Stoughton Trailers plans to offer a newly redesigned underride guard for its trailers that will become a standard feature on its units starting in the fourth quarter of this year at no additional cost.
The company said the news design is based on recommendations made by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which hosted a special roundtable on trailer underride guards back in May.
The new rear underride guard design includes two additional bolt-on vertical supports on the outer ends of the horizontal bar, Stoughton said, with all four supports are integrated into the bar and fastened to a robust undercarriage to strengthen the guard.
The new underride guard will be available in painted carbon steel, galvanized steel or stainless steel options, noted Bob Wahlin, Stoughton’s president & CEO, in a statement.
“Through the investment of significant time, resources and talent, we successfully met the challenge without adding weight and without negatively impacting aerodynamics or reducing the robustness of the undercarriage and rear structure,” he stressed. “After thorough testing, we are confident that this design will set the new standard for rear underride safety in our industry.”
