Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/307185
T he two most com- mon violations in the FMCSA's Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) vehicle maintenance BASIC are lighting related. That means aftermarket businesses that emphasize lighting can not only grow their sales, they also can help improve roadway safety. "Fleets are becoming very cognizant of lighting and the impact it has on their CSA scores," says Tim Walker, senior vice president, worldwide sales at Truck-Lite. Lighting sales in the after- market today are dominated by two bulb styles, incan- descent and LED. While the former is waning in popular- ity and the latter is gaining prominence, carrying both lighting styles remains the best way to service today's customers, suppliers say. There are still too many vehicle owners using both product types to exclusively offer one. Incandescent bulbs have been the primary method of lighting in the commercial vehicle market for decades. An incandescent light bulb produces illumination by heating a fi lament wire until it glows. Similar to the round light bulbs commonplace in residential lighting, incandes- cent vehicle lighting's biggest selling point in the market- place remains its affordability, familiarity and accessibility. "There's still a signifi cant cost benefi t to the incandes- cent products," says Doug Will, product manager – heavy-duty products at Dor- man HD Solutions. Dorman currently offers a wide selection of aftermarket head lamps and lamp as- semblies, all of which operate using incandescent bulbs. While the bulbs themselves aren't quite as robust as their LED counterparts, Will says they offer benefi ts due to their affordability and ease of installation. When an incandescent headlamp goes out, a new bulb can be installed in minutes for just a few dollars, Will says. An LED headlamp failure can lead to a much longer and more expensive 20 Service Bay T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E | M a y 2 0 1 4 By Lucas Deal, Editor lucasdeal@randallreilly.com Lighting the way The growth of LED lighting is changing aftermarket inventory requirements Most lighting manufacturers currently offer a wide selection of LED and incandescent lamps in the aftermarket. LED lamps are more resistant to damage than their incandescent counterparts.