The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has denied a petition from the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) that sought to exclude vehicles built in two or more stages and altered vehicles from the braking-in-a-curve requirement, if such vehicles are manufactured or altered by a final stage manufacturer or alterer that builds no more than 250 affected vehicles per year.
The NHTSA denial in is reference to the agency's 2003 final rule (49 CFR Part 571) establishing a braking-in-a-curve performance requirement for single unit trucks and buses. The braking-in-a-curve requirement has applied to air-braked truck tractors since 1997 and NHTSA said it has determined that the requirement should also apply to single-unit trucks and buses. The requirement ensures that a vehicle's antilock brake system (ABS) maintains adequate stability and control during a hard stop on a curved, slippery road surface, according to the information published in the Federal Register May 23.
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