The Heavy Duty Brake Manufacturers Council (HDBMC) will hold a teleconference at 2 p.m. (EDT) Thursday regarding its support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) efforts to reduce the required stopping distance
for truck tractors by 20 to 30 percent.
Remarks will be presented by HDBMC chairman Paul Johnston, senior director, North American Foundation Brake Business, ArvinMeritor; Jim Szudy, engineering manager, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems; and Randall Petresh, director of engineering, Haldex Brake Products Corp. They will discuss details of the council’s comments on NHTSA’s proposed rulemaking on reducing truck tractors’ stopping distance.
The brake product manufacturers recently submitted comments urging 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
Thursday’s teleconference is open to interested members. To participate in the teleconference, call (800) 377-8846, and enter the pass code: 79616497#.