MEMA gathered together OEMs, fleets, suppliers and regulators in early June in the first ever Commercial Vehicle Safety Summit in Indianapolis. The organization updated attendees of the 2026 MEMA Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference on Wednesday.
Rob Allerton, vice president of commercial vehicle membership at MEMA, says there weren't really channels of communication between the groups and there's real value in having it continue.
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The first day of the conference, Allerton says the group discussed adapting light vehicle technology for the heavy-duty sector. A study by Virginia Tech showed there's "a real opportunity" there.
Allerton also reviewed upcoming safety standards for commercial vehicles from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which can help fleets understand the safety equipment available as well as how well it performs and where differences exist.
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"The technology to reduce (fatality and injury statistics) is out there," says Erick Anderson, vice president of engineering and program management with IMMI. "It's not even a heavy lift."
He showed a video of the safety conference where attendees watched two Class 8 trucks crash head-on. One truck was equipped with safety technology such as seat tie-downs and airbags and the other wasn't. The first truck with the safety gear was moving at about 40 mph and the second truck was stopped.
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"You can see here, physics works," he says. The stationary truck's cab was badly off kilter with a smashed hood badly injured crash test dummy driver. The first opportunity for injury was the dummy's knees hitting the dashboard. Then, as his air suspension seat jostled, he slammed his head on the roof, nearly hitting the federal limit for neck compression for light vehicles.
"It's a pretty severe situation here," Anderson says.
Contrast that to the dummy in the truck with the seat tie down, which keeps the driver close to the seat and his head off the roof. Furthermore, an airbag minimizes facial injuries and also keeps the driver's body back from the carnage in the front of the truck.
"Technologies that we have available are very effective for increasing survivability," he says. The crash showed how safety systems must work well together to ensure safety and that safety looks different in each facet of the heavy-duty industry.
It starts with OEMs, who integrate safety into the vehicle, and moves to fleets who use it, suppliers who bring innovation to the market and to regulators to improve safety outcomes. Adopting the technologies is where the industry has the most opportunity, the presenters say, and that depends on collaboration.
"They're not competing sources, they're collaborating sources," Allerton says of the safety conference attendees, and urged that the collaboration continue at future industry events and meetings.
To that end, Allerton says MEMA will host another safety summit in June 2027, this time adding a total cost of ownership conversation.
"For the fleets to adopt it, there needs to be a TCO or ROI component to that," he says.
The 2027 summit will also include product displays and demonstrations. He urged suppliers at the outlook conference to bring their ideas.
