Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/322764
4 www.studentdriverplacement.com June '14 It Works How by Tom Kelley A Bright Idea E ven though many components have continually evolved since trucks fi rst hit the road, one key part re- mained frozen in time until late in the twentieth century. At the same time as engines became com- puterized, transmissions became synchronized, and suspensions gained sophisticated air systems, truck lighting changed very little. Because delivery sched- ules don't always fi t conveniently between the hours of dawn and dusk, lighting is just as important as horsepower to the operation of a truck. Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps were originally developed for turn, stop, tail and marker lamps, but are now being used throughout the truck. The LEDs use far less power and have a greatly extended the lifes- pan compared to conventional incandescent lamps. Increased resistance to vibration is also a benefi t. Most LED lamp assemblies use several individual LEDs to generate light, so a com- plete instantaneous failure is unlikely. While initial cost is higher than that of incandes- cent units, the total lifecycle cost, including replacement and labor cost, is competitive. One of the newer developments in LED lighting technology has been the addition of white LED lamps to the original red and amber offerings. This has allowed LEDs to move inside the truck or trailer for use in interior lighting fi xtures. Compared to incan- descent and fl uorescent interior lighting, the LED lamps perform better in cold environ- ments such as those found in refrigerated bodies/trailers. In just the last decade, LED technol- ogy has broken through the fi nal frontier on trucks to become available for headlamp ap- plications. With a projected life-span mea- sured in years rather than hours, the LED headlamps are said to provide daylight clar- ity in pre-dawn/after-dusk operations. While LED lamps were quite expensive when they fi rst debuted in stop/tail/turn ap- plications – leading to a bit of a problem with theft of the lamps – mass production, wider acceptance, and economies of scale have driven down the purchase cost dramatically. When the LEDs reduced maintenance costs are factored in, they are quickly eliminating any cost advantage once held by traditional incandescent lighting. ◆ Truck Lighting (Finally) Meets The 21st Century how it works 0614.indd 1 5/20/14 10:21 AM