Ford F-350 SuperCrew: heavy-duty pickup nails all five IIHS driver protection criteria

Ford F-350 Super Duty has been singled out in the new IIHS safety program for commercial vehicles. In crash testing, the heavy-duty F-350 SuperCrew joined the short list of models that met all five driver protection criteria. It’s a notable shift for the segment: commercial trucks are usually discussed in terms of towing, payload and durability, but now the focus turns to the safety of the person behind the wheel.

The first IIHS evaluation for commercial machines covered cargo vans and heavy-duty pickups. Instead of a full crash-test battery, the institute checked for five key elements: standard front and side airbags, an effective belt reminder, belt force limiters and pretensioners. Among Class 3 pickups, all five criteria were met by Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD and Ford F-350 SuperCrew. The third entrant, Ram 3500, scored four out of five — it lacked an effective belt reminder.

For Ford, the result matters because of how this truck is used. The F-350 regularly works in construction, utilities, service crews and contractor fleets, where it hauls people, tools and heavy trailers every day. In that world, driver safety is not a luxury but part of the total cost of ownership: an employee injury, equipment downtime and repairs can hit a business harder than any option box.

The Super Duty itself remains a heavy work pickup. Ford lists for the F-350 available gasoline V8 engines and the 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel, along with towing technologies including cameras, trailer assists, Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch. Depending on trim, Pre-Collision Assist with automatic emergency braking, BLIS with blind-spot monitoring and trailer coverage, and a 360-degree camera are also available.