LED Trailer Signal Lighting

Which Lights Am I Required To Have on My Trailer?

Trailers are typically required to have tail lights, brake lights, license plate lights, turn signals, reflectors, and side marker and clearance lights. Reverse lights aren’t required, but can increase visibility and safety. However, exact requirements may vary from state to state.

How Do I Choose the Right Trailer Signal Fixture?

A major factor in determining the fixture you need will be the product type. Then, you can choose the exact fixture based on the following specifications. 

• Mounting Type: Our products come with multiple mounting options, depending on what you’re looking for. Our tail, brake, turn, and reverse lights and clearance and side marker lights feature brack, flange, recessed, stud, and surface mounting options. Stud and surface mounts are available for license plate lights, and surface and flange mounts for ID bars and reflectors.  
• Voltage: We carry voltage ranges of 12 VDC to 48 VDC for our tail, brake turn, and reverse lights, 12 VDC to 28 VDC for our side marker and clearance lights, and 12 VDC to 24 VDC for our license plate lights. You can use the filters on the product pages to shop based on the voltage you need. 
• Connection Type: We carry multiple lighting connection types. Common options include 2-pin, 3-pin, 4-pin, bullet connectors, pigtail, and weathertight connectors. 
• Color: Shop based on needed color options. Tail, brake, turn, and reverse lights are available in white, red, amber, and amber/red, red/white, and amber/red/white color combinations. Our sidemarker and clearance lights come in amber, blue, green, purple, red, white, and an amber/red color combination. The trailer license plate lights are available in amber, blue, green, red, warm white, natural white, and cool white. ID bars and reflectors come in amber and red. 

There are color requirements based on where the lights are placed. For example, tail lights and brake lights should be red, license plate lights should be white, etc. We outline the color requirements based on your trailer size and light type in this Trailer Light Requirements Guide.

Can I Replace Incandescent Trailer Signal Lights With LEDs? 

LEDs are great for upgrading existing incandescent trailer lights. However, before installing, ensure your new LEDs are compatible. Check that the voltages, mounting, and connection type are the same. 

Do My Trailer Lights Need to Be DOT Compliant?

Trailer lights used for on-road use must be DOT Compliant. Fixtures that are DOT Compliant have been proven to meet strict requirements for safety and emit proper illumination. We carry many DOT Compliant fixtures, safe to be installed for public roads.

What Do I Need to Know About Trailer Light Installation?

One of the most common questions about trailer light installation is, how do I wire trailer lights? Simply complete this process by following the steps below. 

• Cut any wires that connect to the old light.
• Use a wire stripper and remove ¼ inch of insulation from both wire ends. 
• Your lights will typically have a ground wire, tail light wire, and a turn signal/brake light wire. Use the corresponding wires from your trailer to attach to the wires on the bulb. 
• Secure your new connections using connectors or by soldering the wires and covering them with a heat shrink tubing. 

However, wiring trailer lights is only needed if your existing lights used plugs to connect and had no damage to the wiring harness.

For more in-depth information on installing trailer lights, check out the blog above. 

What Are the Key Features of LED Trailer Signal Lights? 

Our LED trailer signal lights are very durable and can withstand impact, vibration, pressure, or power surges better than traditional bulbs. Another factor of our LED lights is the energy efficiency. LEDs require less power to operate than halogen or incandescent lights, reducing replacement and maintenance frequency. They also provide instant-on illumination, eliminating warm-up time to get to complete brightness. 

What Are Clearance and Side Marker Lights Used For?

Install clearance and side marker lights on your vehicle to increase the visibility of your commercial truck and trailer. Clearance lights indicate the overall height and width of a trailer, and are required on trailers over 80" wide. Side marker lights indicate the length of the trailer. Side marker lights are required regardless of the width.

Our lights may feature a P2 or PC Rating. If a light has a P2 Rating, it can be used as a side marker or clearance light, but not both. However, a light with a PC Rating can be used as a side marker and clearance light, meaning you can use just one light instead of two, while still meeting the FMVSS-108 requirements.