NHTSA Denies Petition Urging Investigation
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in a Federal Register notice published April 1, denied a petition from the Institute for Safer Trucking (IST) requesting an investigation of collisions that van-type semi-trailers experience with passenger vehicles and other vulnerable road users. According to IST, these crashes cause significant injuries or death because of the lack of side underride guards.
IST requested that NHTSA investigate a potential recall of semi-trailers lacking side underride guards even though currently there is no regulation requiring that manufacturers equip trailers with such guards. IST maintains that the lack of side underride guards is a safety defect in a semi-trailer’s design. NHTSA contended that it published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) in 2023 exploring the possibility of mandating side underrides on trailers and is currently in the process of reviewing comments received both for and against side underride guards.
The agency said it had also facilitated the Advisory Committee on Underride Protection (ACUP) examining crash data relating to side collisions. ACUP published a report in the summer of 2024 calling for stronger underrides on trailers even though a cost-benefit analysis showed costs substantially outweighing the benefits of such a mandate.
In March, ICSA’s executive director Shawn Nelson was privileged to attend the annual conference for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). Truckload 2026 was packed with information that ICSA is committed to bringing back to its members.
Safety is a priority not just because it prevents accidents; it also helps make a carrier profitable. Every smart decision behind the wheel can save lives and reduces costs.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a Final Rule, effective March 16, 2026, on non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses – CDLs held by foreign-domiciled truck drivers operating in the U.S.