Aug. 28, 2015—Global Parts Network (GPN) launched an awareness program on Thursday to promote the Reduced Stopping Distance (RSD) requirements.
The campaign provides GPN distributors tools to enhance the knowledge of their customers on RSD regulations that were rewritten in 2009. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) amended the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard on air brake systems (FMVSS No. 121) to help improve stopping distances for truck tractors. The amended standard required that most new heavy truck tractors achieve a 30 percent reduction in stopping distance by two compliance dates: Aug. 1, 2011 and Aug. 1, 2013. Since the regulations were put into effect, over 1 million Class-8 truck builds have been completed, with many now due for brake maintenance.
"Many RSD-equipped vehicles on the road are approaching the timeline for required maintenance, making it critically important for the industry to understand RSD regulations and the suggested practices for brake material replacement," said Jay Pagano, director of business development, Global Parts Network. "Relining brake shoes with non-RSD compliant friction can reduce a vehicle’s stopping distance performance, leading to longer stopping distances and potentially compromising safety. To avoid such problems, we highly recommended replacing brake friction material with RSD friction material that maintains the shorter stopping distance to meet FMVSS 121 stopping distance requirements.”
GPN offers manufactured brake shoes and kits featuring RSD friction materials.
“We clean, coin, coat, and cure the highest-quality remanufactured brake shoes in our two U.S. facilities under the strictest standards of quality and environmental control,” said Pagano. “These exacting processes and GPN’s partnership with the industry’s leading fiction suppliers, enables us to offer innovative products to meet the needs of our distributors and their customers.”
For more information on GPN, visit the website.
