Safety is a priority in the trucking industry. Trucking companies follow regulations created by federal agencies such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (both are part of the Department of Transportation). Both agencies strive to protect truck drivers and create safer roads through rules. These agencies, including the Department of Transportation, have recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that could create a new federal motor vehicle safety standard for Class 3 through 8 trucks. However, there has been a lively debate on the efficacy of this proposal.
The proposed rule requires Class 3 through 8 vehicles (over 10,000 pounds) to be equipped with an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system. This rulemaking was mandated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure law and echoed in the safety recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NHTSA purports the new rule could save over 150 lives and prevent over 20,000 crashes a year. Combined with a forward collision warning (FCW) system, the AEB provides additional power to prevent an accident.
While AEB systems have become a safety standard for passenger vehicles, requiring them for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles could have the opposite outcome. Russ Oswalt, VP of Transportation for DVC, believes the AEB system will not be effective in preventing an accident. For example, if a deer jumps out in front of a truck, the abrupt stopping could cause the trailer to slide which could hit vehicles behind the truck or in the other lane.
The proposed rule is expected to become final next year and is not retroactive. New vehicles must have an AEB system by model year 2027.
What do you think about the proposed rulemaking? Leave a comment below in the comment box.