Fruehauf joins the ranks of trailer manufacturers to earn the IIHS TOUGHGUARD award. So all new dry van trailers, which Fruehauf sells after September 30, 2026, will be built to withstand a rear-end crash and prevent underride and deadly passenger compartment intrusion. Thank you, Fruehauf and IIHS!
While I’m grateful for this advancement in safety, I cannot help but think of the Fruehauf trailers which were manufactured between July 15, 2024 — the date when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) required compliance with their too-weak 2022 rear impact guard rule (which did not require the TOUGHGUARD level of strength) — and September 30, 2026. Do the math with me: Fruehauf averages 13,000 new trailers manufactured annually. Times two years. 26,000 trailers on the road without a TOUGHGUARD. With a 10-15 year road-use life expectancy. 26,000 trailers which could potentially be rear-ended — resulting in underride and lethal passenger compartment intrusion.
Something’s wrong with this picture.
[I wonder if brokers realize the liability risk posed by the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of trailers which are transporting goods across this country’s roads without adequate underride protection.]
Here are the North American truck rear underride guard ratings from IIHS: Recognizing good rear underride protection
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety PRESS RELEASE:
Fruehauf dry van trailer earns IIHS award for underride protection
ARLINGTON, Va. — Kentucky-based Fruehauf is the latest semitrailer manufacturer to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOUGHGUARD award for superior underride protection.
The award applies to the company’s 53-foot dry van trailers built after Sept. 30, 2026.
A dry van trailer is a fully enclosed semitrailer designed for freight. Fruehauf offers models with walls made from composite and aluminum, both of which earn the award.
“We’re excited to add Fruehauf to the list of trailer makers offering superior protection for other road users,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “The TOUGHGUARD award continues to be a key part of our strategy for improving the safety of commercial vehicles.”
A rear underride guard is a metal frame attached to the back of a large truck to prevent lower-riding vehicles from sliding beneath the trailer in the event of a rear-end crash. Semitrailers are required to have rear underride guards that meet federal safety standards. However, IIHS research and crash tests have shown that many can buckle or break off in a crash.
Underride guards that meet the TOUGHGUARD criteria are substantially more likely to withstand an impact, reducing the severity of the crash.
To earn the IIHS award, the rear guard must be strong enough to prevent underride by a midsize car when it rear-ends the trailer with its full width, a 50% overlap and a 30% overlap. The 30% overlap configuration is the most challenging, because one corner of the underride guard must absorb all the force of the impact.
Initially, these tests were conducted in-house. Now IIHS allows trailer manufacturers to submit data and footage from tests conducted at their own facilities or by contractors for IIHS experts to review. The tests of Fruehauf’s dry van trailer were conducted by MGA Research Corporation.
This is the first of Fruehauf’s trailers to qualify for the TOUGHGUARD award. Ten North American trailer manufacturers have earned the accolade since the program was launched in 2017.
