Hamilton Waste & Recycling to fit Wheely-Safe wheel monitoring across fleet

East Lothian-based Hamilton Waste & Recycling is rolling out Wheely-Safe’s wheel monitoring system across its 35-strong truck fleet after first-hand experience of losing a wheel on one of its vehicles.

Following a successful trial on its mixed fleet, the recycling and waste management business aims to eliminate any risk of human-error by installing the system, following an incident a few years ago.

Keir Hamilton, director at Hamilton Waste & Recycling, said: “One of our trucks was hit by a loose wheel that had come off a vehicle travelling the opposite way. It came across the central carriageway of the Edinburgh City Bypass and hit our truck. The driver never returned to work, but it could have been even worse.

“That has always played on my mind, and I wanted to make sure our fleet had the very best technology to make sure a wheel never comes off one of our trucks. Operating in the waste sector, we need to be extra vigilant as the trucks are often working off-road on building sites with broken bricks, blocks, nails and other things that puncture and damage the tyres. That leads to the tyres being changed much more often than normal haulage fleets – meaning there is a higher chance of the wheel nuts coming loose if they are not torqued and retorqued correctly,” Hamilton explained.

Hamilton Waste & Recycling initially tested the system on the five different truck models it operates – including skip loaders, tippers and two tractor units. Having been impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the technology the business is now in the process of fitting it all 35 trucks with a pair of wheel loss brackets and sensors on each wheel which transmit an in-motion alert to a solar-powered receiver in the cab. The sensor monitors loose wheels as well as heat build-up and can quickly identify a temperature abnormality from the brakes or hub.

“It is really simple to install and very easy for the drivers to operate. Having this technology fitted improves the safety of our own trucks, limiting risk to our drivers, other road users and pedestrians,” added Hamilton.