Beathard then answered his own question by splitting the difference: "Unfortunately," he said, "it can often depend on the DOT inspector," as some are too quick to interpret lube on the seal as a violation of 49 CFR 396.5(b), indicating a leak. From Beathard's point of view, though, a moist or damp seal is OK, given most engineers prefer a seal to be lubricated before being seated. "It's when you have dripping or about-to-be-dripping [lube] that you have issues," and a true violation, Beathard said.

If you aren't subscribed to the Overdrive daily newsletter, this week you've missed a variety of republished stories aimed at offering insight relative to the increased inspection likelihood that Roadcheck represents. Below find links to those and other stories for further reading.

While you've got that cap off, check that the vent isn't clogged. Beathard recommended using a paper clip or something else to clear it of debris if needed -- something that is at or less than the diameter of the vent so as not to damage it by inadvertently enlarging it.

An online-tutorial-style version of Bethard's MATS presentation is available at the RevHD website, and you can also catch a video of the presentation itself at the MATS website and on the MATS Youtube channel -- in it, he identified some of most-common reasons for wheel-seal failure. Quite literally a hundred different things can make a wheel seal leak, he said, as “the seal is the weakest link in the chain” that is the wheel end. Engineers designed them that way, so that the seal fails before the other components, essentially, offering opportunities for owners to correct issues before catastrophe occurs.

A variation on the theme comes from the temperature-sensing hubcap bolt, too, with a center pin that pops out when a problem temperature is reached. RevHD's caps come with one of these in every box, Beathard noted.

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Malion's company offers Hub Alert adhesive temperature-sensing indicators placed on a hub that change color when the hub has reached 245-250 degrees Fahrenheit, another way to keep tabs on possible wheel-end issues. The above black circle indicates a hub that has reached the problem temperature and needs further investigation.Regular readers will recall my story earlier this year about the LWS company's temperature- and pressure-sensing lugnut-installed sensors as well, which can deliver warnings to the operator in a high-heat or loose-lugnut event.

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WD Bearings Group, the global leader in customized and precision ball and roller bearings manufacturing, based in China and USA has displayed new premium cylindrical roller bearings, slewing ring bearings, premium ball bearings and Track Roller bearings products, as part of its continuous research and development program, which are revolutionary in design and application at Annual Hannover Messe, Hannover, Germany, one of the most prestigious Technology and Engineering Exhibition in the world. WD Bearing Group's premium cylindrical roller bearings are a quantum leap in design and application for vibrating motors, increasing impact load, crack resistance and reducing heat to a minimal level, because unlike electrical motors, Vibration motors rotate in high speed with heavy impact load, vibration and swing, which bring extremely high requirements of high impact load and crack resistance to the bearings, in addition to excellent heat resistance, as they work under high temperature with no cooling fans. WD Bearing Group's slewing ring bearings can support radial, axial and tilting moment loads acting either singly or in combination and in any direction. Therefore, it is possible to replace the combination arrangement of radial and axial bearings by a single bearing, which will measurably reduce the overall cost and simplify the design. Slewing rings are sealed on both sides, lubricated with high quality grease, can be re-lubricated via lubrication nipples and are particularly easy to install. The low cross section, heavy load capacity and integrated gear make these bearings ideal structure components. Slewing ring bearings are widely used in construction machinery, mining equipment and many other industrial products. WD Bearings Group's premium ball bearings include Deep Groove ball bearings which are designed for high precision, low noise, small vibration, high reliability and long life. They are mainly used in various types of electric motors. They are also known as EMQ (Electric Motor Quality) bearings. WD Bearings Group's track roller bearings include mast rollers and chain pulleys, and York type track rollers. They are essentially cylindrical roller or needle roller bearings which have a thick-walled outer surface.The pulleys are available with a flat runner surface or a crowned one, which can be designed according to customer's application. They can roll directly on the tray under heavy load and shock load. They are greased for life. Under normal operating conditions, they are maintenance-free, while they should be re-lubricated under severe working condition to prolong the working lifespan. Yoke type track rollers can support high radial loads and axial loads arising from misalignments and skewed running and are suitable for cam drives, slide ways, conveying equipment etc. The bearings are available with or without an inner ring as well as in open and sealed versions. Speaking about the new revolutionary ball and roller bearing designs exhibited at Hannover Messe, the spokesperson of WD Bearings Group observed "our latest designs are fruits of labor invested by our research and development team, equipped with state of the art laboratory, which includes World Class CNC Machines and Software like CAD, Solid works, ProE, Romax in tune with our company's philosophy, quality creates value". To know more about the latest products manufactured by WD Bearings Group, please visit the company website www.wd-bearing.com.

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As a fairly simple check for No. 4, Andy Malion, president of wheel-end-safety company Spectra Products, offered up the simple bearing fluid oil/grease check. "Pull the rubber cap off the front of the hub cap and stick your finger a little into the oil," he said. "Pull it out check for any metal particles that could be a sign of metal flaking," and bearings out of adjustment, No. 2 in Beathard's list above. "Also smell the oil -- it should not smell burnt at all, and should be clean and filled to correct level," visible through the view window on the front of the hub.

RevHD offers a special program, too, if you're using its wheel seals. Watch that online tutorial I mentioned above and take a brief quiz at the end -- get at least an 85 out of 100 and the company will warrant your brakes, too, in the event of a wheel seal failure.

Last year, inspectors around the nation wrote upward of 94,000 396.5(b) violations, close to 3% of all vehicle-related violations recorded. Not all were for leaky wheel seals, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has routinely emphasized hub and seal leaks as among the very most common of all maintenance-related violations.

Get Roadcheck-ready:**Preventing dramatic wheel-off incidents like this one could get a lot easier**An assist for avoiding brake-adjustment violations**Inside the 20% rule for out-of-service brake adjustment violations**The states where brakes, vehicle enforcement is most intense**Proper wheel end play the difference between bearing life and loose wheels**Stay ahead of the inspectors: Maintenance topics in Overdrive **Roadcheck prep: Invest in inspections now, save money, hassle later

Manufacturer of standard and custom bearings. Cylindrical, needle, taper, track roller, combined, cam following, deep groove, angular contact, linear, self-aligning, slewing ring, spherical plain, thrust and rotary table bearings are offered. Available in metric and imperial sizes. Suitable for household appliance, toy, measuring instrument, office machinery, industrial automation control, machine tool, electric power tool, car motor and gearbox applications.

Malion noted "at a minimum you should check" bearing adjustment "at regular PM schedules to be safe, and anytime the ABS light comes on," also recommended in my colleague Jason Cannon's story on proper wheel end play. Find that story via this link. "An ABS light could indicate that the wheel end is overheating or a wheel is loose and should be checked, Malion added. "Wheel bearings that are out of adjustment can lead to diminished brake performance and brake imbalance, which in turn could create other problems."

In the end, whether or not you're utilizing these kinds of products, a leaky seal is likely to be a first indicator of wheel-end problems. "These early warning signs must be addressed early," Malion noted, "or you could end up losing a wheel while driving or potentially a wheel-end fire, either way a very costly issue that could have been prevented with a proper inspection program."

WD Bearings Group, the global leader in customized and precision ball and roller bearings manufacturing, based in China and USA has displayed new premium cylindrical roller bearings, slewing ring bearings, premium ball bearings and Track Roller bearings products, as part of its continuous research and development program, which are revolutionary in design and application at Annual Hannover Messe, Hannover, Germany, one of the most prestigious Technology and Engineering Exhibition in the world. WD Bearing Group's premium cylindrical roller bearings are a quantum leap in design and application for vibrating motors, increasing impact load, crack resistance and reducing heat to a minimal level, because unlike electrical motors, Vibration motors rotate in high speed with heavy impact load, vibration and swing, which bring extremely high requirements of high impact load and crack resistance to the bearings, in addition to excellent heat resistance, as they work under high temperature with no cooling fans. WD Bearing Group's slewing ring bearings can support radial, axial and tilting moment loads acting either singly or in combination and in any direction. Therefore, it is possible to replace the combination arrangement of radial and axial bearings by a single bearing, which will measurably reduce the overall cost and simplify the design. Slewing rings are sealed on both sides, lubricated with high quality grease, can be re-lubricated via lubrication nipples and are particularly easy to install. The low cross section, heavy load capacity and integrated gear make these bearings ideal structure components. Slewing ring bearings are widely used in construction machinery, mining equipment and many other industrial products. WD Bearings Group's premium ball bearings include Deep Groove ball bearings which are designed for high precision, low noise, small vibration, high reliability and long life. They are mainly used in various types of electric motors. They are also known as EMQ (Electric Motor Quality) bearings. WD Bearings Group's track roller bearings include mast rollers and chain pulleys, and York type track rollers. They are essentially cylindrical roller or needle roller bearings which have a thick-walled outer surface.The pulleys are available with a flat runner surface or a crowned one, which can be designed according to customer's application. They can roll directly on the tray under heavy load and shock load. They are greased for life. Under normal operating conditions, they are maintenance-free, while they should be re-lubricated under severe working condition to prolong the working lifespan.Yoke type track rollers can support high radial loads and axial loads arising from misalignments and skewed running and are suitable for cam drives, slide ways, conveying equipment etc. The bearings are available with or without an inner ring as well as in open and sealed versions. Speaking about the new revolutionary ball and roller bearing designs exhibited at Hannover Messe, the spokesperson of WD Bearings Group observed "our latest designs are fruits of labor invested by our research and development team, equipped with state of the art laboratory, which includes World Class CNC Machines and Software like CAD, Solid works, ProE, Romax in tune with our company's philosophy, quality creates value".

At the Mid-America Trucking Show back in March, I sat in on Wheel End Specialist Brian Beathard's wheel-end training session, meant for both maintenance pros as well as any truck owner with an interest in more fully understanding the inner workings of their equipment -- I'd say that describes any of you reading this, of course, which is good timing ahead of a Roadcheck blitz set to focus on wheel ends.

During the presentation, Beathard, with wheel-seal/wheel-end-components manufacturer RevHD, asked a version of this question: True or false: A moist or damp seal is OK?

Headed into the annual Roadcheck inspections event -- scheduled for May 17-19, or Tuesday-Thursday next week -- a plurality of owner-operators responding to our preparations poll this week noted a time-honored approach to getting ready for an increased chance of inspection, as you can see here.