Truck wheel separation can create deadly projectiles on the highway. These incidents happen unpredictably, giving drivers a split second to react. Separated truck tires are heavy objects that travel rapidly, creating high-energy collisions that can cause serious injuries to people behind the wheel. The consequences of wheel separation are serious, so fleets must ensure proper wheel retorquing for their trucks and trailers.
Preventive maintenance is the best way to prevent wheel-off incidents. Fleets that install new wheels on trucks and trailers must perform wheel retorquing after the newly attached wheel travels a predetermined distance. Managing wheel retorquing for an entire fleet of trucks and trailers can become extremely complex and time consuming.
Carriers with fleet management solutions can digitize wheel retorquing workflows for drivers, fleet managers, and maintenance workers, simplifying and optimizing the process for everyone involved.
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How Does Smart Wheel Retorquing Work?
Managing wheel retorquing and compliance with digital systems connects everyone involved into a seamless workflow. Each step of the process can be tracked with the help of an in-cab solution that supports clear communication between drivers, fleet managers, and maintenance, including third-party shops.
After a wheel has been removed and reinstalled on a truck or a trailer, the mechanic or person in charge can create a retorque work order through the ISAAC web portal. This is similar to using tags and attaching them to gladhands on a trailer, or inside the cab on the steering wheel or a brake button. Using an online portal to create this type of maintenance task removes the risk of losing or misplacing tags.
Drivers can receive smart wheel retorque notifications from their in-cab solution, pointing to specific wheels on the tractor or trailer. Mechanics and maintenance managers can set a retorque reminder for the appropriate distance determined by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), for example, between 50 km/30 miles and 160 km/100 miles.
The ISAAC in-cab tablet will remind drivers that they must stop to complete a retorque. This notification provides clear information without distracting the driver.
After the truck stops at a maintenance shop and the wheel has been retorqued, the driver can use the ISAAC tablet to quickly fill out a form. The system is automatically updated with the latest retorque information, providing visibility to fleet managers on the retorquing activities completed.
This process ensures that drivers complete the retorquing process consistently while fleet managers track the progress of all required retorques across the fleet. Instead of filling out paperwork and using physical tags for retorquing, the driver taps the tablet screen a few times to fill in a form that keeps the home office updated.
Optimized Fleetwide Wheel Retorquing
Fleet management tools also help to simplify and optimize wheel retorquing management in the office. When retorque work orders are created on the ISAAC InRealTime portal, the person in charge of managing them can filter the information as needed. The information tracked in the system includes:
- Work order status (completed or not)
- Wheel to be retorqued
- Dates of the work order
- Amount of torque to be applied
Regular updates are provided for how many kilometers or miles that trucks or trailers travel with the active retorque task assigned. Fleet managers and maintenance departments can see the total distance traveled before the retorque happened, when it was completed, and who performed the task.
Digital retorquing management gives maintenance and fleet managers a transparent view into wheel retorquing across the entire fleet. The office also benefits from staying connected with updated data for trucks and trailers.
Connect Drivers and Dispatchers with Real-Time Data
Connecting fleet departments with real-time data helps to reduce the administrative workload for drivers and dispatchers. This saves time, increases efficiency, and lowers the risk of human error. Dispatchers also receive fewer calls for support because drivers have the information they need—including details about wheel retorquing.
Find out more about the benefits of smart compliance technology that boosts overall fleet efficiency.
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About the author
Sylvain Binette
Sylvain Binette is a technical trainer at ISAAC, and is responsible for providing clients with the information and tools required to use the solution to its full potential. Sylvain has over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry, first as a driver and then a driver trainer for 20 years. His great passion is boating; he spends the summer out on the water to enjoy the good weather.
