Automatic Braking Could Take Longer to Develop for Big Trucks

Automatic emergency braking could take longer to develop in large commercial trucks because of the unique challenges in vehicles that are larger in size and heavier in weight, according to a Forbes report.

The U.S. automotive industry has committed to including the safety system in most light vehicles by 2022, but it will likely take longer for the commercial industry to join suit.

Automatic braking could decrease truck fatalities by as much as 47%, according to research by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

The Truck Safety Coalition, Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and Road Safety America filed a petition with the National Highway Safety Administration to make AEB mandatory for all new trucks.

However, developing a reliable and safe version of the technology for commercial vehicles is a big challenge, due to the size of the vehicles. It would be necessary for the system to not only bring a truck to a quick stop, but also do so without causing the vehicle to flip or lose control.

NHTSA expects it to take more time to develop the required technology and have set no timeline for when the change would be implemented.

The potential for mandatory AEB on trucks may also have a significant impact on the commercial diagnostics and sensors markets, which are likely to grow with a NHTSA mandate, according to market analysts at Research and Markets.

The European Union already mandates collision warning and automatic braking systems on commercial trucks. But U.S. regulators want to ensure that a system like that is safe for use in large vehicles before making it a requirement.