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This paper provides details on the tests performed and the research findings of an underride guard test programme, including 10 full scale crashes using three types of deformable guards. The deformable guards tested included one meeting the minimum requirements of the NHTSA FMVSS 223 with ground clearances of either 560 or 480 mm, a second meeting the same minimum performance criteria with the addition of a device to limit the displacement of the horizontal member (ground clearance of 480 mm only) and a third being stiffer and designed to roughly maintain its 560 mm ground clearance during deformation. Crash tests were performed at speeds of 48, 56 and 65 kph.

In North America, heavy-duty diesel engines for on-road use have to meet strict regulations for their emissions of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide (cumulatively referred to as ‘NOx’) besides other criteria pollutants. Over the next decade, regulations for NOx emissions are expected to becoming more stringent in North America. One of the major technical barriers for achieving in-use NOx emissions commensurate with the levels determined from in-laboratory test procedures required by regulations is controlling NOx emissions during cold start and engine idling. Since the exhaust gas temperature can be low during these conditions, the effectiveness of the exhaust after-treatment (EAT) system may be reduced. Under colder climate conditions like in Canada, the impact may be even more significant.