LED lighting can be the difference between a rear-end crash and a near miss, ATA says.
Trailer LED lighting should be part of any rewiring, a new Australian Trucking Association (ATA) advisory concludes.
The safety call comes in the ATA’s new technical advisory procedure on heavy vehicle electrical wiring, which includes guidance on trailer lighting system requirements.
The advisory procedure was developed by the ATA’s Industry Technical Council and includes electrical fire prevention tips as well.
“LED lighting has been available for heavy vehicle use for some time,” ATA CEO Chris Melham says.
“One of the benefits of these lights is that they light up faster than traditional incandescent bulbs.
“At 100 km/h, a LED brake light will come on 4.4m earlier than a comparable incandescent light.
“This can easily be the difference between a rear-end crash and a near miss.
“But in order to achieve this safety gain, heavy vehicle wiring needs to be able to support these products.
“The ATA’s new technical advisory procedure provides in-depth guidance for trucking operators and workshops to make sure they are getting the most out of their truck’s electrical system.”
The advisory procedure includes extensive technical advice covering heavy vehicle wiring, lighting, voltage levels, connectors, alternators, batteries and the towing vehicle power source.
The document provides specific advice on preventing electrical failures that could spark a heavy vehicle fire.
“As truck electrical systems continue to increase in complexity, there have been a worrying number of incidents where worn or incorrect electrical components have caused truck fires,” Melham says.
“Trucks and trailers often experience harsh conditions as they travel across Australia.
“We’ve listed the key areas that workshops and operators should check to make sure the truck electrical system stays safe and reliable throughout the vehicle’s lifetime.”
This and other technical advisories can be found here.