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4 • OCTOBER 2023 THE NATION
THETRUCKER.COM
USPS 972
VOLUME 37, NUMBER 10
OCTOBER 2023
The Trucker is a monthly, national newspaper for the
trucking industry, published by The Trucker Media
Group at 1123 S. University, Suite 325
Little Rock, AR 72204-1610
EDITORIAL
Managing Editor
Linda Garner-Bunch
Web News Manager
John Worthen
iStock Photo
The comment period for a proposal to require new heavy vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with AEB systems has concluded on
the Federal Register, with much debate on both sides of the issue.
Debate continues as agencies consider final
ruling on AEB requirements
JOHN WORTHEN | THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) could arguably be one of the
most talked about issues in the trucking industry these days.
The comment period for a proposal to require new heavy vehicles
weighing more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with AEB systems has
concluded on the Federal Register, with much debate on both sides of the
issue. Now, it’s up to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to
make the final ruling.
Both agencies contend that AEB systems “will mitigate the frequency
and severity of rear-end crashes.”
“Advanced driver assistance systems like AEB have the power to
save lives,” said Ann Carlson, chief counsel for the NHTSA. “(This) is an
important step forward in improving safety on our nation’s roadways by
reducing, and ultimately eliminating, preventable tragedies that harm
Americans.”
The Truckload Carriers Association, along with the Truck Safety
Coalition, Road Safe America and The Trucking Alliance and Advocates
for Highway and Auto Safety, published a fact sheet that outlines the AEB
issue and the benefits the technology could bring industrywide. The fact
sheet also questioned whether AEB systems are effective.
According to the fact sheet, that AEB systems can:
• Prevent and mitigate truck crashes in which the truck rear-ends a
passenger vehicle; these types of truck crashes have increased 50 percent
since 2009.
• Address other crashes in which a truck is the striking vehicle, such
as fatal work zone collisions; large trucks are largely overrepresented in
these types of crashes, with at least one large truck involved in 30% of
fatal work zone crashes in 2017.
One major trucking company reported it has experienced a 69%
decrease in rear-end crashes since it began equipping all new tractors
with AEB in 2012
Another large motor carrier saw a 71% reduction in rear-end
collisions in trucks equipped with AEB in addition to electronic stability
control and lane-departure warnings, compared to trucks without these
safety systems.
The American Trucking Associations is also in favor of the use of AEB
systems.
“ATA has long supported the use of AEB on all new vehicles,” said Dan
Horvath, vice president of safety policy for ATA. “With NHTSA’s recent
regulation requiring AEB on all new passenger vehicles, this proposal for
heavy duty trucks is timely and appropriate.
“The trucking industry supports the use of proven safety technology
like automatic emergency braking,” Horvath continued. “We look
forward to reviewing this proposal from NHTSA and FMCSA and
working with them as it is implemented.”
In 2015, the ATA urged car and truck manufacturers to make AEB
systems standard equipment on new vehicles. In 2021, the association
supported legislation that would have mandated AEB technology on
new Class 7 and 8 trucks.
Jeremy Stickling, chief administrative officer for Nussbaum Transport
Services, said his company is a strong believer in AEB systems.
“We were on the front end of this technology and had the early
versions of AEB in our trucks, if I recall properly, since 2010,” Stickling
said.
While some opponents of mandatory AEB systems cite cost as a
concern, Stickling pointed to the high cost of rear-end collisions.
“When a rear-end happens, there is often bodily injury involved, and
you are considered an at-fault party,” he said. “Since embracing collision
mitigation and AEB, our rear-end crashes have essentially vanished.
On the very rare occasions they do happen, we believe the impact is
significantly less severe than it would be otherwise.”
Stickling added that Nussbaum has all but eliminated the “highliability
crash type from our loss runs. This is great for public safety. And
it is good business as well.”
Even with the safety benefits of AEB, not everyone in the industry
supports the mandate.
Jay Grimes, director of federal affairs for the Owner-Operator
Independent Drivers Association, said agencies must resolve any
performance issues with the systems before attempting to move forward.
“We are always going to have concerns about regulatory mandates
for technology or any other rulemaking that hasn’t been proven to
benefit highway safety,” Grimes told OOIDA’s online news site, Land Line,
adding that the association has heard concerns from drivers about false
activation of these systems. These incidents he said, take control out of a
driver’s hands, compounding the issue of whether AEB systems will work
properly in all weather and road conditions.
“This proposal is being announced and released at the same time
some of the studies for AEB on commercial vehicles are ongoing and
haven’t been completed,” he said.
An AEB system uses multiple sensor technologies that work
together to detect a vehicle in a crash imminent situation. The system
automatically applies the brakes if the driver has not already done so, or,
if needed, applies more braking force to supplement the driver’s braking.
The proposed standard would require the technology to work at speeds
ranging between low-speed (6 mph) and high-speed (roughly 50 mph)
situations
“Establishing AEB standards is a key component of the Department’s
National Roadway Safety Strategy,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin
SEE AEB ON PAGE 6
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Erica N. Guy
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