U.S. Deportment 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

of Transportation Washington, D.C. 20590 

Federal Highway 

Administration 

In Reply Refer To: 

(I f .. '") 0t. 2 ~ - ··',.~ ,~J.u HSST-1/CC-J 12C 

Mr. Bret Eckert P.E. 

Engineering Applications Manager 

Trinity High,.vay Products 

36 17 Cincinnati Avenue 

Rockl in, CA. 95677 

Dear Mr. Eckert: 

This lcl! cr is i11 rcspo11 sc lo your lkccrnbcr 16. 2015 request for the Federal J lighwny 

Administration (Fll\VA) to review a roadside safety device, hardware, or system ror eligibility 

for reimbursement under the Federal-a id highway program. This FHWA letter of eligibility is 

assigned FJJ W/\control numlwr C'C- 112(' m1cl is ,·alid until a subsequent le(ler is issued by 

Fl JW/\ that expressly rcrcrenccs this device. 

Decision 

The ((il lo\ving devices an.: eligible, with details provided in the form whi ch is attached as an 

integrnl part of this letter: 

• QuadGuard® MIO Modification 

Scope of th is Letter 

To be found eli gible for Federal-aid funding, new roadside sa rety devices should meet the crash 

test and evaluation criteri a contained in the American Association of State l-ligbv,1ay and 

Transportation Officials' Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). Hov·.iever, the FHWA, 

the Department of Transportation, and the United States Government do not regulate the 

manufacture of roadside safety devices. Eligibi lity for reimbursement under the Federal-aid 

highway program does not establish approval, certification or endorsement of the device for any 

particular purpose or use. 

This letter is not a determination by the FHWA, the Depaiiment of Transpo1iation, or the United 

States Government that a vehicle crash involving the device will result in any particul ar 

outcome, nor is it a guarantee of the in-service performance of this device. Proper 

manufacturing, installation, and maintenance are required in order for this device to function as 

tested. 
2 

This finding of eligibility is limited to the crash worthiness of the system and does not cover other 

structural fea tures, nor conformity with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. 

E ligibility for Reimbursement 

FHWA previously issued an eligibil ity Jetter for the roadside safety system described in your 

pending request. Your pendi ng reques! 110\:\' identifies a modification to that roadside safety 

system. 

The original roadside safety device information is: 

Name of system: Quad Guard M 10 

Type of system: Crash Cushion 

Date of original req uest: May 3, 20 I 0 

Date of original 1:11 w /\eligibility letter: Febrnary 9. 201 I 

Fl JW /\ Control 1111111ber: CC- I 12 

The modifi ca tion(s) to !he QuadGuarcl covered by this letter are: 

l . 	The assembly dnnving for the QuadGuard® M 10 has the vvrong length bolt holding the pull 

out tabs on !he front diaphragm. /\ 2 in" long bolt is required lo provide f'ull cngagenwnt of 

the nut threads during assembly. 

FH WA concurs with the recommendation of the accredited crash testing laboratory as stated 

\·Vithin the attached form. 

Full Description of the 1£1igiblc Dl·vicc 

The device and supporting documentation, including reports of the crash tests or othe r testing 

clone, videos of any crash testi ng. and/or drawings of the device, are described in the 3llachcd 

form. 

Notice 

lf a manufacturer makes any modification to any of their roadside safety hardware that has an 

existing eligibility letter from FHW J\, the manufacturer must notify FHWA of such modification 

with a request for continued eligibility fo r reimbursement. The notice of all modifications to a 

device must be accompanied by: 

o 	 Significant modifications - For these modifications, crash test results must be 

submitted with accompanying documentation and videos. 

o 	 Non-signifi cation modifications - For these modifications, a statement from the 

crash test laboratory on the potential effect of the modification on the abi I ity of 

!he device to meet the relevant crash test criteria. 

FHWA's determination of continued eligibility for the modified hardware will be based on 

whether the modified hardware will continue to meet the relevant crash test criteria. 
3 

You are expected to supply potential users \;>,1ith sufficient information on design, installation and 

maintenance requirements to ensure proper performance. 

You arc expected to certify to potential users that the hardware furnished has the same chemistry, 

mechanical properties, and geometry as that submitted for review, and that it \·viii meet the test 

and evaluation criteria of the MASH. 

Issuance of this letter does not convey property rights of any sort or any exclusive privilege. This 

letter is based on the premise that information and reports submitted by you are accurate and 

coJTect. We reserve the right to modify or revoke this letter if: (1) there are any inaccuracies in 

the information submitted in support of your request for this Jeller, (2) the qualification testing 

was nawed. (1) in-service performance or other information reveals safely problems, (4) the 

system is signi flcan tl y different from the version that \Vas crash tested, or (5) any other 

informat ion i11dic<1tcs that the lellcr was issued in error or othcrv, isc docs 1101 rell cct full and 

complete in formation ;1bollt the crnshworthincss ol the system. 

Stand a rd P rovisions 

o 	 To prevent misunclcrslandi11g by others, this lctler of eligibility clesigna!cd as Fl J\V/\ 

control number cc~ J J 2C shall not be reproduced except in full. This teller and the test 

documentation upon whi ch it is based are public information. All such letters and 

clocumenlation may be rcviev-,iccl upon request. 

• 	 This letter shall not be construed as authorization or consent by the FHWA lo use. 

rnanul~1cl urc. or sell an~' patented system for whi ch the: applicant is not the 1x1tcnt l1o lder. 

Jf the subject device is a patentee! product it may be considered to be proprieta ry. If 

proprietary systems arc specified by a highv.,1ay agency for use on Federal-aid projects: (a) 

they must be suppli ed th rough competitive bidd ing \vith equally suitable unpatent ed items; 

(b) the highway agency must certify that they arc essential fo r synchronization with the 

existing highway faci lities or that no equally suitable alternative exists; or (c) they must be 

used for research or for a distinctive type of construction on relatively short sections of road 

fo r experimental purposes. Our regulations concerning proprietary products are contained in 

Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 635.4 11. 
4 

Our regulations concerning proprietary products are contained in Title 23, Code of Federal 

Regula!ions, Section 635.411. 

Sincerely yours, 

Midrnel S. Griffi!h 

Director, Office of S::ifet:' Technologies 

Of!icc of Safrt:' 

l '.nc losurcs 
Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 1 of 4 

Request for Federal Aid Reimburse1nent Eligibility 


of High\\ray Safety J-Iardware 


Date of Request: December 16, 201 5 I le New r Resubmission 

Name: Bret R. Eckert, P.E. 

'­

QI 

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.'!:'. 

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.JJ 

:I 

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Company: 

Address: 

Country: 

Trinity Highway Products, LLC 

3617 Cincinnati Ave., Rocklin, CA 95765 

USA 

To: Michael S. Griffith, Director 

FHWA, Office of Safety Technologies 

I request the following devices be considered eligible for reimbursement under the Federal-aid 

highway program. 

,-, ~ !

--- --· ----· -·-~- ---- -­ Test System Type Submission ·1 ypc Device "Jame I Variant Iesting Critc1 ion Level 

AASHTO MASH 'CC': Crash Cushions, le Physical Crash Testing TU

QucJdC.11;:rd'" lv'1 l0 

Atlcnua\01 s, & 1 erminals (' Engineering f\nalysis 

=-il 

13y submitting this requ es t for review and eva luation by the Federal Highway Administration, I certify 

that the product(s) was (were) t ested in conformity w ith the AASHTO M anual for Assessing Sa fet y 

Hardware and tha t the evaluation results meet the appropriate evaluation criteria in the MASI I. 

Identification of the individua l or organiza tion responsible for the product : 

Contact Name: Jim Thonn Sarne as Submit ter D ---- -­ -- -­ - Com pany Name: Trinity Highway Products, LLC Same as Submitter [Z1 

Address: 70 West Madison Street, Suite 2350, Chicago, IL 60602 Same as Submitter D 

Country: USA Same as Submitter [Z1 

Enter be low all disclosures of financial interest s as required by t he FHWA ' Federal-Aid Reim bursem ent 


Eligibility Process for Safet y Hardware Devices' document. 


The QuadGuard0 M 10 technology is the commercial embodiment of intellectual property that is protected by 


patents that are owned by THP. THP does not pay royalties for sales of the QuadGuard" M 1 Osystem. The 


QuadGuard" Ml 0 system was designed and developed by engineers at Energy Absorption Systems Inc. (EAS). 


The patent holders of record for the QuadGuard" M 10 system are Sean Thompson, Aaron J. Cox, and Patrick A. 


Leonhardt and Mr. Thompson, Mr. Cox, and Mr. Leonhardt were employed by EAS. The associated United States 


Patent Office patent number (8,469,626) is assigned to Energy Absorption Systems, Inc. /Trinity Industries, Inc. 


EAS sponsored certain crash tests of the QuadGuard"' MlO system; such t ests were conducted by E-Tech Testing 


Services, an independent, wholly-owned subsidiary ofTHP. E·Tech Testing Services is an International Standards 


Organization ("ISO") 17025 accredited laboratory with American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) 


Mechanical Testing certificate 989.01. Full-scale crash testing on the QuadGuard" MlO system was performed in 


accordance with t esting criteria, as set forth by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation 


Officials ("AASHTO") in the Manual for assessing Safety Hardware ("MASH")(2009). 

Version 9.1 (11/15) 

Page 2 of 4 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

,.... New Hardware or Modification to IN s· ·r· t 

\ . . . . . . 1• . . on­ 1 n1 1can S1gn1f1 cant Mod1f1cat1on Existing Hardware g 

The 6-bay QuadGuard"' MlO and MlO Wide were originally accepted on February 9, 2011 with FHWA eligibility 

letter HSST/CC-112 as MASH Crash Cushions. A 6-bay construction Zone (CZ) version was subsequently 

accepted on Murch 8, 2012 with FHWA eligibility letter HSST/CC-l 12B and as a 3-bay narrow and wide TL-2 

device on July 30, 2012 with FHWA eligibility letter Hss·1 /CC-121. The QuildGuard"' Ml Osystems are redirective, 

non-ga l ing crash cushions. 

This re4uest for continued eligibility i ~ to not ify the FHW/\ of neccssilry modifica tions tli;it have occurred since 

lvl.iy 18, 20 15. /\II revisions hcWC' been justi fied t hrou~li 0ngince:ring <11 1;ilysis and Judgement and have been 

dct0rmined t·o be 11 on-sig nific;i11t ;:ind v;ill hilV<' no he;i1 ing on t lw il'>-tP.~ted performance of the system. I hesc 

modifications inclt1de the following: 

1. The assembly drawing for the Narrow Qt1ild(iuard" MlO hris the wrong length bolt holding the pull out tabs 

on the front diaphragm. I\ 2 1/2" long boll i ~ rcqt1irecl to p1ovide full engagement of the nu t threads during 

;i~semb ly. (IJ l 16) 

CRASH TESTING 

A brief description of each crash test and its result: 

Required Test 

Number 

Narrative 

Description 

Evaluation Results 

3-30 (1100( ) 

Test 3-30 was waived for the QuilclGuMd'" Ml 0 in FHW/\ 

Eligibility letter HSSl /CC-11 ;i based on rc~ t 3-32 being worst 

case conditions for the 11 OOC vehicle. The non-significant 

modifica tions described in the Product Description will hnve 

no bearing on the as-tested performance of the system. 

Non-Critical, not conducted 

3-31 (2270P) 

Test No. 01-3044-004, Test Dnte Feburary 25, 2010, Test 

Report "MASH TL-3 Crash Test Results for the QuadGuard0 

M 10 System, Report #357 dated April 2010. The nonsignificant modifications for the adG uard~ M 10 as 

described in the Product Description w ill have no bearing on 

the as-tested performance of the system. 

PASS 

3-32 (l lOOC) 

Test No. 01-3044-003, Test Date December 3, 2009, Test 

Report "MASH TL-3 Crash Test Results for the QuadGuard0 

M l O System, Report #357 dated April 2010. The nonsignifican t modifications for the QuadGuard$ Ml 0 as 

described in the Produ ct Description wi ll have no bea ring on 

the as-tested performance of the system. 

PASS 

3-33 (2270P) 

Test 3-33 was waived for the QuadGuard® Ml 0 in FHWA 

Eligibility letter HSST/CC­11 2 based on Test 3-31 testing 

system capacity for 2270P and is considered worst case. The 

non-significant modifications described in the Product 

Description will have no bearing on the as-tested 

performance of the system. 

Non-Critica l, not conducted 
Required Test Narrative Eva luation Results Number Description 

Test No. 01-3044-001, Test Date August 4, 2006, Test Report 

"MASH TL-3 Crash Test Results for the QuadGuard"' Ml 0 

System, Report #357 dated April 2010. The non-significant 3-34 (1 lOOC) PASS 

modifications for the QuadGuard"' Ml 0 as described in the 

Product Description will have no bearing on the as-tested 

performance of the system. 

Test 3-35 was waived for the QuadGuard"' Ml Oin FHWA 

Eligibility letter HSST/CC-11 2 due to the lateral stiffness ofthe 

QuadGuard"' Ml 0, this test is the same as test 3-36 and can be 3-35 (2270P) Non-Critica l, not conducted waived. The non-significant modifications described in the 

Product Description will h<lve no bearing on the as-tested 

performance of the system. 

Test No. 01-3044-002, Test Date August 23, 2006, Test Report 

"MASH TL-3 Crash Test Rcsu lb fo1· the QuadGuard0 M 1 O 

System, Report 11357 elated April 2010. The non-significant 3-36 (27.70P) PASS modifications for the QuadGui11 d'' IV'il 0 <ls described in lhe 

Producl Oescription will ,1v~ no heMing on the as-tP~led 

pcrformcince of lhe systern. ITest No. 01 -3044-005, Test Dal e April 1, 2010, Test Report -- -·­

"MASH TL-3 Crash Test Results for the QuadGuard0 Ml O 

System, He port 11357 dated /\pril 2010. The non-significant 3-37 (2770P) PASS 111odifications for the Ouad(iua1d" M 10 a~ described in the 

Product Desc1 iptio11 will have 110 bearing on the <is-tested 

performance of the system. 

Simulated. Test Report "MASH TL-3 Crash Test Results for the 

Qua ard~ MlO System, Heport 11357 dated April 201 0. The 

3-38 (1500/\) non-significant modifications for the QuadGuard"' MlO as P/\SS 

described in the Product Description will hC1ve no bearing on 

the as-tested performance of the system. 

Not Applicable. Test 3-40 is for nonredireclive, gating devices 3-40 (1100() and not appli c<1 blc for Quadguard" M 10 system eligibility. - Not Applicable. Test 3-1\ 1 is for onredirecti e~ gating devices 3-41 (2270P) 

--

and not applicable for Quadguard"' Ml 0 system eligibility. 

Not Applicable. Test 3-42 is for nonredirective, gating devices 3-42 (11 OOC) and not applicable for Quadguard"' M 10 system el igibility. 

Not Applicable. Test 3-43 is for nonredirective, gating devices 3-43 (2270P) and not applicable for Quadguard"' Ml 0 system eligibility. 

Not Applicable. Test 3-1\4 is for nonredirective, gating devices 3-44 (2270P) and not applicable for Quadguard"' M 10 system eligibility. 

Not Applicable. Test 3-45 is for nonredirective, gating devices 3-45 (l 500A) and not applicable for Quadguard" Ml O system eligibility. 

Version 9.1 (11/ 15} 

Page 3 of 4 

Full Scale Crash Testing was done in compliance w ith MASH by the following accredited crash t est 

laboratory (cite the laboratory's accreditation status as not ed in the cras h t est reports.): 
Testing Laboratory's signature concurs that these modifications are considered Non-Significant. 

laboratory Nam e: E-Tech Testing Services, Inc. 

Digitally signed by Paul Knne 

DN. en P.Jul Kr uH•, o -,.[ .TfCll Thl1ng S' N Kt\, OU Pl.int 151.;, Laboratory Signature: Paul Kruse m• ll paul kru~~t rin.net, c:o:US 

D.lt': )01s 1) 21 08 4):47 ·08'00' 

Add ress : 36178 Cincinnati Ave., Rocklin, CA 95765 Same as Submitter D 

Country: USA Same as Submitter ~ 

Accreditation Certificate 

Number and Dates of current A2LA Certificate# 989.01, November 30, 2017 

Accreditation period : 

0.91t.llly 'igMd by 

Submitter Signature": Bret Eckert brt: "<~e:r thn nr:

!)~ n-brc1 e< ~ ·:11n1W't 

l>Jt<' 7r,1s 2;1o~ri;~.; osro· 

Submit Form ----- ---~

Version 9. 1 (11/ 15) 

Page 4 of 4 

./\Tl'A Cl JM ENTS 

Attach lo this form: 

I) Additional disclosures of related linancial interest as indicated above. 

2) A copy of"the full test 1\'JK1r1. v ideo, and a Test Data Summary Sheet for C<lch test rnncluctcd in 

support of' this rcq1 1cst. 

3) A draw ing or drawings of the dcv icc(s) that conform 10 the Task Force- 13 Drawing Specifications 

[Hardware Guide Drawing Standards]. r or proprieta ry products, a single isometric line drawing is 

usually acceptable to illustrate the product, w ith detnilcd specifications. intended use. and contact 

inrormation provided on the reverse. Aclclitional drawings (not in TF- 1 '.\ format) showing details that 

arc relevant to understanding the dimensions and performance of the dev ice should also be submitted 

lo facilitate our rcv ie\\'. 

FHWA Official Business Only: 

Eligibility Letter AASHTO TF13 

Number Date Designator Key Words