How will you stop?

Worried about how next year’s stopping distance rule changes will affect your brake costs? Don’t be. Experts say it’s a near-nonevent.

By Jack Roberts

If you’re waiting for the sky to fall when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new stopping distance regulations take effect in August 2011, you’re not alone. But take heart: Any rumors that fleets will be forced to spec more expensive air disc brakes or retrofit vehicles to meet the new rules are untrue, according to brake manufacturers. They say August 2011 essentially will be a nonevent for fleets.

“We’ve been getting a lot of feedback from our customers who are very concerned that they’re going to have to fundamentally change the way they spec and maintain their vehicles, and that’s simply not true,” says Randy Petresh, vice president of technical services for Haldex. He says the new regulations can be met using existing products and technology that is tested and has been on the market and available as optional equipment for years.

The new regulations may seem draconian at first glance, mandating a 30 percent reduction in minimum stopping distance at 60 mph – meaning that a fully-loaded tractor-trailer will have to come to a full stop from 60 mph in 250 feet instead of the 355 feet required today. But experts say that criterion fits a specific set of circumstances that will not affect everyday fleet operations or driver behavior.

“This is a mandate for what is essentially a ‘panic stop’ at 60 mph in a very controlled environment,” says Doug King, aftermarket marketing manager for Bendix-Spicer Foundation Brakes. “Normal stops are still going to be in the 18 to 20 psi application range. So drivers and fleet managers aren’t going to notice any difference in the way they stop a commercial vehicle today.”