Brochure

Loose wheel nuts cause
more than loose wheels
Loose wheel nuts on heavy vehicles is a costly, dangerous
and unsolved problem. Fortunately, a solution to loose wheel
nuts is available.
A widespread and dangerous problem
You might be surprised how often wheels fall off heavy
vehicles. In the United Kingdom alone, there are up to 400
wheel detachments from trucks every year. Of those there
are, on average, 134 accidents involving vehicle/property
damage, 27 injury accidents and up to seven fatalities. So
states a 2006 report commissioned by the United Kingdom
Department of Transport entitled Heavy Vehicle Wheel
Detachment. In the United States of America, the National
Transportation Safety Board states that wheel detachments
occur at an estimated rate of 1,000 per year – almost three a
day – resulting in about 20 reported accidents per week. In
other countries, wheel loss occurs at a comparable rate.
Available statistics for off-road vehicles tell a similar story.
According to a 2008 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report
entitled Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2,053 workers
died in vehicle-related crashes and transportation incidents.
According to their earlier reports, wheels and tyre rims
caused fatalities to 85 workers from 1992 to 2002, an
average of 8.5 such fatalities per year over that period.
Wheel detachment is one of the possible causes of such
accidents. Loosening wheel nuts is the main reason for
wheel detachment.
Accidents related to loose wheel nuts can easily be
avoided with the Nord-Lock wheel nut.
The consequences of loose wheel nuts
Risk of accidents, personal injury and property damage due to
dislodged wheels is not the only consequence of loose wheel
nuts. Other costly aspects are:
• Jeopardised productivity and delivery efficiency due to
- Greater risk of unplanned stops
- Greater retightening demands
• Increased costs due to the effects of unbalanced wheels
- Higher fuel consumption
- Increased tyre wear
• Higher spare parts costs, due to increased wear of
wheel assembly
• Increased operational costs from damage repair and
possible fines or insurance claims
• Negative company publicity resulting from poor
safety record
The Nord-Lock wheel nut offers a complete and reliable
solution to wheel nut loosening.