FMCSA Issues Final Rule: Rear Underride Guards To Be Part Of Annual Inspections

FMCSA has issued a Final Rule, effective December 9, 2021, requiring Rear Impact Guards to be inspected as part of commercial motor vehicle inspections on those trucks which must have them installed. This is good because a guard weakened by cuts, tears, rust, bends, or loose connections is going to be less likely to prevent a car from going under a truck.

If a truck fails the inspection, the violation could cost a motor carrier a maximum of $15,876 and a truck driver $3,969. This could lead to the replacement of many rear underride guards — hopefully, with guards that meet the TOUGHGuard level of strength proven possible by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and now on many new trailers.

This is what I know about the availability of replacement equipment:

Great Dane Trailers has a retrofit solution.
Stoughton Trailers has a retrofit kit.
Utility Trailers aftermarket sells only the current production horizontal bumper as a replacement for any damaged Utility bumper.
Vanguard Trailers and Manac Trailers have the improved guard available for sale.
I don’t have information about retrofit options for the other trailer manufacturers.
TrailerGuards offers a generic Rear Impact Guard (RIG) Retrofit out of aluminum which can be installed on most any model of trailer. See it crash tested here at 38 mph: