I
n less than a year the National Highway Traffi c Safety Adminis-
tration (NHTSA) will begin its rollout of Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard No. 136, a crash-avoidance mandate requiring
electronic stability control (ESC) systems on new tractors and buses
with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of greater than 26,000 lbs.
The standard, which was fi rst introduced as a proposed rule in
2012 and was fi nalized on June 23 last year, is the latest in a string of
regulations introduced by NHTSA and the Department of Transpor-
tation (DOT) in an effort to improve the performance and safety of
America's medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus fl eet.
In the aftermarket, where such regulations don't debut so much as
trickle in over time, the ESC mandate is likely still a few years away.
But with manufacturers and vehicle owners in the home stretch
20
Service Bay
T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 6
By Lucas Deal, Editor
lucasdeal@randallreilly.com
Electronic
stability
control and the
next wave of
vehicle safety
A
infl uence infl uence
steadying
