Truckmakers Push for More Flexible ESC Standard

Truckmakers are lobbying for a more lenient U.S. stability control standard for commercial vehicles, Bloomberg News reports.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes to require electronic stability control systems similar to those used in cars, SUVs and light-duty trucks. Truckmakers want a looser standard that also would permit cheaper roll stability systems.

NHTSA estimates that ESC would cost about $1,200 per truck, prevent about 2,300 crashes per year and save 49-60 lives annually. The agency wants to begin phasing in the standard two years from now.

Truck manufacturers support an anti-rollover standard. But they complain that NHTSA's proposal would force their vehicles to comply with carlike test maneuvers unlikely to occur with big highway trucks.

Truckmakers also says certification would be costly and difficult because of a lack of test facilities and the wide variation in wheelbases and axle configurations among commercial vehicles. They say only one facility in the U.S., the Transportation Research Center in Ohio, has a big enough test area to conduct the necessary evaluations.

Bloomberg says NHTSA's proposed rule would favor an ESC system marketed by Knorr-Bremse AG's Bendix unit. Like automotive ESCs, it provides stability by modulating engine torque and wheel-by-wheel braking. Truckers are pushing to allow less expensive roll stability technology offered by Haldex AB and Meritor Wabco.