Side Guards: Saving Lives & Veteran Careers in 2026

Hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists are killed or horribly injured every year in collisions with large trucks. It often happens when they’re pulled into the blind spot between the front and rear wheels, an awful scenario people call “underride.” This problem demands a real solution, especially when you think about the unique skills and focus that military veterans could bring to the trucking industry. So how do we boost trucking safety and create solid veteran careers at the same time?

The cost of underride collisions is paid in human lives. When a smaller vehicle or a person on a bike slides under the side of a big rig, the truck’s frame just shears the top off the car or hits the person directly. The height and weight difference makes these crashes uniquely devastating. We’ve had federal mandates for rear underride guards for decades, but side guards, which handle the same kind of danger from the side, are still mostly optional in the U.S. This gap in the rules creates a lethal, preventable hazard on our roads, particularly in cities where trucks, bikes, and people are all sharing the same crowded space.

For years, people in the trucking industry and safety groups have gone back and forth on the cost and difficulty of adding side guards. The initial pushback was always about high costs, added weight, and maintenance headaches. But these arguments don’t account for the massive societal price of deaths and injuries that we could have prevented. The first thing that went wrong was leaving it up to voluntary adoption. Without a clear rule everyone had to follow, fleet operators and manufacturers just didn’t invest, leaving public safety up to chance. Some local efforts are good to see, but they can’t fix a nationwide problem. For example, cities like Boston and New York have their own rules for city-contracted trucks, which shows they’re committed but also proves how fragmented the current non-system is.

The fix isn’t just one thing. It’s a combination of new federal rules and a smart workforce plan that gets our nation’s veterans directly involved. The heart of the idea is to get side guards onto heavy trucks everywhere, while creating training and jobs for veterans to build, install, and service these life-saving devices.

Mandating Side Guards: A Proven Safety Measure

Side guards are just barriers fitted between a truck’s front and rear wheels. Their job is simple: stop a cyclist, pedestrian, or car from sliding underneath the trailer during a side collision. This mechanical barrier turns a potentially catastrophic underride into a much more survivable impact. It’s not a new concept. The European Union has required side guards on most of their heavy trucks since the early 1990s, and their data shows it works. A study from the European Commission confirmed they saw a big drop in deaths and serious injuries in side-impact crashes with trucks that had the guards.

Here at home, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been pushing for federal rules on side underride guards for years. In a 2021 special report, the NTSB found that in a large number of the crashes they looked at, side guards would have prevented or lessened the injuries. Their data projects that these guards could slash fatalities in side-impact crashes by an incredible 60%. Just think about the lives that would save in communities everywhere, from dense city centers to major freight corridors like I-75 running through Georgia.

Putting a federal mandate in place, just like the one for rear guards, would create one safety standard for the whole industry. A single federal rule would get rid of the confusing patchwork of local ordinances and give manufacturers clear specs, which brings down costs thanks to economies of scale. The upfront cost to build and install the guards would be paid back by fewer lawsuits, lower insurance payouts, and, most of all, saved lives. This is a public safety investment, plain and simple.

Veteran Careers: Building a Safer Future

The trucking industry has a constant shortage of skilled people, from drivers to mechanics. Veterans, with their discipline and commitment to getting the job done, are the perfect people to fill these jobs. The skills they learn in the military, like mechanical know-how and experience operating complex equipment, are a direct fit for the transportation sector’s needs. Plus, many vets are looking for a stable career with a real sense of purpose after they leave the service. This side guard initiative is a clear opportunity to connect those two needs.

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Think about what it takes to manufacture and install these side guards. This is precision work, requiring skilled welding and fabrication to meet tough safety specs. These are the exact technical skills many veterans already have or could learn quickly with the right training. We could build programs with community and vocational colleges aimed specifically at turning veterans into certified side guard installers and maintenance techs. For instance, a program with a school like Atlanta Technical College could create a curriculum for heavy vehicle safety systems, with a focus on this side guard technology.

And it’s not a one-and-done job. These guards will take a beating from road debris and minor scrapes, so they’ll need regular inspections and repairs. This creates a sustainable, long-term demand for skilled technicians, offering a real career path for veterans. You can picture veterans working at shops near major hubs like the Port of Savannah, installing and servicing guards on the thousands of trucks that move through there, making the supply chain and the surrounding communities safer every day.

What Went Wrong First: The Pitfalls of Voluntary Compliance

The biggest mistake in dealing with side underride was hoping companies would just adopt it voluntarily. Safety advocates have been sounding the alarm for decades, but the industry hasn’t moved. Why? The trucking world is very decentralized, with tons of independent owner-operators and fleets of all sizes. Without a federal rule, the immediate cost of installing guards often seemed to outweigh the potential long-term savings for any single company. Some truck makers offered side guards as an option, but they were treated as an extra, not a standard feature, so not many got sold.

The other big problem is the lack of a single, required design. Without a federal performance standard, it’s hard for a fleet owner to know if they’re buying a quality product that will actually work. This uncertainty makes everyone hesitant. Even a company that wants to do the right thing might wait for an official industry benchmark before spending the money. The result is that bikers and drivers are still at risk, and we’re missing a huge opportunity to create jobs for veterans in a new safety field.

A Path Forward: Legislation, Training, and Veteran Integration

To really fix the underride problem and help veterans, we need to do three things. First, Congress needs to pass federal legislation mandating side guards on all new heavy trucks, something like the proposed Stop Underrides Act. That would finally create the universal standard we need.

Second, we have to set up and fund training programs just for veterans. These programs should offer certifications in installing, maintaining, and inspecting heavy vehicle safety systems, focusing on side guard tech. Getting the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Transportation, trucking groups, and schools to partner up is key. A vet could get tuition help for a specialized course that leads straight to a job. This is about building a real career path, going way beyond just teaching a single skill.

Third, the trucking industry needs to step up and actively hire veterans for these jobs. That means creating clear career paths, paying good wages, and recognizing the value these men and women bring. The companies that make safety a priority and hire vets for these roles will improve their public image *and* get a highly skilled, dedicated workforce. The results would be easy to see: a steep drop in underride deaths and a real increase in veteran employment in one of America’s most important industries.

Think about the economic ripples. A federal mandate would create new manufacturing jobs making side guard parts. This could bring life back to local economies, especially in places with a manufacturing background. A metal fabrication plant in Dalton, Georgia, for example, could expand to produce side guard kits, creating hundreds of jobs right there. The effect spreads to logistics, distribution, and maintenance services, which would all see more business. This turns a safety problem into a job-creation engine, with vets leading the way.

The outcome of an initiative like this would be huge. We’d see a real, measurable drop in the number of people killed and maimed in underride crashes, making the NTSB’s projection of preventing hundreds of deaths a year a reality. At the same time, veteran unemployment would go down as a new skilled trade opens up within transportation. Veterans would get stable, meaningful careers where their skills are used to make our roads safer for everybody. It’s a win-win: better public safety and solid veteran employment, proving that smart rules and workforce planning can produce major benefits for society.

Requiring side guards on heavy trucks, combined with dedicated training and jobs for veterans, is a practical way to get safer roads and fulfilling careers. It fixes a critical safety gap by putting the incredible skills of our nation’s veterans to work, building a more secure future for all of us.