After many years of balloting, the 2026 edition of AASHTO R 18 was finally released on July 31, 2026, the first major update since 2018. In this video, Accreditation Program Director Brian Johnson sits down with Communications Manager Kim Swanson to talk through what actually changed in the new standard, the thinking behind those changes, and what it all means for AASHTO Accredited laboratories.

Since AASHTO R 18 is the foundation of AASHTO Accreditation, these updates touch every accredited lab. The good news is there's nothing earth-shattering here, but there are some new items labs will want to build into their Quality Management Systems.

AASHTO re:source and CCRL won't begin assessing conformance to the updated requirements until January 1, 2027, so you have time between now and the end of the year to get your QMS updated.

Send us Fan Mail

Have questions, comments, or want to be a guest on an upcoming episode? Email podcast@aashtoresource.org.

Related information on this and other episodes can be found at aashtoresource.org.