An engineering company at the centre of a NZ Transport Agency safety alert issued over faulty truck drawbeams, drawbars and towbars is closing down.
Peter Wastney, owner of Nelson-based Peter Wastney Engineering Ltd, says the situation has forced him to make the decision.
“As a result of uncertainty about my future authority to certify I have decided to relinquish it and to retire.
“I have appreciated the wide support I have had since this incident from those in the industry that I have had dealings with.”
The NZ Transport Agency says all towing connections fitted by Peter Wastney Engineering must be assessed for a new certification by a heavy vehicle specialist certifier (HVSC).
The warning comes after several recent failures have been identified in both drawbeams and drawbars certified by the company.
NZTA says “independent reviews of those drawbeams and drawbars have identified that they were not adequately designed for the loads to which they had been certified”.
“The Transport Agency has investigated the failures of both drawbeams and drawbars and has enough reason to believe that the designs in general are significantly deficient to justify a reassessment to replace or re-certify.
“While the focus of this alert is primarily on towing connections, an inspection of all certifications (eg log bolsters, crane attachments, load anchors, chassis modifications, etc.) by Peter Wastney Engineering Ltd is also recommended in addition to the usual walk-around inspection,” the NZTA statement says.
The agency has been aware of the situation since late 2017 with the most recent failure reported in February 2018.
In August, a truck drawbeam certified by Peter Wastney Engineering failed allowing the trailer to part from the truck.
However, Wastney says it is not clear what caused the fault.
“Failure can be a function of design, material strength, and usage, and to my knowledge the cause or causes of this failure have not been established,” he says.
“Nevertheless, in September my authority to certify was suspended pending investigation.
“Last week, another trailer developed a serious crack in its drawbar. Despite having been in satisfactory service for some 13 years, I understand NZTA deemed that this was caused by design failure. Given the time in service, I believe this is unlikely.
“I have been issuing towing connection certificates for over thirty years and have been regularly audited by NZTA and my work has been found to be compliant,” Wastney says.
“There are no other similar designs to those that failed currently operating, and I am not aware of other such failures. I am confident there is no issue of public safety involved with my certifications, and there is no good reason why existing certificates should not continue to apply.
“However, as a matter of normal prudent operation all equipment should be monitored regularly for signs of failure, and if anything is found the operator must take appropriate steps to fix it, including presentation for re-certification.
“I am aware that every six months all heavy vehicles are required to have a thorough inspection at testing station to ensure continued roadworthiness,” Wastney says.
