NHTSA Releases Electronic Stability Control Rule

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on June 3 released its long-awaited final rule on stability control, saying it will affect Classes 7-8 trucks in two years.

The rule mandates that trucks have electronic devices to activate braking automatically to lessen swerving and rollover.

The regulation also covers large buses.

“Electronic stability control, ESC, is a remarkable safety success story, a technology innovation that is already saving lives in passenger cars and light trucks,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in announcing the rule.

“Requiring ESC on heavy trucks and large buses will bring that safety innovation to the largest vehicles on our highways, increasing safety for drivers and passengers of these vehicles and for all road users.”

American Trucking Associations backed the new rule.

“Ensuring the safety of America’s highways has always been ATA’s highest calling,” said ATA President Bill Graves. “We’ve long known the positive role technology can play in making our vehicles and our roads safer. Today’s announcement by NHTSA will reduce crashes on our highways and make our industry safer.”

The National Transportation Safety Board recommended such a rule in 2011, and MAP-21, the federal highway law from 2012, ordered NHTSA, a part of the Transportation Department, to develop an ESC truck rule.

The 208-page federal rule said trucks with devices will have to pass a J-turn test in order to comply.