The Wheel on the Bus Didn’t go Round and Round – It Came Off! Driver Escapes with Written Warning.

The PSV driver was represented by Millicent Dooher, barrister, at the Driver Conduct Hearing after the wheel had come off the double decker school bus the driver was driving. Plainly in cases such as these some of the blame lay with others but the driver’s walkround is the last line of defence.

Owing to the driver’s subsequent training and determination to educate herself in wheel security, the Traffic Commissioner was persuaded to issue a written warning and not to take any further action on the driver’s vocational licence.

Remember when you walk around your vehicle you should be looking for:

i. signs of damage to nuts, studs etc
ii. cracked wheels, nuts, washers etc
iii. distorted rims
iv. elongation of stud holes
v. missing, broken or loose fixings/components
vi. signs of wheel looseness
vii. bright metal in the area of nut and washer seating
viii. rust that can be seen radiating out from the area of the nut and washer
ix. the position of wheel nut indicator devices (if fitted), which can indicate if wheel nuts have moved
x. blocked ventilation holes