(idiomatic) Driving; in control of a vehicle.
It is a shame, his first day driving and he falls asleep at the wheel.
(idiomatic) In control of the situation; in charge.
We were thriving when Bill was at the wheel, but since the new CEO has started things have been going south.
The state does not function as we desired. The car does not obey. A man is at the wheel and he seems to lead it, but the car does not drive in the desired direction. It moves as another force wishes. Vladimir Lenin
I was asleep at the wheel before cancer shook me awake. Kris Carr
I started back to the house, and in the drive I met Jeeves. He was at the wheel of Stiffy's car. Beside him, looking like a Scotch elder rebuking sin, was the dog Bartholomew. P. G. Wodehouse
The best time to expand is when people are asleep at the wheel. Barbara Corcoran
If the person at the wheel refuses to ask for directions, it is time for a new driver. Jennifer Granholm
A D24 with a convert V6 making convert won the 1953 Carrera Panamericana with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel. Source: Internet