Fruehauf dry van trailer earns IIHS Toughguard award for underride protection
Kentucky-based Fruehauf is the newest semitrailer manufacturer to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Toughguard award for superior underride protection.
- 53 feet
- Sept. 30, 2026
- 10
- 30%
What Happened
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, and both earn the award. This is the first of Fruehauf's trailers to qualify for the recognition.
10
since the program was launched in 2017
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 of them can buckle or break off in a crash. Guards that meet the Toughguard criteria are substantially more likely to withstand an impact, reducing the severity of the crash.
- The rear guard must be strong enough to prevent underride by a midsize car when it rear-ends the trailer at full width.
- It must also hold up in a 50% overlap impact.
- The 30% overlap configuration is the most challenging, because one corner of the underride guard must absorb all the force of the impact.
- Tests were initially conducted in-house, but IIHS now lets manufacturers submit data and footage from tests run at their own facilities or by contractors for IIHS experts to review.
- Fruehauf's tests were conducted by MGA Research Corporation.
“We're excited to add Fruehauf to the list of trailer makers offering superior protection for other road users. The Toughguard award continues to be a key part of our strategy for improving the safety of commercial vehicles.”
The IIHS Toughguard program is launched for semitrailers.
IIHS announces Fruehauf as the latest manufacturer to earn the award.
The award applies to Fruehauf's 53-foot dry van trailers built after this date.
Previously from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
IIHS has also been extending its safety evaluations to commercial vehicles. In June 2026 it began rating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans, with four of the first nine earning top marks for driver-protection features. The Toughguard trailer award sits alongside that broader commercial-vehicle safety work.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's official releases.
Why this matters
Rear underride guards are supposed to keep cars from sliding under a trailer in a rear-end crash, but IIHS tests show many can buckle or break off. The Toughguard award tells fleet buyers and truck operators which trailers offer stronger protection, and the benefit falls mainly on the people in the passenger vehicles that hit them.
Terms in This Story
- Underride guard
- A metal frame attached to the back of a large truck to prevent lower-riding vehicles from sliding beneath the trailer in a rear-end crash.
- Dry van trailer
- A fully enclosed semitrailer designed for freight.
- Toughguard award
- An IIHS recognition given to semitrailers whose rear underride guards meet the institute's criteria for superior underride protection.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.