Having built several US based trucks, I cant see any uniform lay-out for the rear lights. Does US law stipulate which light goes where? As an example, Ive just completed a Volvo VN which has two lights set into the back of the sleeper cab. Ive guessed and painted them red, but could they be yellow turn lights? Ive compared the clusters on my Peterbilt and Western Star units and nothing appears to match up.
Here’s a link to a NHTSA page on the subject, with some diagrams near the bottom of the page that may be helpful (looks like Canada and the U.S. adopted the same lighting standards)
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/standards/conspicuity/TBMpstr.html
Lights on the back of the cab are just work lamps for when you are coupling a trailer at night or checking on the reefer unit. They can be red, amber, clear, purple, blue, etc. If the lights are purple or blue you usually can’t run with them on, however I never heard of anyone being pulled over for that, except on cars and pickups( not commercial motor vehicles). My first tractor had clear lenses, and my second had red ones. I unhooked them when I installed the headache rack and wired my work lamps on the rack into that cicuit. If the tractor has a headache rack with lights on it ( the rack) then the lights will some times be wired in as turn signals. Normally OEM will have the turn signals mounted either inboard or outboard of the frame rail, all the way at the rear, near the mud flap brackets. Sometimes truckers will add a/m mud flap hangers with turn signal/running lights in it. There are after market light panels that are installed between the frame rails at the rear that have several marker lights and turn signals in them. DOT requires the red and white reflective tape (or just red) to be place at the top corners and down the side on the back of the tractor cab. If the tractor has a headache rack installed then the rack must have the reflective tape.
U.S. truckers, especially independent owner operators, take great pride in their rigs. They add tons of chrome accessories and as many lights as they can. It is a lot of work to keep up with it all but when you see a Pete rolling down the road that has all the chrome and lights, it looks awesome.
this is a center rear light panel with the turn signals being the big ones on the left and right.
Wade
hct and Wade, thanks a lot both for your replies. The diagrams answered a lot of questions for me (all are now saved).
Your comments raised another question, why is there no reflective tape supplied with the decals in the model kits?
Inaccuracy on the part of the model manufacturer.
Wade
Truck lighting requirements are established by the U.S. Dept of Transportation.
Basicly the tractors require Headlites, & signal lights on the front Two taillights w/turn and Stop abilities.as well as a lighted registration tag on the rear. I.D. or “clearance”
lights are required on the forward cab roof, In red 3 in center and one on the left and one on the right ( o ooo o ). Trailers require tail/signal/stop lights (2) a side marker for every 15’ of length and 3 I.D. lights either mounted high as with the tractor or mounted on trailor floor line ( flatbeds) I.D. lights are red. Registration tags are not required to be lighted on trailers. The U.S government sets the requirements for all DOT registered vehicles regardless of the State the vehicle is registered in, So it’s pretty safe to assume all US operated DOT registered vehicles have the same standards. But like wroper11 wrote you will see hundreds of variations of added lighting etc. Truckers love to dress up their rigs…