Here’s what truckers are saying about the FMCSA’s controversial automatic emergency braking rule

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is now accepting public comments on a proposed rule to require automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on heavy-duty trucks.

On June 22, the FMCSA shared a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would require AEB systems on heavy vehicles, i.e., vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds. Officials say that the proposed standard would require the technology to work at speeds ranging between low-speed (6 miles per hour) and high-speed (roughly 50 miles per hour) situations. The rule would also require that nearly all heavy vehicles have an electronic stability control system.

The comment period was officially opened by FMCSA this week. The agency will accept public comments now through September 5, 2023.

Truckers: AEB Tech Isn’t Ready

If you would like to submit your comment, you can click here to get started.

So far, only a handful of public comments have been received by FMCSA, many of them suggesting that the technology is not ready for industry-wide deployment. Take a look below to see what commenters are saying about the AEB rule proposal.

“…with the automatic abs on the trucks now during winter time if the sensor gets snow on it the brakes kick in to stop or slow the vehicle down. Which can cause a skid or jack knifed truck because you have no control of the vehicle now,” said Alan Kosinski.

“This system hasn’t been fully tested before implementing it as a requirement. Even now, new Semi trucks constantly get false positive readings for things such as shadows in the road or dips. Other traffic doesn’t obey the rules of the road and a semi truck suddenly applying the brakes hard would risk injury to those vehicles. Additionally, during inclement weather, a sudden application of the brakes would put everybody at risk and would like cause an accident if the trailer slides out of its lane,” commented John Brintnell.

“There are times when going around ramps that it picks up a sign or gardrail and slams on the brakes which causes loads like rolls of paper or bottled drinks to shift which could roll the truck,” said David Reny.

You can click here to learn more about the AEB rule.