N.Y. Depts. Complete Truck Side-Guard Safety Installs
Side-guards are inexpensive and common-sense protections to help keep pedestrians from being caught in the gap of a truck and badly hurt or killed, according to the city.
Truck side-guards are standard in many countries but still rare in the United States.
Photo: NYC/DCAS
The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services has completed truck side-guard safety installations with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), upgrading 335 trucks between the two agencies.
Side-guards are inexpensive and common-sense protections to help keep pedestrians, bicyclists, or children from being caught in the gap of a truck and badly hurt or killed, according to the city, which reported the news in a June 15 NYC/DCAS fleet newsletter.
Of DOT’s city-owned trucks, 88% are complete with side-guards or soon to be replaced by new trucks with side-guards. For the New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY), 57% of the units have side-guards or have new safer trucks on route. DSNY has the largest program in general, with 1,630 total trucks using side-guards today.
In 2015, New York City's Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a bill that requires side guards on 10,000 city and private refuse trucks by 2024 to reduce deaths and serious injuries during collisions with passengers.
Overall, the city fleet is now at 70% compliance with 3,170 trucks using side-guards.
More Safety
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Your fleet may have the right policies, but are they being followed consistently? This practical guide highlights six hidden compliance risks that can undermine public sector and shared fleet operations and shares proven approaches to improve oversight, drive accountability, and maintain audit readiness.
Read More →
5 Days Left to Submit Your 2026 Fleet Safety Award Nomination
Know a government fleet, safety, or risk manager who deserves recognition for making fleet operations safer? Nominations are open through Aug. 15.
Read More →
How the First 24 Hours Can Shape a Fleet Crash Response
How a strong accident response process helps government fleets move from the initial report to recovery while building a clearer record for what needs to change next.
Read More →
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
e-con Systems Expands AI Camera Tools for Traffic Monitoring
The systems support license plate recognition, traffic analytics, and video management for transportation agencies.
Read More →
King Township Pilot Links Driver Feedback to Reduced Speeding
How King Township, a best-in-class municipal fleet, reduced speeding by 10.9% and demonstrated a projected 349% ROI by putting safety ownership directly in drivers' hands.
Read More →
Beyond the Fireline: The Critical Role of Public Fleets in Wildfire Response
Behind every wildfire response is a complex network of vehicles, data, and decisions that must work in sync under extreme pressure. Global heating trends require strong fleet coordination and reliable communications to keep crews safe and operations running smoothly.
Read More →
How AI Is Transforming Public Fleet Safety - Part 1
AI-powered safety systems are helping public fleets tackle distracted driving by delivering real-time coaching and measurable behavior change behind the wheel. In part one of our Q&A, Nauto CEO Stefan Heck explains how agencies can improve safety, reduce costs, and navigate implementation challenges with AI-driven technology.
Read More →
Reducing Risk and Improving Safety in Public Sector Fleets with Advanced Driver-Assist Technology
Public sector fleets face increasing pressure to improve safety, reduce liability, and operate efficiently. See how advanced vehicle technologies are helping agencies protect drivers, the public, and their budgets.
Read More →
3 Ways Fleet Tech Builds Public Trust
Managing a state or local fleet comes with levels of accountability private companies don’t have. Read how modern fleet technology helps elevate visibility and safety to strengthen community trust.
Read More →