Fuel for Thought

Headlights, Taillights and Marker Lights

Truck drivers are well known for their abundance of lights. You have seen the trucks with enough lights on them to impress even Clark W. Griswold. Being seen at night is vital to safety and most look much better with a few extra lights. 

Enter any truck stop and you will see a huge selection of headlights to choose from. Different brightnesses and styles. There is usually a big selection of taillights, different shapes mounting styles and bulb or LED types. Marker lights can also be found at most truck stops. Again a wide variety of styles, colors, shapes and brightnesses.

One thing you rarely see are interior lights. Sure they have dome lights and bulbs, but what about interior trailer lights that actually light up more than just a small section of the roof?

For a minimal cost and few hours of sweat equity, just about anyone can install LED lights in their trailer/ straight truck box.

Nighttime pick ups and deliveries, dark dock areas and inside docks can make the inside of your truck very dark. Many times the only light seen inside is the one on the forklift and it can be limited to just how much area is lit as he moves around.

I recently purchased the materials to get this done in my own box. LED light strips (12 volt) can be found online for a very reasonable price. Installation only took a couple of hours from start to finish. You may be able to do the job a little quicker, but I am meticulous about proper connections and hiding all the wires. The LED lights I purchased and installed were self stick with 3M tape and just 2 wires to connect. Since I already had 2 lights on the ceiling with a switch in the cab, I was able to connect these to the existing light and it made the install a breeze. If you use a self stick LED light strip (or really anything self stick), it is a good idea to wipe the area with alcohol first to get the best adhesion.

      

BEFORE                                                                                                 AFTER

Which one would you rather work inside?

While many drivers worry about the exterior lights and being seen, for a few dollars and a couple of hours, you can have a safer working environment inside the loading area of your truck box or trailer. Many of us wear safety vests and safety gloves to be seen easier, why not light up the inside of your box or trailer and really be seen?

See you down the road,

Greg