Published July 31, 2026
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.
In this video, Brian and Kim cover:
- Why the standard was updated, clarifying confusing requirements, adding lessons learned over the years, removing items that proved unimportant, and working lab and specifier feedback through the balloting process;
- New terminology, plus updates to Document Control, Organization, and Staff, including the change to position descriptions that finally addresses the long-standing technician education issue;
- Technician training and competency, customer complaints, internal audits, management reviews, and corrective action; and
- Equipment, calibration, and inventory requirements, along with the updated Annex tables, including a brand-new Pavement Preservation table.
Have questions about implementing the changes? We're happy to help. Reach out to us at info@aashtoresource.org or 240.436.4900.