Transport Minister Mike Penning agrees to second hand HGV wheel investigation

Transport Minister Mike Penning has agreed to investigate claims that many second hand HGV wheels entering the market are not fit for purpose and could result in a "catastrophic" accident.

In a second Westminster debate on the subject last week (29 November) Penning said he would look into failure rates if the trade associations provide the evidence.

This is a climbdown from Penning, who had previously refused to carry out a study into wheel safety back in March after arguing that records showed the failure rate was very small.

MP Paul Goggins, constituency MP for Manchester-based Motor Wheels Services, which has raised concerns, told the minister that part of the problem is that evidence for wheel failure rates in accidents is not being gathered:"[I] can only imagine the damage that would be caused by a 45-tonne truck travelling at 55 mph should there be a major tyre blow-out," he said.

"It could cause a catastrophe, which is why we have a stringent system for checking and monitoring the tyres on all vehicles - cars as well as HGVs. Catastrophic wheel failure would produce exactly the same impact as a tyre blow-out, yet the government seems unmoved by the concerns being raised by me and the industry."

Penning responded: "I hope that the trade associations will do what they said they will do - that they will get the submissions together and come as a united body to present their evidence. That will allow me to go away and ask why we have certain failure rates coming from all the different expert bodies."

An MWS spokesman says it is "delighted with the outcome" and that meetings with the Freight Transport Association and Road Haulage Association are being scheduled to discuss the matter further.