsibility nowadays with so many regulations to adhere to. If a wheel comes off, the driver is at fault. Not the garage, office or shunters fault.
eazydriver, I am sorry that you have never once seen a driver checking the wheelnuts of the trailer. I guess we haven’t met than before.
But yes, you are perfectly right. There are many people not checking the trailer or units proper. It is frightening sometimes to watch drivers coming to the yard and driving (reversing) straight into the trailers without checking the highth or at least making sure that the trailer’s handbrake is engaged.
Checking the lights or the wheelnuts, yes, you are right; I never seen anybody doing it. Very worrying thought indeed.
Anyway, follow this link: vosa.gov.uk/vosa/newsevents/ … esults.htm
It may contain quite interesting reading for anybody on this forum. Take care
Thats exactly the stuff I’m talking about. I have once or twice when I’ve been in a rush failed to check wheelnuts on trailers. I always have to stop and check though. If im in the ignorance of knowing my wheelnuts condition then it is on the back of my mind. I’m thinking “What if a couple are loose?” Its better to be safe than sorry. If a wheel did come off due to my impatient negligence and killed somebody then it would be too late. It only adds about 1 minute to your shift. That is a worthy investment to keep yourself out of prison and not to have the guilt of causing a death with you forever.
I check them everyday and always have done 
Ever since one of our drivers accepted the word of the staff driver who handed him the keys with the words “I’ve done your checks mate” and eventually found himself following one of the trailer wheels down the road we’ve told all drivers that they should check everything, themselves. Some clients (inculding the one who had the lucky escape) provide a torque wrench, most don’t. Many don’t even allow time for the inspection before they start pushing the driver to “get yourself away”
I also tell drivers to inspect the wagon and trailer for any damage that may be blamed on them at the end of the shift - mobile phones with cameras are very handy in that respect.
We are not allowed to use a torque wrench something to do with health and saety and inappropriate training… 
.
I jest ye not.
well if you are not allowed to use a tool designed to eliviate and help secure a wheel correctly to the vehiclewith the drivers health also in mind,Then you will just have to use the tried and tested method of a Wheel-brace,and a 6ft(2M) pipe,which will do the job just as good but, will possible injury your back if operated wrongly,
I read somewhere that some big tyre company recommends that you don’t use the long bar to check the nuts and i can see there point
Because, most people use a bar and just tweak the nuts a little, so they move slightly, then the next guy comes along and tweaks it a little more and so on,
Then this could lead to sudden wheel loss as what has happened is each time the tweak happens it is being tightened and tightened, until the wheel stud snaps because it has become stretched,
The best way is a visual check and maybe a tap with a small hammer you will hear if one is loose,
Torque wrenches do the same thing as people bounce on them and get the nut to move a little, anyway the only way to properly torque a nut up is to actually undo it first then tighten it back up
Discopete:
The best way is a visual check and maybe a tap with a small hammer you will hear if one is loose,
Yes, Discopete. Very well described from you, indeed. One could take anything made from steel to tap the nuts or simply, as quoted, give it a good visual check.
Discopete:
Torque wrenches do the same thing as people bounce on them and get the nut to move a little, anyway the only way to properly torque a nut up is to actually undo it first then tighten it back up:)
Here talks a true mechanic or somebody with a good engineering background. Of course, the way you described is the only proper way to torque a nut.
the reply about tyre firms not recommending the use of a steel pipe may be correct but,when I am stuck on the road where tyre service is not a well known word,then my trusty pipe is what I use,and have not lost a wheel yet,
The modern service which we have on hand when the Employer allows is all well and good but not every firm will allow their drivers to use them due to
costs,
brit pete:
the reply about tyre firms not recommending the use of a steel pipe may be correct but,when I am stuck on the road where tyre service is not a well known word,then my trusty pipe is what I use,and have not lost a wheel yet,
The modern service which we have on hand when the Employer allows is all well and good but not every firm will allow their drivers to use them due to
costs,
BritPete, sorry man but the actual thread is about ‘checking wheelnuts’ and not fixing a flat. All we have said is that checking the wheelnuts everytime with a pipe is no good. Of course it is okay to use a pipe under certain circumstances and of course you will not lose a wheel when replacing a flat tyre, making sure the new wheel sits tight by using your trusted pipe. I think we all agree on this. What we donot agree on is that one checks the wheelnuts every single day with the help of a pipe. Surely and finally, we certainly do not need the services of Roadside assistance to perform our daily checks? I think it is clearly in our and our employers interest to perform certain daily checks ourselves.
I read an article a few months ago about a firm that were suffering a bout of studs shearing, despite the drivers ‘torqueing’ the nuts on a weekly basis.
Consultant goes along to visit aggrieved company and, after discussion, asks one of the drivers to demonstrate how he carries out his weekly checks.
Out comes the torque wrench which is affixed to each and every nut in sequence but after the initial ‘crack’ the driver gives each another ‘shove’. His explanation, “One for luck”.
Consultant then pulls out his own ‘gizmo’ which, I presume is simply a torque wrench for left handed threads 
and checks the loading on the studs.
I can’t remember the actual figures but…they were way beyond the design characteristics of the materials.
Hence the sheared studs. 
If I can find the article then I will post the figures.
And although VOSA take the attitude that a correctly maintained vehicle will not ‘shed’ a stud, one evening, twilight, driving for a firm who wouldn’t let an untrained person anywhere near a torgue wrench, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something yellow just behind the cab window. At first I thought it was a bird of some description, but then concluded that it was too dark for it to be a bird to be so close to a vehicle, certainly not a bird of the more colourful species. So, with a Truckstop just down the road, I pulled in. Stud sheared on the F/O/S wheel and what I had seen was the yellow pointer. It must have dropped off, hit the road, and then bounced up spinning. Where it went from there, I’ve no idea. I pity the opposing traffic.
There are also occasions when ‘wheel loss’ is beyond the remit of the driver. One day, on a night run, with a recently serviced trailer, driver arrives at destination only to find that his tri-axle trailer is running on FIVE wheels. Not only was the wheel missing but also the hub. Some farmer got a bonus that day when he found a ‘present’ awaiting him in his field.
brit pete:
well if you are not allowed to use a tool designed to eliviate and help secure a wheel correctly to the vehiclewith the drivers health also in mind,Then you will just have to use the tried and tested method of a Wheel-brace,and a 6ft(2M) pipe,which will do the job just as good but, will possible injury your back if operated wrongly,
And that’s why we have people called tyre fitters to use the tools for their job.
Yes i do look at the wheel nuts,and if i’m not happy i’ll get the fitters called in.If you do tighten the nut’s yourself and you tighten them too much that you can’t get them off when required,it makes the fitters job alot harder and could end up costing you or your firm more money than needed.So if you think your nuts are slack call out the guy’s that do the job for a living.Because if the wheel did happen to come off after you tighten them who gets the flack 
i’ve yet to see a tyre fitter anywhere use a torque wrench! they’ll all tigten up with the gun and then give you a nice disclaimer warning that you must check the wheel after x amount of k’s covered and anything other than brand new whell rims WILL want tightening again.
always wonderd about torque settings, when you tighten the nut you actually stretch the the stud, the torque setting is there so you dont over stretch it but if the the studs have aready been over tightened previously surely that torque setting is no good?
All this advice is all well and good but how long do you think it would take you to do all your checks as required by law? We did this on a job as a work to rule not taking the ■■■■ just as the law requires and it was 45mins+ to PROPERLY check a unit and trailer. On a great many jobs you will find yourself very quickly in conflict with the management. But if a problem occurs due to not doing your checks properly guess whose arse is in a sling?
always put a bit of oil on the threads
this keeps them tight
hitch:
always put a bit of oil on the threads
this keeps them tight
How ironic. Shurley shome mishtake?!?!?!
hitch:
always put a bit of oil on the threads
this keeps them tight
first April was already