There have been many advances in braking system technology for heavy-duty commercial vehicles during the past three decades. Some of them are today commonplace, such as antilock braking systems (ABS), traction control/roll stability control, and automated emergency braking (AEB). Other such technologies have gained adoption in Europe, but have not taken root in North American fleets despite being available for as long as 25 years. 

Electronic braking systems (EBS) is one such example. The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) first introduced what was then called Electronically Controlled Braking Systems (ECBS) at its 2000 Fall Meeting during live demonstrations at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio. ECBS was considered to be a significant advance because it replaced air with electrons as the means of triggering brake applications, thus affording faster and improved control of brake engagement and timing. Some fleet concerns at the time were what changes would be made to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 121 to eliminate requirements for dual-pneumatic circuit brake control in addition to the new electronic signalling. It was hoped ECBS would simply replace pneumatic signalling and simplify maintenance. Such changes did not readily develop and ECBS adoption in North America was generally stalled. 

Since then, on the other hand, European fleets have made wide use of what is now called EBS and the revolution is now coming to North America. Modern EBS uses electrical signals to trigger brake applications instead of pneumatic signals. The brake itself is still applied using pneumatics, but the electronic control affords a number of benefits over conventional braking systems, such as:

  • Improved driver and vehicle safety and stability 
  • Shorter stopping distances compared to a conventional braking system 
  • Improved braking experience independent of load 
  • Increased vehicle efficiency through optimized brake wear 

Attend this session and learn what the latest generation of EBS can deliver in terms of improved brake performance, what regulatory changes might be on the horizon as a result, and when fleet managers can expect to be able to specify these systems on their tractors and trailers.