Tyre and wheel security records. Every tyre, every wheel nut.

Tyres and wheels cause some of the worst days an operator can have. A steer tyre past its age limit is a dangerous defect. A wheel that comes off is a story nobody wants told at a public inquiry. Both are usually down to something small that was never written down: a date code nobody read, or a re-torque that was meant to happen after lunch.

What the rules say

Since 1 February 2021, the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 have made it an offence to use a tyre more than ten years old on the front steered axle of a bus or coach, or on any single wheel of a minibus. Age is taken from the week and year code on the sidewall, and for a retread from the date of retreading. The date code must also be legible on every tyre of a bus or minibus. There is an exemption for vehicles of historical interest that are not used commercially. The Department for Transport’s guidance on tyre age restrictions treats an over-age tyre in a restricted position as a dangerous defect, so expect a prohibition at the roadside or a fail at the annual test.

DVSA’s Guide to maintaining roadworthiness goes further than the legal minimum. It asks operators to track tyre age across the fleet, to note on the inspection a tyre that has reached nine years, and to record as a defect any tyre over ten that cannot legally be used. Where an older tyre is used lawfully in another position, its age should be recorded with a risk assessment. Tread depths and pressures go on the inspection report, under-inflation is investigated and the fix noted, and tread is measured with an accurate gauge.

On wheels, the guide says that after a road wheel is removed and refitted, the wheel nut torque should be checked again once the vehicle has stood for 30 minutes or covered 40 to 80 km (25 to 50 miles). Every re-torque check is recorded and kept on file, and manufacturers’ refitting procedures are followed.

What an examiner looks for

Wheel and tyre management is question 8 in DVSA’s maintenance investigation questions. For wheels, the examiner wants daily in-service monitoring of wheel security and correct fitting and torquing procedures. Falsified wheel security records, or a wheel-off with no effective system behind it, go to the Traffic Commissioner. For tyres, the system should cover tyre age, pressures, damage and wear, driver training, and tread depths measured with a calibrated gauge. Falsified tyre records, or a date code deliberately altered or removed, also go to the Traffic Commissioner. Under question 4, re-torque records are among the supporting documents an examiner expects to see. The rule itself is explained in our guide to tyre age rules for buses and coaches.

The tyre register

PSVault keeps a tyre register for each vehicle by wheel position. Each position shows the tyre fitted, its date code, and its tread readings over time, so you can see a tyre wearing down rather than a single number from the last inspection. Tyre fitting records sit alongside it.

Date codes and the ten-year rule

Date codes are recorded and checked against the ten-year rule for front steered axles. A tyre over ten years old on a steer position is picked up on the safety inspection sheet before it can be signed, alongside the other examiner-style checks.

A warning level you set

The fleet sets its own warning tread level. When a tread reading, taken at an inspection or on its own, comes in at or below it, that tyre and its wheel position go onto the next walkaround as a directed check. The driver is asked about that tyre by position, and the fleet can ask for a tread reading or a photo. If the driver marks OK on a tyre PSVault knows is below the legal limit, it says so and asks them to look again.

Pressures before inflation

At inspection, pressures are recorded before the tyre is pumped up. A low pressure is recorded as a defect. That is the evidence that under-inflation was found and dealt with, rather than hidden by the airline.

Wheel torque and re-torque

The wheel torque record shows a visual wheel diagram for the vehicle, spare wheels included, so it is clear which wheel was touched. The technician records the torque figures when the wheel is refitted. The re-torque check is then recorded and signed as its own stage, so you can see who torqued the wheel, who re-checked it and when. Re-torque timing follows your own fleet policy.

If a wheel is removed at a safety inspection and no re-torque is booked, the sheet flags it before anyone signs. The re-torque is not left to memory.

How it feeds the self-check

The maintenance investigation self-check fills in what PSVault holds on re-torques and tyre management for question 8, and suggests an answer with the reason. The office confirms or changes it and signs. Anything weak becomes an action with an owner, a due date and a status, and it stays on the dashboard until it is closed.