NHTSA to overhaul tire safety standards in 2026
Agency will update strength, endurance, and rim-resistance tests and examine how to regulate new tire technologies.
What tire safety standards is NHTSA updating?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced October 29, 2026, that it will overhaul Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 119, the tire safety standard that governs strength, endurance, and rim-resistance testing for commercial vehicle tires. The agency said it will also examine how to set safety rules for new tire technologies.
The announcement did not include a docket number, proposed rulemaking date, or effective date. NHTSA did not specify which tire technologies it considers "new" or what testing protocols it plans to change.
Why this matters for fleets
FMVSS 119 sets the minimum performance thresholds tire manufacturers must meet before selling tires in the United States. When NHTSA changes those thresholds, tire makers reformulate compounds, adjust tread patterns, or redesign sidewalls to pass the new tests. Those changes can affect tread life, rolling resistance, and replacement cost.
Fleets that spec tires based on current FMVSS 119 performance data may see different wear rates or fuel economy once manufacturers ship tires built to the updated standard. If NHTSA raises endurance-test requirements, for example, manufacturers may add weight or stiffen sidewalls to pass, which can hurt fuel economy. If NHTSA lowers rolling-resistance limits to improve fuel economy, tires may wear faster under heavy loads.
The agency did not say whether the overhaul will include new labeling requirements. Current FMVSS 119 requires tire manufacturers to mark the tire sidewall with load range, maximum inflation pressure, and the DOT serial number. If NHTSA adds rolling-resistance or treadwear ratings to the sidewall, fleets will have more data to compare when spec'ing replacements.
What "new technologies" means
NHTSA did not define "new technologies" in the October 29 announcement. The phrase likely includes airless tires, run-flat designs, and tires with embedded sensors that transmit pressure and temperature data to the tractor's telematics system.
Airless tires eliminate blowouts but add unsprung weight, which can affect ride quality and suspension wear. Run-flat tires let a driver continue after a puncture but cost more and may not be recappable. Sensor-embedded tires give real-time pressure data but require fleets to integrate the sensor protocol with their existing tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS).
If NHTSA writes performance standards for these technologies, manufacturers will have a clear compliance path, which should lower prices and widen availability. Until NHTSA publishes a proposed rule, fleets cannot predict which technologies will be covered or what the testing requirements will be.
Current FMVSS 119 testing
FMVSS 119 requires tire manufacturers to run three tests before selling a tire in the United States:
Strength test: The tire is mounted on a test wheel, inflated to maximum pressure, and pressed against a steel plunger at a controlled rate until the tire fails. The tire must withstand a specified load without rupturing.
Endurance test: The tire is mounted on a test wheel, inflated to maximum pressure, and run against a test drum at a specified speed and load for a specified duration (typically several hours at progressively higher loads). The tire must complete the test without tread separation, belt separation, or sidewall cracking.
Rim-resistance test: The tire is mounted on a test wheel, inflated to a percentage of maximum pressure, and run against a test drum while the wheel is offset from the drum centerline. The offset forces the tire bead to work against the rim flange. The tire must stay seated on the rim without the bead unseating.
NHTSA sets the load, speed, duration, and pass/fail criteria for each test. When the agency updates those parameters, manufacturers must retest every tire model and may need to redesign tires that fail the new thresholds.
What fleets should do now
Fleets cannot take action until NHTSA publishes a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) with a docket number and comment period. When the NPRM appears in the Federal Register, fleets should:
- Read the proposed testing changes and compare them to current FMVSS 119 requirements to identify which parameters are tightening (higher loads, longer durations, stricter pass/fail criteria) and which are loosening.
- Ask tire suppliers how the proposed changes will affect the tires the fleet currently specs. Suppliers may already be testing prototypes against the proposed standard.
- Submit comments to the docket if the proposed rule will impose costs the agency did not account for in its regulatory impact analysis. NHTSA is required to respond to substantive comments before issuing a final rule.
- Budget for potential tire-cost increases. If the new standard forces manufacturers to add material or redesign construction, replacement tire prices will rise.
Fleets do not need to change tire-maintenance procedures or TPMS settings based on the October 29 announcement. Current FMVSS 119 remains in effect until NHTSA publishes a final rule with an effective date.
