Flashing LED lights and trailer towing safety

[Dragsinger]

This season I am towing through heavy traffic [Dallas area, loop 635, I -20 and I - 35 North] and am looking for ideas to be as safe as possible in that heavy traffic.

My rig is s 40 foot goose neck that handles and stops very well, no problems at all with driving braking, acceleration etc. [of course, taking the size and weight into that statement] But as we all understand, other drivers are sometimes very aggressive in heavy traffic, lots of lane changing, pulling front of, etc. And as we all understand, I can not make those sudden moves.

So I have been thinking about the flashing LED lights I see on some commercial trucks. Trash trucks, cement trucks, and others.

My question, what is the Texas Law in ref to those flashing lights. Or do we have other safety suggestions?

Is this safety/heavy traffic issue something other of you have concerns with? Do you have any "comfort" suggestions? And understand, I am not a "wimp" driver and have a good, accident free driving history. I can handle my rig just fine, it is the other drivers doing those unexpected moves that have the "puckered up" Smile

[Jim Wahl]

Your thoughts are valid. I changed my trailer and Ram pickup tail lights to LED for just that safety reason. They are brighter, quicker to illuminate and demand more attention. As soon as I can I will be updating my motor home also. Jim

[magnumv8]

Your main concern with the legality of the "flashing amber" warning lights is something that I think you would be unable to use because they are intended for commercial and work vehicles in the process of "working".....there is really no laws anyway that would stop you from driving in certain areas with your 4 way flashers on but with most systems now your brake lights no longer function when your 4 ways are on....

but....what you could do and I recommend for most people with enclosed trailers with the "triple bar light" mounted on the upper rear of the trailer is a center high mounted stop light....they are now available as a replacement for the center light and works as a marker and a brake light....there is a module that can be used to interface it with the existing lights so it isn't too difficult to do.....it gives you a brake light at the highest point on the rear of your trailer and everyone behind you will see it......

D L Rambo....

[Mile High]

I have changed to LED's on the rv and trailer too but I find it easier to depending how many lanes there are to stay left and go with the flow. I stay out of the right lane except to get on and off the highway. If there is 3 lanes or more I'll stay out of the far left.

Jeff

[Dragsinger]

Jeff,

I have notice the same thing about using the center lanes. Seems like I am less in the way, drivers can go around either side of my rig.

[Rob Petrie E395]

I worked as a UPS mechanic for a few years. If you notice you almost never see one of thier trucks in the right lane unless they are getting on or off the highway. They train all drivers to use the second lane from the right on a multiple lane highway. The theory is that if you are in the slow lane you have to deal with more cars entering and leaving the highway. This creates a much larger chance of a accident and it also kills fuel milage speeding up and slowing down all the time. They dont like the left lanes because thats where most of the speeders are and its unsafe for semis to run that fast, they cant maintain speed on hills, plus running that fast burns more fuel. So they have deemed that on a 3 lane highway the center is the safest and on a 4 lane the right center is the safest and most cost effective. If you watch it does seem to be true. Of all the BS that goes on with working for that company their driving rules and safety stuff were some of the best ideas I have ever seen.

[FINESPLINE]

Originally Posted by Dragsinger

This season I am towing through heavy traffic [Dallas area, loop 635, I -20 and I - 35 North] and am looking for ideas to be as safe as possible in that heavy traffic.

My rig is s 40 foot goose neck that handles and stops very well, no problems at all with driving braking, acceleration etc. [of course, taking the size and weight into that statement] But as we all understand, other drivers are sometimes very aggressive in heavy traffic, lots of lane changing, pulling front of, etc. And as we all understand, I can not make those sudden moves.

So I have been thinking about the flashing LED lights I see on some commercial trucks. Trash trucks, cement trucks, and others.

My question, what is the Texas Law in ref to those flashing lights. Or do we have other safety suggestions?

Is this safety/heavy traffic issue something other of you have concerns with? Do you have any "comfort" suggestions? And understand, I am not a "wimp" driver and have a good, accident free driving history. I can handle my rig just fine, it is the other drivers doing those unexpected moves that have the "puckered up" Smile

Not knowing all the laws in Texas, as a commercial driver and O/O for 30 years I have to tell that flashing lights are very distractive. What I have found is to light the trailer up like a X-mas tree on the sides and rear. You never have enough running lights and brake lights. I recently had a trailer built by MAC trailers and had 2 inch amber every 2 feet on the sides and 10 4 in running/brake lights in the rear. All in LED. This lighting is great in any type of weather. Another thing to remember is on most vehicles when you put the 4 ways on it negates turn signals. Just recently ( on HD trucks like my Peterbilt) have they started wiring the turn signals that they negate the 4 way flashers which to me makes a lot of sense. So check your flasher system and see which way it operates.-------John

[Lew Silverman]

Here's a link to Truck-lite who manufacture a complete line of LED lighting products for HD trucks and trailers. They also sponsor Jerry Darien's A/FD.

http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs...Name=/home.jsp

If I "can", I like to stay in the center lane of a three-lane expressway. I can avoid the folks getting on and off the highway, and I don't get run over by people in a hurry in the left lane. When they widened parts of the interstate here they took out most of the acceleration/merge lanes, which makes things interesting at rush hour!

Good Luck!

Lew