The heavy duty brake manufacturing industry supports efforts by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reduce the required stopping distance for truck tractors by 20 to 30 percent.

“We support the agency’s efforts to achieve further advances in heavy duty vehicle safety by seeking an improved stopping distance standard for truck tractors,” said Tim Kraus, executive director of the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA).
HDMA, along with its parent association, the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), and the Heavy Duty Brake Manufacturers Council (HDBMC), submitted formal comments in response to NHTSA’s proposed rulemaking.
“We urge the agency to consider our comments and issue a rulemaking that will effectively and efficiently bring about an increased level of heavy duty vehicle safety,” Kraus said.
In their comments, the brake product manufacturers urged NHTSA to:
Target current federal air brake stopping distance performance requirements for “typical” three-axle truck tractors
• Initiate a collaborative government-industry effort to further examine stopping distance performance for “non-typical” truck tractors
• Set an implementation date for the rule in 2008, or in early 2009 at the latest
• Examine further considerations beyond brake product availability for three-axle truck tractors
• Address issues that can impact braking performance for truck tractors during FMVSS 121 vehicle testing
• Further study brake system balance issues
• Refrain from making changes to the dynamometer procedure or requirements at this time.