From AAIA Capital Report
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a proposed rulemaking on May 23 that would require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on heavy-duty vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds. According to the DOT, requiring ESC systems on tractor trailers and large buses would prevent 40 percent to 56 percent of untripped rollover crashes and 14 percent of loss-of-control crashes. In total, NHTSA and DOT estimate that 1,807 to 2,329 fewer crashes, 649 to 858 fewer injuries and 49 to 60 fewer fatalities would occur every year with such a standard in place.
 
Untripped rollovers and loss-of-control crashes due to understeer or oversteer conditions are common occurrences for heavy vehicles. Although there currently are no ESC requirements for heavy-duty vehicles, 26 percent of new tractor trailers and 80 percent of new buses above the 26,000-pound mark will already have these systems. ESC includes all of the functions of roll stability control (RSC) systems, which are also currently being built for heavy vehicles, but ESC also mitigates severe understeer and oversteer conditions by balancing brake force throughout the wheels of the vehicle. NHTSA has conducted studies on crashes involving heavy-duty vehicles since 2006 and their findings suggest that ESC could have a major impact on reducing these expensive and potentially fatal accidents.
 
Submit comments on the proposed rulemaking through www.regulations.gov, Docket Number NHTSA-2012-0065 by Aug. 21, 2012.
 
The notice of proposed rulemaking can be found here:http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-23/pdf/2012-12212.pdf