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Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health (CARTEEH)

A USDOT University Transportation Center

Adopt Requirements for Side Guard Protections on Trucks

The adoption of the requirements for side guard protections on trucks incorporates the use of a safeguard that can block the dangerous space between the truck’s front and rear wheels. This simple safety device prevents vulnerable road users from being trapped and crushed by the truck’s rear wheel.1 However, the requirements of this guard ensure that the ground clearance for the front underride guard is no more than 400mm; while the ground clearance for the underride guard is between 450mm and 500mm, the side protection system requires a 300mm maximum ground clearance.2 Adopting these requirements will successfully guard vehicles from crashing on heavy vehicles (trucks), and as a result, the severe injuries caused by accidents between heavy trucks and vulnerable road users would be reduced.3

Considering this strategy will help achieve the goal of the following objectives

  • Less Contamination
  • Less Emissions
  • Less Traffic Noise
  • Connectivity and Inclusion
  • Healthy Destinations
  • Less Traffic Violence
  • Active Transportation
  • Green Space

Transportation lifecycle phases

This strategy is associated with the following transportation lifecycle phases:

  • Construction
  • End of Life
  • Maintenance
  • Material Selection
  • Operations
  • Policy and Planning
  • Project Development

Who's involved

  • Policymakers
  • State governments
  • Transit agencies
The adoption of the requirements for side guard protections on trucks incorporates the use of a safeguard that can block the dangerous space between the truck’s front and rear wheels. This simple safety device prevents vulnerable road users from being trapped and crushed by the truck’s rear wheel.1 However, the requirements of this guard ensure that the ground clearance for the front under-ride guard is no more than 400mm; while the ground clearance for the under-ride guard is between 450mm and 500mm, the side protection system requires a 300mm maximum ground clearance.2 Adopting these requirements will successfully guard vehicles from crashing on heavy vehicles (trucks), and as a result, the severe injuries caused by accidents between heavy trucks and vulnerable road users would be reduced.3

How it Helps

This approach was explored when it was discovered that trucks have a large, wide gap between the vehicle’s front and back tires; this hazardous space is where 50% of truck and bicycle accident fatalities occur. Implementing this method is expected to lessen severe injuries caused by heavy trucks and vulnerable road user accident events.

Implementing

Design & Installation:

The truck side guard’s design should be carefully optimized for safety, and it should be built of solid and robust materials so that it can sustain any vehicle impact. The installation should be carefully done by a professional. If a well-made guard is installed in an improper way or if the guard is not long enough to cover the truck’s back base, then a person can be seriously injured or go under the guard.

Cost:

The side guard protection isn’t cheap; installation costs between $1,000 to $2,000 per vehicle. Therefore, fundings will be needed in the form of sponsorship, partnerships, or grants.

Examples

1) Institute for Safer Trucking (IST)

The Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging cooperation among key stakeholders to give the community a better awareness of truck safety challenges and the data-driven solutions that might solve them. IST is a dependable resource for relatives of truck accident victims and survivors in need of assistance after any truck collision, as well as motor carriers and truck drivers interested in learning about safety changes that may avoid accidents, damages, and deaths.

https://www.safertrucking.org/about

2) Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (NTSC)

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (NTSC) is a forerunner in providing world-class, interdisciplinary, multimodal transportation expertise. NTSC has numerous cross-modal relationships that have resulted in creative solutions with advanced transportation networks. NTSC strives to foresee future transportation concerns and resolve the nation’s most important and complicated transportation challenges, especially those that can be handled via an intermodal systems approach. In collaboration with other organizations, the NTSC studied and promoted life-saving truck side guards. They are involved in the installation of truck side guards on city-owned trucks to improve the safety of all vulnerable road users.

https://www.volpe.dot.gov/about-us

1. Mayhook, N. (2017). How simple truck side guards could save thousands of lives. Trucking Watchdog. [cited 2022 Jun 28]. Available from: https://www.truckingwatchdog.com/2016/05/05/how-a-simple-truck-side-guard-could-save-thousands-of-lives/
2. Underrun and side protection for trucks. (2017). Dekra. [cited 2022 Jun 28]. Available from: https://www.dekra-roadsafety.com/en/underrun-and-side-protection-for-trucks/
3. Patten, J. D., et al. (2010). Side Guards for Trucks and Trailers Phase 1: Background Investigation. National Research Council Canada Centre for Surface Transportation Technology. [cited 2022 Jun 28]. Available from: https://www.volpe.dot.gov/sites/volpe.dot.gov/files/docs/side-guards-for-trucks-and-trailers-phase-1-background-investigation-jd-patten-canada.pdf