Several tests have been conducted on the safety of cars, whereas similar experimental work on trucks is still scarce.
This paper reports on the static and dynamic tests run to study the collision of trucks against different kinds of obstacles (barrier, cars, guardrail), wedging of cars under truck side or tail, roll-over, forward sliding of the load against cab back panel, and impact of driver against the steering wheel (with near-vertical column).
The data lead to the conclusion that, even though the wealth of experimental methods acquired in car tests is applicable in bulk to commercial vehicles, there are several marked differences in the behavior between the two types of vehicle; to name a few, the diverse structural behavior in some types of collision, the reduced possibility of post-collision fires, and the different kind of driver-against-steering wheel impact due to the different setting.
The information derived from the above tests provides indications on the advisability of introducing in the conventional designs some changes which, though rather modest, contribute to the progressive improvement of safety of this particular class of vehicle.