When it comes to best practices for routine wheel end inspections, the same rules apply across vehicle classes and truck sizes. However, while these pre-trip and post-trip inspections may seem simple and straightforward, they are often overlooked. These inspections are important because they’re not just a recommendation—they’re the law. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations require these pre- and post-trip inspections.
Furthermore, they’re essential for ensuring driver safety and peak performance for the vehicles in your fleet. By prioritizing these inspections, fleets can help prevent costly repairs, legal issues, and downtime—ultimately protecting their drivers and their bottom line.
A SIMPLE PROCESS
Pre- and post-trip inspections are nothing complicated since they’re mostly visual. It’s mainly taking a simple walk around to make observations and verifying the following:
- Do I see any oil leaks?
- Do I see any signs of heat?
- Do my tail lights and turn signals work?
- Do I see anything under the truck that’s a cause for concern?
- Is anything dragging or rattling?
- Do I smell anything off?
By making this a routine before and after hitting the road, you can avoid many of these problems before they happen, and, for the most part, this will save fleets and businesses some large expenses and protect them from potential legal issues.
PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
Preventative measures like inspections and routine maintenance checklists are healthy practices for your fleet to implement, but what about when things go wrong? When it comes to wheel end inspections, what should drivers or techs be looking for?
Here are three of the most common wheel end problems (and their solutions) to look out for when completing your pre- and post-trip inspections.
Leaking Wheel Seals: If a wheel or hub seal is leaking, the good news is you can spot it through a simple walkaround inspection. Look for any signs of oil or grease on the outboard or wheel end side, or under the vehicle where the brakes are visible. No matter the size or class of your truck, you can detect the issue the same way. Catching it early is important. Down the road, a leaking wheel seal affects your brakes, rendering them ineffective if the brake pads are soaked with oil.
Solution: Regular inspections or catching the issue early is key. The sooner you address a leaking or failing seal, the better. Daily walkarounds will help you stay on top of these kinds of issues and save your fleet time and money.
Excessive Heat Generation: Another common problem found at the wheel end is excessive heat generation. Sadly, this can lead to serious damage if not addressed properly. While the underlying causes can vary, from improper installation to insufficient lubrication, the problem itself can be avoided with due diligence.
The simplest test you can do is to lay your hand on the back of the hub and feel for excessive heat. You should be able to lay your hand on the hub without burning yourself. The emphasis here is placing your hand on the outer hub. Do not attempt to touch the brake drum or rotor, as temperatures can exceed 400-600 degrees.
If you can’t lay your hand on the hub or if you have a bearing that’s getting too hot, you’ve got a problem. Normal operating temperatures for a wheel end is about 50-80 degrees above ambient temperatures. For example, on a 100-degree day, you’re looking for about 150-180 degrees at the hub.
Solution: Countering this issue is all about daily inspection and properly monitoring your wheel end temperature. Another simple step to help you is to purchase an infrared thermal heat gun. Nowadays, these are relatively inexpensive, and some people prefer having a simple point-and-shoot method of checking temperatures around their vehicle. Either way, the same principle applies: consistency is key.
Tire Pressure Issues: This is the most common issue and the most controllable expense for fleets. With time and wear, tires bleed air pressure through their porous sidewalls. That’s why, for many, the changing of seasons is a good indicator to check tire pressures.
Temperature changes have a direct effect on tire pressure levels. The higher your tire pressure is, the most change you’ll see when temperatures rise or fall. Typically, when tire pressure is 30-50 psi, you can expect to lose or gain about 1 psi for every 10-degree change. When tire pressure is 50-100 psi, around 2 psi is lost or gained with every 10-degree shift. Once tires are over 100 psi, about 3 psi is lost or gained.
In the Midwest, where temperatures significantly shift over the course of a year, tire pressure becomes a real issue for drivers and fleets. You may not be able to control the price of fuel, but controlling your air pressure can be beneficial and key to increased fuel economy and maximum tire life. These are two expensive components in fleet spending, which is why maintaining proper tire pressure should be a priority.
Solution: Keep your eye on tire pressure levels during your daily inspections and pay close attention to your tire monitoring systems within your vehicles. If you’re getting any warnings or indications that your pressures are off, act swiftly. Any temporary inconvenience of having to stop and add air (or nitrogen) to your tires will far outweigh the damages and downtime caused by neglecting an important step in your routine wheel end inspections.
TRAINING & RESOURCES
STEMCO keeps safety at the forefront of everything done, and safety is what motivates the company to engineer reliable, trustworthy products. In the commitment to “Making the Roadways Safer,” one way STEMCO helps fleet maintenance managers is by providing training and education in healthy maintenance practices. While the listed problems are the most common wheel ends issues seen, STEMCO provides expert guidance and quality products to address every challenge to serve customers and ensure safety for everyone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
This information was gathered from STEMCO, a recognized quality supplier, manufacturer, and distributor in the heavy-duty truck industry. For more information, visit www.stemco.com.
