Truck Accident

Medium/Heavy Truck Maintenance Problems

Based on its findings, the Safety Board concluded that compared to the 349,000 truck accidents that occur annually, the incidence of wheel separations is small, about 750 to 1,050 per year. From the data accumulated, the Safety Board identified the following maintenance problems:

· Inadequate inspection guidelines, including frequency and procedures for the proper inspection of wheel fasteners and lubrication of bearings.
· Lack of uniform maintenance guidelines among manufacturers.
· Failure by carriers and mechanics to adhere to recommended maintenance guidelines published by wheel manufacturers.

As a result of this special investigation, the Safety Board made recommendations to the Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Trucking Associations, the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers' Association of the United States, Inc., the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association.

RECOMMENDATIONS

As a result of this special investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board made the following recommendations:

to the American Trucking Associations in cooperation with the National Wheel & Rim Association, the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association of the United States, Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association, and the Society of Automotive Engineers:

Develop and disseminate model guidelines for the inspection and maintenance of all types of medium/heavy truck wheels. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-92-98)

Develop uniform recommended practices that specify how often truck wheel bearings should be examined. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-92-99)

Promote an educational program on proper wheel tightening procedures through carriers, manufacturers, and government. (Class II, Priority Action) (H -92-100)

Encourage manufacturers to provide a label on trucks that indicates the recommended torque for wheel fasteners, proper tightening sequence, and recommended frequency for retorquing fasteners. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-92-101)

to the Federal Highway Administration, in cooperation with the American Trucking Associations, the National Wheel & Rim Association, the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association of the United States, Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association, and the Society of Automotive Engineers:

Support the development of an educational program on proper wheel tightening procedures by the carriers and manufacturers. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-92-102) to the Department of Transportation:

Encourage the States to separate wheel defects from tire defects in future accident data collection efforts. (Class II, Priority Action) (H-92-103)