Call for moves to regulate ‘sub-standard’ wheels
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chris.tindall@rbi.co.uk AN ABSENCE OF regulations over sub-standard wheels entering the haulage industry will lead to a “catastrophic” incident unless the government reviews the law, according to one campaigner.
John Ellis, MD at Motor Wheel Services (MWS), says he has become so concerned about the lack of regulations governing wheels that he is now gathering support to force the government to amend legislation.
Ellis met transport minister Mike Penning in November last year to discuss his concerns, and request that statistics be gathered to show how many road accidents are caused by faults on CV wheels. His company is also unhappy with a review by the Department for Transport (DfT), which claims sub-standard wheels “are not a signiicant factor in injury accidents” .
“There are plenty of laws for tyres, but there isn’t one for wheels,” says Ellis.
“The fact that there is a possibility of a problem with wheels could be catastrophic. All we have is legislation to prosecute for manslaughter after an event.
“HGV drivers believe that tyre companies have far more responsibility for the wheel than they actually have. It’s the director of a company who is ultimately responsible.” An MWS spokesman adds that the DfT’s review has “completely missed the point”; MWS is now gathering stakeholders to provide evidence of the problem. It is also lobbying the European Parliament.
A DfT spokeswoman says: “We have completed a review of the data we hold on accidents, failures and defects involving CV wheels, which indicated that defective or replacement wheels are not a signiicant factor in injury accidents.
“We will keep the situation under review and have written to MWS to inform them of the outcome of this work.”