ArvinMeritor says its line of Meritor Q Plus drum brakes will meet the new U.S. government mandate for shortened truck stopping distance requirements.
The company has been working on the product for more than three years in preparation for this ruling, and is in the final stages of testing.

The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rule requires that a fully loaded tractor-trailer at 60 mph must be able to stop in 250 feet, 30 percent less than the former standard of 355 feet. A lightly loaded truck must stop within 235 feet. The new requirement, which applies only to new truck tractors, will be phased in over four years.

"We have been working closely with vehicle manufacturers and fleets on field tests," said Joe Plomin, vice president of the truck unit at ArvinMeritor. "Our time-proven and optimized drum brakes will meet the full compliance timeline, and we will continue to work with our OEM customers to make this new regulation transition seamless."

ArvinMeritor offers standard and high-performance drum brakes, automatic slack adjusters, hubs, rotors and drums and hydraulic disc brakes.