The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing results of its first evaluations of commercial vehicles.
Four of the first nine heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans to be assessed come with a suite of features that IIHS considers essential for driver protection — including standard front and side airbags, advanced seat belt technology and effective seat belt reminders.
In the coming months, IIHS plans to evaluate these same vehicles for attributes that can protect other road users, including automatic emergency braking and headlights.
“For decades, IIHS has helped consumers prioritize safety in their car-buying decisions,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “These initial evaluations mark our first foray into commercial vehicles, which for too long have been an afterthought when it comes to regulations and safety information.”
In 2023, 6,535 people were killed in crashes involving heavy- or medium-duty trucks or light vans, accounting for 16% of all roadway fatalities in the U.S. Reducing that toll is a key part of the Institute’s 30x30 vision of reducing fatalities 30% by 2030.
Many government standards for passenger vehicles don’t apply to delivery vans, box trucks, tractor-trailers and certain work pickups. That means features as basic as airbags are not required on these vehicles.
The performance of headlights that meet government standards varies widely, and U.S. regulators do not currently require automatic emergency braking (AEB) or other advanced driver assistance systems for commercial vehicles. These systems are especially important for heavy trucks and vans, whose large size makes them a greater danger to other road users.
In the absence of strong regulations, information from IIHS can help commercial vehicle buyers make informed decisions.
The initial evaluations focus on cargo vans and Class 3 pickup trucks. Class 3 pickups have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 to 14,000 pounds. The GVWR is the maximum weight a vehicle can carry safely, including passengers, cargo and the weight of the vehicle itself.
Planning is underway for assessments of larger, Class 4-6 trucks with a GVWR of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds.
The driver protection assessment focuses on airbags, seat belt force limiters and pretensioners, and belt reminder systems because these are vital safety features that are not always included in commercial vehicles.
To evaluate driver protection, IIHS uses manufacturer documentation and other sources to determine whether airbags, pretensioners and force limiters are included as standard equipment on the driver side. Crash testing is not performed to evaluate their effectiveness.
IIHS engineers evaluate the seat belt reminders on the Institute’s test track. The evaluation is similar to the one IIHS uses to rate passenger vehicles but only considers the driver seat.
Two of the three pickups evaluated — the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD and Ford F350 SuperCrew — check all the boxes for driver protection. The Ram 3500 comes with the necessary airbags and key seat belt technologies but lacks an effective seat belt reminder.
Two cargo vans — the Chevrolet BrightDrop 400 and Ram ProMaster 2500 — also have all the essentials. However, the Ford Transit T250, Mercedes Sprinter 2500, Rivian Delivery 500 and the Chevrolet Express 2500 lack effective seat belt reminders. The Express 2500 is also missing standard force limiters.
