Stoughton Trailers is exhibiting at the 2017 TMC Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition February 27 through March 2 in Nashville, Tenn., where the company will present new standard safety features on its 2017 trailers.

Stoughton Trailers will be displaying a 53-foot dry van trailer to highlight new 2017 design features, as well as hosting a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 28, to discuss the new features.

One such feature is the improved safety of the new rear underride guard. This structure is designed to widen the area of impact protection on the rear of trailers, and it comes standard for all new Stoughton Trailers at no cost or weight penalty to the customer. In the fall of 2016, Stoughton Trailers became the first leading manufacturer to include the improved rear underride guard as standard equipment with all new trailers.

Stoughton Trailers is committed to safety on the road and to doing its part to minimize the damage caused by underride crashes, such as the one involving the Karth family in 2013.

Marianne and Jerry Karth of North Carolina lost two daughters in a highway accident in which the car Marianne was driving was struck by a truck, spun around and pushed backward under the rear of another semi-trailer. The accident killed 17-year-old AnnaLeah and 13-year-old Mary. An underride guard fastened below the bed of the trailer, currently required on most motor carriers, did not hold up, and the Karths’ vehicle went under the rear of the trailer.

The Karths have since become devoted advocates for truck and trailer safety. Marianne will speak in support of the new rear underride guard at Tuesday’s press conference at approximately 10:30 a.m.

“Stoughton has set a new example for the industry in offering it as standard equipment and not merely an option,” Marianne Karth wrote in a December blog post. “Thank you, Stoughton, for your hard work and dedication to truly making safety a priority.”

About TMC:

For more than 60 years, the Technology Maintenance Council (TMC) has been creating the industry’s best practices in truck technology and

maintenance to help improve trucking equipment and transportation efficiencies throughout the country. This event draws the industry’s most important and influential equipment and technology specialists from across North America. Everyone is welcome to attend.