Violation for Spinner Knob On Steering Wheel

Thx..needed a laugh.

 

I signed on a company once and got a truck that use to haved one of them sissy knobs on it. You are not driving a forklift. Anyways, there was a 1" gap in the wheel where the clamp destroyed the steering wheel. That would be considered destroying company property. Even though they are against the law, if you chose to put one on, you should be man enough to replace the steering wheel afterwards.

You ever blow a steer tire, you'll wish you didn't have one.

 

I didn't even like them on fork lifts. Yeah, they CAN be handy, but when you aren't used to them. . .OUCH.

 

I always heard it was against the law. Mainly from my trainer. I couldn't find anything on the DOT level. I did find an OSHA requirement that they are forbidden if the steering wheel is subject to sudden movement.
I did a search and it looks like it falls on many state and local levels. In TN I found a steering wheel can not be modified in any way. $250 fine

Also a steering wheel can't be less than 12". That would be fun.

Other names, brody knob, granny knob, suicide knob. They were mainly used in the older days before power steering. They are also used for disabled drivers with problems grabbing the wheel.

I just never liked them, even in my forklift days. To me it's an object in my way of a perfectly round steering wheel. I have read about an older driver that broke both thumbs when he blew a steer tire.

 

They are against the law on any vehicle in CA. I do like them on forklifts and other tractors, but not on highway vehicles.

Little story for ya:

A guy I know has a disease in his legs, not sure what it is. He can walk, but it is very slow and he needs a cane. It was determined by his doctor that he could not drive, as he could not react with the brakes if he had to. SO, he had a contraption made up and the judge or whomever needed to approve it, approved it. It was a stick, connected to both the go and brake pedal, which he held in his right hand. It had a twist handle for throttle application and you pushed in on the handle to apply the brakes. Pretty neat gadget considering his situation. Needless to say, one hand occupied the stick, he then got a steering knob approved for his special needs as well. Worked well for him.

A while back, he got pulled over for it, and the officer was trying to cite him for having it. The officer made him do about 30 minutes worth of walking and exercises to prove his handicapping. A little lame, I thought. You can easily tell by watching him stand up and take 3 steps that he is handicapped, no need to put him through extensive pain.

 

http://www.ehow.com/list_7540144_laws-regarding-spinner-knobs.html

Federal Jurisdiction

• Under federal jurisdiction, spinner knobs are regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The OSHA regulation is very similar to the Michigan regulation, in that spinner knobs are permitted on construction equipment only if the steering mechanism is designed to prevent the steering column from reacting with the road surface to cause the steering wheel to spin. As with the Michigan regulations, the knob must be mounted within the "periphery" of the steering wheel.
  There is no federal law limiting the use of spinner knobs on passenger vehicles.
  
  

Read more: Laws Regarding Spinner Knobs | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7540144_laws-regarding-spinner-knobs.html#ixzz1GJsnwZqC

read the whole article​

 

OK, the reason I wanted to have something more than just "I always heard," or "I think that is the way it is," etc is simple.

This is NOT the first time this has been discussed on this forum. I was one of the ones who said it was against the law. I was called on it, and so I decided to look it up. I checked under the FMCA, as well as under the State of California Vehicle Code. Guess what. I was not able to find ANYTHING on it. I stated at the time that I had neither the time, nor the desire to check every state's laws on this matter.

So I am glad to see something concrete on it.

I notice that even the article does not refer to a code or section number for the law, but at least it tells you where to look. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for

Thanks guys!

 

I'm hoping that if you did have a spinner knob on your steering wheel, it's because you're driving a long nose truck where it would actually come in handy. I've seen people with a short nose truck with a spinner knob on their steering wheel and frankly, that just makes me scratch my head. It's not like short nose trucks are difficult to turn or have a big turning radius...

 

Not like every vehicle since Christ was a corporal comes with power steering. Bucha supertruckers... all you need, in addition to the wheel knob, is mirrored shades, a leather vest, a ponytail, and those fingerless gloves.

In jest, of course, I don't care what you have on your wheel... I find that handling a steering wheel doesn't require me to need a handle. I DO laugh at supertruckers, though.