GREENVILLE, S.C. — It’s every trucker’s worst nightmare – losing a wheel on a busy highway.

Michelin and the Tire Industry Association (TIA) have teamed up to produce a safety video aimed at helping fleets prevent wheel-off situations.

The 20-minute video entitled ‘Wheel End Safety’ is designed for maintenance personnel and drivers and is available as a free download at www.tireindustry.org and www.michelintruck.com.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to educate the tire and transportation industries, TIA is proud to partner with Michelin on this important fleet safety video,” said Roy Littlefield, TIA executive vice-president. “In addition to wheel-off and wheel-end fire prevention, ‘Wheel End Safety’ also addresses the dangers of welding on rims and includes dramatic footage that clearly demonstrates the risks to this dangerous practice. Our hope is that fleets will use this video to educate drivers, maintenance personnel and tire service providers on the steps they can take to make the highways safer for themselves and all motorists.”

The video contains dramatic footage of the impact a wheel-off incident can have on a passenger vehicle. The incident was filmed in a controlled environment at Michelin’s Laurens Proving Grounds in South Carolina.

 “This video dramatically demonstrates the importance of operating trucks and other commercial vehicles as safely as possible,” said Doug Jones, customer engineering support manager at Michelin North America. “By taking a few extra minutes to shore up wheel-end maintenance, fleet technicians can help minimize the number of dangerous wheel-off events.”