IIHS Moves Closer to Heavy-Duty Truck Safety Ratings: Only 4 of 9 Class 3 Pickups and Cargo Vans Meet Core Driver Protection Standards

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has taken a major step toward commercial truck safety ratings by releasing its first public assessments of heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans, revealing that fewer than half of the evaluated models meet the group’s essential driver protection criteria. The evaluations focused on Class 3 pickups and cargo vans, assessing features such as standard front and side airbags, advanced seat belt technology, and effective seat belt reminders. Among the nine models tested, only four—Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, Ford F-350 SuperCrew, Chevrolet BrightDrop 400, and Ram ProMaster 2500—met all IIHS driver protection requirements. The Ram 3500 met the airbag and seat belt tech requirements but lacked an effective seat belt reminder, while the Chevrolet Express 2500, Ford Transit T-250, Mercedes Sprinter 2500, and Rivian Delivery 500 fell short due to missing seat belt reminders or force limiters. IIHS plans to expand its assessments to Classes 4-6 cab chassis in 2027, with evaluations of Classes 7-8 trucks to follow. The move comes as crashes involving heavy-, medium-duty trucks, or light vans accounted for 6,535 fatalities in 2023—16% of all U.S. roadway deaths. The IIHS will next evaluate the same vehicles for road-user protections, including automatic emergency braking and headlights. Industry stakeholders, including Volvo Trucks North America and Daimler Truck North America, are already integrating advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like side-curtain airbags, 360-degree camera systems, and braking assistance technologies to enhance safety and reduce insurance costs, which have surged 36% per mile between 2018 and 2025.