Euro NCAP reveals details of Heavy Truck Safety Rating

Euro NCAP this week officially announced a major milestone in the development towards a Truck Safe rating scheme. This is in direct response to data showing that while trucks represent only three per cent of vehicles on Europe’s roads, they are involved in almost 15 per cent of all EU road fatalities.

At NCAP24 in front of an audience of international road safety experts and industry, Euro NCAP will showcase what elements the organisation is currently considering as part of a future Truck Safe rating and how it intends to evaluate and benchmark truck performance.

Trucks play a vital role in a vibrant and productive economy. However, data shows there is a disproportionate number of truck related fatalities across Europe. Euro NCAP’s future rating scheme is designed to go further and faster than current EU truck safety regulations, while also driving innovation and balancing the needs of the different commercial vehicle sectors across Europe.

The new tests will emulate real world collisions and encourage manufacturers to fit collision avoidance technologies and improve driver vision. In the future, Euro NCAP will expand the programme to include crash protection as well.

The approach taken by Euro NCAP is designed to highlight technologies that are both cost-effective and deliver on safety and allow operators to select the safest vehicle for a particular role.

Euro NCAP says that as manufacturers respond to the tests, the requirements will evolve. In 2027, increased active safety requirements around manoeuvring will be required; then in 2030, Euro NCAP will commence the crash testing of trucks to encourage better passive safety protection.

The vehicles will be tested by sector and will focus on city delivery, highway distribution, long haul, as well as tipper and refuse trucks. The first release of ratings will be announced in November 2024.

"Euro NCAP’s new Truck Safe rating scheme will be a first for the sector and will enable all stakeholders in the freight industry to identify and assess the safety level of trucks," said Matthew Avery, Director of Strategy Development Euro NCAP

"Not only will this deliver enhanced safety for drivers but also create opportunities for those operators that invest in the safest vehicle making the scheme attractive to insurers and freight shippers alike.

"In creating a market for safety Euro NCAP will allow encourage manufacturers and suppliers to innovate, further increasing the safety benefits of the scheme as the ratings evolve.

"Cities and regional authorities will be able to clearly identify the best vehicles for their roads and incentivise adoption; and companies will be able to easily determine the safest vehicle suitable for the role. The new rating builds on Euro NCAP’s ’s successful Light Commercial Van safety scheme – enhancing Euro NCAP’s ’s messaging for fleets and business: Safer Vehicles = Safer Profits," Mr Avery concluded.

Whether a similar system will be adopted here is not known. We'll keep you posted.