Press release – North America

Volvo Trucks’ industry-first standard integrated side curtain airbag named HDT 2025 Top 20 Product

2026-02-24

Volvo Trucks North America’s integrated side curtain airbag has been named an HDT 2025 Top 20 Product by the editors of Heavy Duty Trucking. The award recognizes products that significantly advance safety and operational performance in the trucking industry. The recognition comes as the all-new Volvo VNR began production this month at Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia. Integrated side curtain airbags are now standard equipment on every new Volvo VNL and new VNR built for the North American market.

By making side curtain airbags standard, Volvo Trucks is expanding access to a proven safety innovation designed to help reduce injuries and fatalities in high-impact situations. The move to standardize the airbag builds on Volvo Trucks’ long history of safety leadership in heavy-duty vehicles, which includes being the first manufacturer in North America to offer a driver front airbag in a heavy truck.

“Safety is part of our DNA, and developing safety innovations that help protect drivers and those around the trucks is a process that never ends,” said Peter Voorhoeve, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “At Volvo Trucks we have a vision for zero accidents, because it is the only number that is acceptable. We are proud that this commitment to a safety-first approach has been recognized by Heavy Duty Trucking with this award.”

The side curtain airbag is engineered to deploy in a rollover event, providing additional protection for both drivers and passengers in one of the most severe crash scenarios on North American roads. According to some studies, rollovers account for roughly half of all truck occupant fatalities, and this technology expands access to a proven safety innovation designed to help reduce injuries and fatalities in high-impact situations.*

“Innovation matters, but fleets need solutions they can actually put to work,” said HDT editor and associate publisher Deborah Lockridge. “Having fleet managers involved in the Top 20 Products awards helps us spotlight products that tackle real challenges and deliver practical value as the industry continues to evolve.”

Heavy Duty Trucking’s HDT 2025 Top 20 Products honors the best new or significantly improved products introduced to the trucking industry in 2024. The trophy will be presented during the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting and exposition in Nashville on March 16.

About HDT's Top 20 Awards

To determine the Top 20 Products, HDT’s team of experienced trucking editors evaluate all the new and significantly improved products they reported on during the past year to develop a list of finalists. A panel of leading fleet equipment, maintenance and management executives is then asked to score each finalist in three areas in order to determine the winners: innovation, ability to address industry issues, and potential to help fleets’ bottom lines

Heavy Duty Trucking, a Bobit Business Media brand, has been serving the trucking industry for over 100 years with award-winning editorial content on all aspects of running a successful trucking fleet.

*Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Motor Vehicle Crash Data Querying and Reporting

February 24, 2026

To learn more about Volvo Trucks North America, visit the company website.

For further information, please contact:

Allison Scudder
Public Relations Manager
336.833.4679
allison.scudder@volvo.com

Volvo Trucks North America, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturers in North America. Its Uptime Services commitment is delivered by a network of nearly 400 authorized dealers across North America and the 24/7 Volvo Trucks Uptime Center. Every Volvo truck is assembled in the Volvo Trucks New River Valley manufacturing facility in Dublin, Virginia, which meets the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, 14001 standard for environmental care and holds a dual ISO 50001/Superior Energy Performance certification at the platinum level, indicating a sustained excellence in energy management. Volvo Trucks North America provides complete transport solutions for its customers, offering a full range of diesel, alternative-fuel and all-electric vehicles, and is part of the Volvo Trucks global organization.

Volvo Trucks supplies complete transport solutions for discerning professional customers with its full range of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Customer support is provided via a global network of dealers with 2,200 service points in about 130 countries. Volvo trucks are assembled in 12 countries across the globe. In 2025 approximately 120,000 Volvo trucks were delivered worldwide. Volvo Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Volvo Trucks’ work is based on the core values of quality, safety and environmental care.