The Top 5 Reasons to Use LED Semi-Truck and Trailer Lights

Energy-efficient LED lighting is here and is here to stay. Light Emitting Diodes (LED) were once only used as indicator lights on small electronics and circuit boards. Today, LED lights are everywhere, from flashlights to factories. Given the many benefits of LED lights, it is no wonder why they have become a fixture in our lives at home, at work, and on the road.

Here are the top 5 reasons why switching to LED commercial truck and trailer lights is a wise investment, whether you are an owner-operator with a single semi-truck or manage a commercial fleet.

• Improved visibility: LED vehicle lights are typically brighter than traditional incandescent bulbs, making them easier to see from a distance. This increased visibility can help prevent accidents and improve safety for operators, other drivers, and pedestrians.
• Longer lifespan: LED lights last much longer than incandescent bulbs. This is a two-for-one benefit. Less frequent bulb replacement saves time and money on maintenance costs and reduces repair downtime. 
• Eco-friendly: Along with being long-lasting, truck and trailer LEDs are environmentally friendly because they do not contain harmful substances like mercury, which are present in traditional bulbs. Many trucking companies are switching to LED lights as part of their sustainability efforts.
• Instant-on: Semi-truck LED lights turn on instantly, without any warm-up time, which can be vital in emergencies where quick visibility is needed.
• Visual customization: Semi-truck LED lights come in various colors, shapes, and sizes. This variety gives commercial fleet owners the option the ability to create a unique look for their vehicles, reinforcing brand identity and improving recognition and visibility on the road.

We have high-quality LED lights that are perfect for semi-trucks and trailers, built to handle the extremes of long-distance trucking. Plus, they consume less energy and improve performance, reducing strain on your electrical system and other accessories– generating less heat and reducing the risk of heat-related failures.

So, if you're considering switching your entire fleet or just one truck or trailer to LED lights, we've got you covered. Our team knows their stuff, and we have all the products you need to make the switch today. Contact us here.

The requirements for trailer lights depend on the laws and regulations where you are operating and trailer size.

In general, however, in most jurisdictions, a trailer is required to have brake lights and other functioning lights when being towed on public roads to ensure the trailer is visible to other drivers and the operator can indicate its movements.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is an agency in the United States that establishes vehicle safety regulations. One of these regulations is the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 (FMVSS 108), which governs the lighting, signaling, and reflective equipment used in cars. This standard ensures all vehicles have the proper lighting and signaling systems to promote safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. These regulations hold manufacturers to a high standard of safety and quality in their products, which ultimately helps to prevent accidents and protect lives.

FMVSS 108 also outlines the lighting requirements for commercial semi-trucks and trailers. Here are some essential requirements for commercial truck and trailer lights:

• Headlights: Semi-trucks must have two headlights on the front, which must be white or selective yellow and provide adequate illumination for driving at night or in low-light conditions.
• Tail Lights: Semi-trucks and trailers must have at least two taillights on the rear, which must be red and visible from at least 1,000 feet away. 
• Brake lights: Brake lights activate when the driver applies the brakes and must be red and visible from at least 500 feet away. See all brake lights.
• Turn signals: Turn signals indicate when the driver intends to turn or change lanes, which must be amber in color and visible from at least 500 feet away. See all combination stop, turn, and tail lights.
• Side marker and Clearance lights: Along with front and rear side reflectors, semi-truck side marker lights indicate the presence and length of trucks and trailers to the drivers of other vehicles. Clearance lights indicate the vehicle's width and height. Trailers 80 in. or wider must have front and rear clearance lamps and a rear ID lamp to show the vehicle’s width and indicate the presence of a wide vehicle. See all side marker lights and clearance lights.
• Reflectors and ID Bars: Oversized semi-trucks and trailers require additional identification reflectors and lights based on length and width. Reflectors help other drivers see the vehicle at night. The three marker lamps at the top rear of a trailer, mounted around the vehicle's center line, are called 'identification lights.' They alert drivers that the vehicle with these lights is over 80 inches wide. See our DOT-compliant LED ID Bars and Reflectors.
• License plate lights: A white light that illuminates the vehicle or trailer's rear license plate. See all our LED License Plate lights.
• Emergency flashers: The driver can activate emergency flashers to warn other drivers of an emergency or breakdown. Hazard lights are typically a secondary function of turn signals.

Note that these requirements are subject to change, and the commercial vehicle operator is responsible for ensuring that their vehicle's lighting complies with all applicable FMVSS regulations.

Clearance lights, also known as marker or identification lights, are small auxiliary lights mounted on the upper edges of a semi-truck or trailer cab. They are typically amber or red and provide additional visibility to the vehicle, especially when driving in low-light conditions or at night.

The law requires semi-truck clearance lights in many jurisdictions. They are typically spaced evenly across the top of the vehicle's cab or trailer and help other drivers determine the vehicle's size and shape and the direction of travel. In addition, they can help alert other drivers to a wide or oversized load.

Clearance lights are separate from semi-truck tail lights, headlights, and turn signals. These lights are typically on an independent circuit of the vehicle's electrical system powered by the vehicle's battery. Energy-efficient LED lights are ideal for clearance and marker lights and help extend the life of your truck battery.

Popular clearance light sizes include 3/4", 2", and 2-1/2" round lights. Other common shapes are bullseye, beehive, and oblong.

P2 is the minimum FMVSS-108 standard for clearance, side marker, or identification lights. These traditional lights produce a 90-degree beam from the center, providing light for a single vehicle area. Use two P2-rated LED lights to meet the clearance and side marker light requirements.

For semi-truck and trailer lights, PC-Rated stands for Photometrically Certified. This means the light has a viewable beam of 180 degrees. When properly mounted PC-Rated lights cover the front+side or back+side of a trailer. If you want a single light to meet clearance and side marker light requirements, look for a PC-rated LED light.

Commercial truck and trailer lights will typically fall into one of two categories for installation mounting: recessed and surface.

• Grommet Mount - Also known as recessed or flush mount lights, grommet mount lights are standard on many commercial vehicles. They fit in holes cut in the vehicle or trailer body and sit in a rubber grommet that securely houses the light.

• Surface Mount - Surface mount lights attach directly to the surface of your vehicle or trailer. Stud mount lights are a standard surface mount type that uses bolts with standardized spacing that fit in predrilled holes secured with fastener nuts. These can also include recessed lights mounted with a compatible mounting bracket and flange lights with integral brackets.

We have the answers if you want to know how to hook up trailer lights.

Hooking up your truck and trailer lights will depend on the type and function of the light and which connector it uses. Some of the most common are the PL-3 (3-Pin), PL-10 (2-Pin), bullet connectors, and weathertight AMP-style connectors.

Generally, these connectors plug directly into the light or are hardwired into your commercial vehicle’s electrical system via a standard pigtail. Check the accessories section of the light you purchase to see what you need for installation.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper installation, and see our accessories section if you need a bracket, flange, or wire for a light you have already purchased.

We have an assortment of optional LED lights, from interior trailer and vehicle area lights to weatherproof LED strip lights, to keep your rig illuminated inside and out and allow vehicle customization for owner-operators.

For strip light installation, see our Ultimate LED Strip Lighting Guide.

If you manage a commercial vehicle fleet or your own rig, you will surely benefit from the added safety, efficiency, and performance of an upgrade to LED lights. While we focused primarily on semi-trucks and enclosed trailers, these lights work just as well as LED lights for flatbed trailers, dump trucks, box trucks, Class A, B, and C motorhomes, and other commercial vehicles.

If you have any questions, get in touch with one of our lighting specialists. We are always happy to help!