NHTSA Mandates Automatic Emergency Braking Systems on Heavy Commercial Trucks

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Monday the finalization of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 136, mandating that all new heavy commercial trucks and intercity passenger buses with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 10,000 pounds come equipped with advanced Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems.

The landmark safety standard requires onboard multi-sensor radar and optical camera systems to detect stopped or decelerating vehicles and apply full automated braking at speeds up to 50 miles per hour if the truck driver fails to react in time.

Preventing Over 19,000 Highway Crashes Annually Federal crash statistics demonstrate that heavy commercial semi-truck rear-end collisions account for more than 500 fatalities and 19,000 injuries on U.S. interstate highways every year, frequently occurring during sudden traffic queue pileups or adverse weather conditions.

"Automatic Emergency Braking is a proven, lifesaving technology that has already prevented thousands of crashes in passenger cars, and today we are requiring it on America's heavy commercial truck fleet," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in Washington. "When an 80,000-pound commercial tractor-trailer encounters stopped highway traffic, every fraction of a second matters. Mandating AEB on heavy trucks will save hundreds of lives, prevent thousands of severe injuries, and make our nation's highways safer for everyone."

Performance Specifications and Phase-In Deadlines Key provisions of the safety regulation include:

• Forward Collision Warning (FCW): Audio-visual alerts that warn drivers at least 2.1 seconds prior to an imminent rear-end impact.
• Full Stop AEB Capability: Requiring trucks traveling at 50 mph to automatically engage service brakes and come to a complete stop without striking a stationary vehicle ahead.
• Tiered Compliance Timelines: Class 7 and 8 heavy-duty tractor-trailers must comply within three years, with Class 3 through 6 medium-duty commercial vehicles phased in by 2029.

Highway safety advocacy coalitions, emergency physician groups, and commercial freight carriers praised the federal mandate, highlighting that automated collision avoidance significantly lowers commercial insurance liability costs.