Continuing efforts to improve the safety of the nation's roadways by preventing truck- and bus-related crashes, U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced a proposal that would allow inspectors to use performance-based brake testers to check the brakes on large trucks and buses for compliance with federal safety standards and to issue citations when these vehicles fail.

"These tests would apply modern technology to truck and bus safety, supplementing labor-intensive visual brake inspections," Secretary Slater said. "Use of these machines will make roadside inspections more accurate and efficient and thus help improve safety, which is President Clinton and Vice President Gore's highest transportation priority."

Performance-based brake testers (PBBT) assess vehicle braking capability by measuring the individual wheel brake forces or overall vehicle brake performance in a controlled test. Specific testers addressed in the proposal include the roller dynamometer, breakaway torque tester, and flat-plate tester. The proposal by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) would allow state and local enforcement officials to issue vehicle citations based on PBBT test results.

"This is an excellent example of using technology to improve motor carrier safety," FMCSA Acting Deputy Administrator Clyde J. Hart Jr. said. "PBBTs provide a new and better way to identify vehicles with unsafe brakes and will help us achieve our goal of reducing truck-related fatalities 50 percent by the year 2010."

Hart said that the new technology could greatly increase the number of roadside brake inspections that can be completed over a given time and improve the accuracy of identifying unsafe brakes on CMVs. Currently, "hands-on" brake examinations are made by enforcement personnel who must crawl underneath the vehicle to visually examine critical brake system components.

PBBT devices would be more efficient because they provide an objective and consistent measure of vehicle braking performance. However, this proposal does not eliminate the "hands-on" method for determining compliance with braking regulations.

This action, a notice of proposed rulemaking, is a product of a multi-year research program by the agency and public meetings to gather information from state officials and PBBT manufacturers and users, including motor carriers. The research included field test evaluations of commercial motor vehicles (CMV) by 10 states and several fleets, in which the brakes on nearly 3,000 vehicles were inspected by state officials using both PBBTs and the current visual examination method.

Key features of the proposal include:

• State and local enforcement officials and motor carriers would be allowed to use PBBTs as an optional method of assessing CMV compliance with federal braking regulations.
• Certain PBBTs would be eligible for funding under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). The MCSAP is a federal program, administered by FMCSA, through which funds are provided to states and U.S. territories in support of CMV safety.
• CMVs tested for compliance using PBBTs would be required to achieve the same level of braking forces that are required under the current regulation. Levels may vary by vehicle class.
• In addition to addressing CMV stopping capabilities, the NPRM requests comments from the public on the use of PBBTs for assessing CMV parking brakes and lane stability. FMCSA is also planning to conduct additional research in those two areas. Persons providing comments are requested to include supporting rationale and test results or other documentation.
• Comments are also requested on PBBT operator training materials. FMCSA plans to work with PBBT manufacturers and users to develop the training materials for use by state and local enforcement officials, as well as commercial vehicle fleets, to improve their safety maintenance programs.

Accompanying the proposal are functional requirements for the new devices, public Docket Number FMCSA-98-3611, to assure a minimum level of performance when purchased by states with federal funds. These include requirements for accuracy, calibration, environmental resistance, and operator safety.

Comments should be sent by Oct. 8, 2000 to the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Docket No. FMCSA-99-6266, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590-0001. Internet users may access all comments received by the U.S. DOT Docket by going to http://dms.dot.gov . Comments also may be submitted at this site.

###