Stoughton Trailers has surpassed existing industry safety standards, and is the first trailer manufacturer to successfully complete a rear impact guard crash test at 40 mph.
The test, conducted Dec. 22, 2025, at the Calspan facility in Buffalo, N.Y., met the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ToughGuard requirements at a speed 5 mph faster than the current 35-mph industry benchmark.
The IIHS-Stoughton evaluation tested a 30% overlap rear impact.
Joe Young, IIHS media relations director, noted that vehicles are engineered to withstand crashes at 40 mph and having an underride guard that meets that mark increases the survivability of rear-end trailer crashes.
The evaluation tested a 30% overlap rear impact, a configuration the company described as more challenging than full-width or 50% overlap tests. Despite the increased speed, which carries approximately 31% more kinetic energy than a 35-mph impact, the test vehicle—a 2014 Honda Accord—experienced no intrusion into the passenger compartment.
Stoughton Trailers was among the first U.S. manufacturers to receive an IIHS award for rear impact guards in 2016. The company also became the first to receive an IIHS award for a chassis in August 2025.
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The reinforced rear impact guard is standard equipment on all Stoughton dry van and refrigerated trailers, noted Stoughton Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Sanders.
"What we're offering comes at no additional cost and no additional weight," added Stoughton Vice President Todd Eicher.
