june2022 - 19

Each year, CVSA highlights categories of violations
during International Roadcheck to bring
awareness to certain aspects of a routine roadside
inspection, and in 2021 results on more than
40,000 commercial motor vehicle inspections
painted a similar picture.
Last year, CVSA inspectors found 1,367 lighting
issues, accounting for 14.1% of all vehicle
out-of-service violations. The lighting violations,
which ranked third after brake systems and tires,
included headlamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, turn
signals, and lamps on projecting loads.
To help fleet maintenance operations address
this costly challenge, Fleet Maintenance assembled
a panel of subject-matter experts from leading
lighting manufacturers to discuss challenges on
tractors and trailers, and the latest equipment
trends to overcome them.
These experts also weighed in on how telematics
technology helps detect broken and nonfunctioning
lights. Finally, the group provided advice
on ways that fleet maintenance operations can
improve their lighting maintenance strategies.
Fleet Maintenance: What are the lighting
challenges on tractor-trailers and the latest
equipment trends to help address them?
Paul Sniegocki, Clarience: The environment is
always demanding. Trucks and drivers face any
and every condition, meaning their lights must
stand up to just about anything; and so, robust
designs and manufacturing methods can help
overcome this.
Additionally, as we move to electric vehicles,
customers are looking for low current draw. With
Clarience Technologies' A2Z for eMobility initiative,
our team of companies is addressing this
concern by developing low amp draw lighting
solutions and adaptive response technologies.
Kyle O'Dell, Optronics: Rising cost is the biggest
challenge that tractor and trailer owners are
facing currently. This has caused fleets to take a
more serious look at total ownership costs of lighting
systems. The entire industry has embraced
the conversion from incandescent to LED lighting
because of all the LED systems' advantages.
Drawing less power allows wire gauges to be
reduced, and with copper prices almost doubling
PANELISTS
from a year ago, this helps offset the higher initial
costs of LED lights. LED lights that are fully sealed
and electronics with the latest SMD (surface mount
diodes) can offer a lifetime of trouble-free service,
which reduces downtime and service costs.
Mark Blackford, Grote: Traditionally, a major
lighting challenge is the demanding environment
in which commercial vehicles operate. On the
road, vehicle lighting and wiring are frequently
exposed to shock, vibration, corrosive chemicals,
moisture, temperature extremes, and road
hazards. In addition to these ever-present dangers,
equipment availability has recently become a
more critical concern for fleets, making downtime
for maintenance or repairs more costly than ever.
The best solution is to ensure that tractors and
trailers are outfitted with premium LED lights and
harnesses that are designed to operate as a system.
This will minimize downtime and allow a fleet to
field road-ready equipment that can easily stand
up to the challenges of the highway.
Kevin Koyle, TecNiq: If properly engineered, an
LED light will outlast the life of the vehicle, so the
focus needs to be on areas of concern like corrosion
at the connection and physical damage. Using
a properly sealed connector, made from the correct
material, will reduce corrosion issues and lead to
less failures on the road. Using quality components
meant for harsh environments leads to less
failures for both lights and grommets.
Lights and components engineered for the
environments that tractors and trailers are used
in should last the lifespan of the vehicle without
any issues and help avoid any DOT violation fees.
Although lights look the same, there are differences
in construction that improve the quality
of the components. Thermal management, proper
high-quality circuit boards, precise sonic welds,
and proper gasket material will all lead to lower
fleet costs.
Al Anderson, Peterson Manufacturing: Corrosion
is the number one reason trailer wiring
harness and lighting systems fail and need to be
replaced. Lights are always one of the top three
CSA violations. Unplanned troubleshooting and
replacement increase costs along with the associated
unscheduled downtime, having an impact
on every part of the fleet.
We designed our Defender and PetersonPATRIOT
modular harness systems to provide a very strong
defense against moisture intrusion and corrosion
in trailers with a modular layout. These systems
have a distribution module that connects all the
lighting components to a small-footprint central
hub. Additionally, an integrated moisture barrier
feature of the wiring harnesses provides excellent
corrosion resistance. The modular design of
both systems allows efficient troubleshooting and
repair, and easy installation when needed.
FM: How does telematics technology come
into play to help detect broken or nonfunctioning
lights?
Cliff Creech, Phillips Connect: Lights are the most
frequently repaired item on a trailer, but when
nonfunctioning, they can put your driver and fleet
at risk for a CSA violation or even an accident on the
road. Through telematics, the driver or fleet manager
will receive an alert if a tail light is inoperative.
Our system, the Phillips Connect Lite Sentry,
monitors resistance; if a light is broken, the resistance
changes. We take it a step further by not just
telling you the light is broken, but by pre-checking
the light circuits on a parked trailer, indicating
whether the light is broken before the driver
dispatches. This gives the fleet the opportunity
to safely replace the faulty light and eliminate
unnecessary downtime.
Anderson: By alerting the driver and the fleet
maintenance department to a nonfunctioning
light, repairs can be made proactively. That limits
costly over-the-road repairs, eliminates violations
that might be found during CVSA inspections, and
helps to keep a fleet's equipment operating safely.
Koyle: Often when a light is out, the light is what
gets blamed. Telematics can determine if there is
another issue that is playing a role in that circuit.
Being able to monitor each circuit and reference
the data may show an issue with the wire or
connector, as well as if there are electrical surges
or ground issues causing the premature light failure.
Being able to reference the data, in real time or
recorded, can provide more detail into the problem
than just a nonfunctioning light can.
Blackford: Outage detection systems, such as
Grote Guardian, can detect light outages, short
Al Anderson,
VP of sales and
marketing, Peterson
Manufacturing, is
a recipient of the
TMC Recognized
Associate and Silver
Spark Plug Awards,
which recognize
professional excellence
in commercial
vehicle maintenance.
Mark Blackford,
director of national
fleet sales, Grote
Industries, has
over 35 years of
experience in the
heavy-duty vehicle
industry and specializes
in aftermarket
consolidation
and OE specification
to maximize
safety and profits.
Cliff Creech,
director of sales
engineering, Phillips
Connect, has 20
years of experience
in fleet maintenance
and evaluates
new sensor
solutions and helps
design telematics
solutions.
Ron Fay,
technical support
specialist, Phillips
Industries, has
over four decades
spent in the
heavy-duty trucking
commercial
vehicle industry
with varying
positions in maintenance
and product
management.
Kevin Koyle,
technical sales
director, TecNiq,
has worked in the
LED lighting sector
since 2007. He
is a graduate of
Western Michigan
University.
Kyle O'Dell,
director of engineering
and
product development
at Optronics
International, directs
the new product
development group
and oversees the
company's FMVSS
108 compliance testing
program.
Paul Sniegocki,
CTO and EVP
for Clarience
Technologies,
joined Truck-Lite
in 1992 and has
served as VP of
R&D, director
of engineering,
and in several
other roles.
Photo: 21249613 |
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June 2022 | FleetMaintenance.com
19
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june2022

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