I keep hearing members of the trucking industry bring up the possibility of side guards on trailers getting hung-up on railroad tracks. They point to it as a reason to not require side guards on all new trucks. Is that a valid concern? And where is their documentation?

So, who could oppose the idea? The American Trucking Associations. Dan Horvath, vice president for safety policy, told me that the guards would be an expensive burden that would divert investment from better safety improvements and possibly cause trucks to get hung up at railroad crossings. Car Collisions With Big Rigs Don’t Have To Be So Deadly

When someone voices a concern, I immediately investigate the truth of the matter. On this issue, I received information, in 2019, from someone who had looked into this potential problem extensively. This is what he told me:

“It may be a deeper dive into the weeds than you care to make, but attached is a compilation of all railroad grade crossing accidents compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration for the past 5 years.

2014-2018 RR Crossing Data (2)

“. . . I see, in the last five years, for the population of trailers we currently have including the  lowboys, car haulers, cattle haulers, beverage trailers, etc there have been ZERO fatalities coded as truck-trailer stuck on track.  

Even if one were to assume a side guard at 18 inches high would create more hang-ups and accidents – and the standards on grade crossings say they won’t – it is just not a statistically frequent fatal or injurious event in comparison to side underrides. Maybe this is why the NTSB, the one responsible for investigating significant rail transport accidents, still recommended side guards for trailers.“

Here is a federal database of railroad crossings. How could a trucking company and their drivers use this information to plan their route to avoid potentially hazardous hang-ups? Highway/Rail Crossing Database Files

This 2002 West Virginia University provides useful information for this discussion. Low-Clearance Vehicles at Rail-Highway Grade Crossings: An Overview of the Problem and Potential Solutions

“It is interesting to note that ground clearances as low as 2 in. were identified. Although not included in the data base, it was reported to the researchers that some low-boy trailers operate with as few as 3 in. of ground clearance for a 47-ft wheelbase.

. . . a truck with a wheelbase of 30 ft and 6 in. of ground clearance will still experience problems; however, the magnitude of the problem is not as severe”

Two things are interesting about that: (1) the CMVs with that very low ground clearance would not need a side guard and (2) side guards do not go so low as the vehicles mentioned, which are the ones with the severe hang-up problems.

More thoughts on that research: A 2002 Study by the West Virginia University showed that trailers and trucks must be much lower to the ground than an underride guard to hang up on regulation railroad crossings and driveway and dock slopes.  One need look no further than how low semi-tractors are to the ground, or low-boy trailers. or car hauling trailers, to dispel the notion an underride guard at 16 to 18 inches from the ground cannot operate safely over the road. Perry Ponder

Here are some suggestions for truck drivers:

P L A N N I N G A S A F E R O U T E When possible in planning your route, select a route that contains the fewest highway-rail grade crossings. When it is necessary to cross tracks, select the safest crossings—those that offer the best sight distance (no obstructions to your clear line of vision down the tracks). Select crossings that offer you enough containment or storage area for you to stop at a stop sign or stoplight directly across the tracks. Allow enough space for your truck to fit on the other side without overhang onto the tracks. Be especially careful at passive crossings (those without gates, flashing lights, bells). At these crossings it will be up to you to judge if a train is coming without the assistance of electronic equipment.

If your truck does gets stuck on a crossing, you need to take two actions: 1. Get out of your truck IMMEDIATELY. The quicker you act, the more likely you’ll be able to alert the railroad to avert a tragedy. 2. The Emergency Notification Sign you noted on your review of the crossing contains a phone number to the railroad. Call it. Explain your location, including the DOT number listed on the sign. If there is no sign, call the local authorities or 911. RailroadCrossingSafetyforCommercialMotorVehicles

And here’s some Low Ground Clearance Signage. Let’s not act like problems aren’t there to be solved! Engineers love to solve problems!

Oh, by the way, check out the feedback from four trucking companies who have pioneered the use of side guards on their trucks. Have they had problems getting hung-up on railroad tracks?

Transport Companies Provide Feedback on Side Guard Operational Issues

I asked these companies to let me know how they deal with the railroad crossing problem. Late last night, I received a reply:

In the end: What is worse than Death By Underride?

UPDATE, May 21, 2021: Don’t blame side guards when trailers get hung up.

Tractor-trailer stuck on railroad tracks along Route 2

UPDATE, March 16, 2022: “They say that tractor-trailers should not cross there because they have the possibility of getting stuck.” In other words, in general, tractor-trailers should avoid such crossings. Don’t use this as an excuse to stand in the way of a side guard mandate. Side guards save lives.

Tractor-trailer stuck at railroad crossing in Dunbar