Are Your TMA Trucks Crash-Test Compliant?

MASH 2016 replaced NCHRP 350, and older units have a hard deadline. Here is how to confirm your attenuator trucks meet the current standard before an inspector does it for you.

Compliance is not a marketing word on an attenuator. It is a specific crash-test standard, a matching FHWA eligibility letter, and a deadline that is now close enough to plan around. If you cannot produce the paperwork, the truck is a liability.

MASH 2016 versus NCHRP 350

MASH 2016 replaced the older NCHRP 350 standard and raised the bar on how attenuators are tested. Units certified only to the old standard are being phased out. Non-MASH-2016 equipment built before 2023 must be off the road by January 1, 2030. That sounds far off, but a fleet does not turn over overnight.

Test levels you should know

• TL-2: rated for work zones at 45 mph and below
• TL-3: rated for 50 mph and up, with the crash test run near 62 mph
• Optional testing to 70 mph for higher-speed applications

Match the test level to your actual work. A freeway crew has no business behind a TL-2 unit. The Scorpion II, for example, is a TL-3 attenuator, while the Blade uses 12 crumpling blades to absorb the impact.

How to verify a unit

Ask for the FHWA eligibility letter tied to the specific attenuator model, confirm the GVWR is at or above roughly 26,000 lb to prevent underride, and check the service and re-certification history. If any of those are missing, treat the truck as non-compliant until proven otherwise. Our shop can inspect a unit and tell you where it stands.