NHTSA Finalizes Rules on Stability Control for Big Trucks

New large trucks and buses will be required to be equipped with electronic stability control systems beginning in August 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.

The standard will cost about $585 per truck, saving as many as 49 lives per year, preventing nearly 1,800 crashes and generating annual economic benefits greater than $300 million, according to the agency.

ESC, which has been required in new passenger cars in the U.S. since 2012, helps avoid spinouts and rollovers by electronically modulating the engine and brakes in a skid.

NHTSA says the rule will apply to trucks and buses with gross vehicle weights greater than 26,000 lbs. Buses larger than 33,000 lbs will have an extra year to comply, and those that weigh 26,000-33,000 lbs will have two additional years to meet the requirement.

NHTSA says it considered a $194 cheaper option called roll stability control. But it concluded the benefits would be significantly lower, especially in preventing rollover crashes. More than half of truck driver/occupant fatalities involved rollovers, according to the agency.