Rollover system mandate set for publication as OMB clears rule

A federal rule to require all new trucks to be equipped with electronic stability control systems has been cleared by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, meaning the rule likely will be published in the coming weeks.

The rule, which is being produced by the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will require truck manufacturers to include the ESC systems on all new trucks and is designed to mitigate rollover and loss-of-control crashes, according to NHTSA’s synopsis of the rule.

This will be the rule’s final version.

A proposed rule was published in 2012. The rule will take effect two years following its publication in the Federal Register.

NHTSA projects the rule will cost about $113 million per 150,000 trucks produced — based on 2012 figures.

“Rollover and loss-of-control crashes involving heavy vehicles is a serious safety issue that is responsible for 304 fatalities and 2,738 injuries annually,” NHTSA says in its rule synopsis. “They are also a major cause of traffic tie-ups, resulting in millions of dollars of lost productivity, and excess energy consumption each year.”