June 2020 - 30

SPOTLIGHT ON BODY & CAB
»Parts and service providers can aid fleets by
helping them replace incandescent lighting with
long-lasting and highly efficient LED lamps.
Photo courtesy of Optronics International

Look on the
bright side
The LED has been
established as the
lighting technology
of choice for the
commercial vehicle
industry due to its
numerous benefits over
incandescent lighting.
By Tyler Fussner

he light emitting diode (LED) has established
itself as the lighting technology of choice for
the commercial vehicle industry. Decades of
technological advancement of LEDs have seen
traditional incandescent lighting phased out
on commercial vehicles. With uptime as the

»The connection point is the most susceptible area
for damage via corrosion for the LED system. Inspect
mating connections and apply dielectric grease during
regular preventive maintenance intervals.
Photo courtesy of Optronics International

30 Fleet Maintenance | June 2020

driving force behind most vehicle specification
considerations, LEDs have proven more reliable,
durable, and longer-lasting. There are numerous
benefits LEDs can offer and understanding these
benefits can help fleets capitalize on cost savings
and uptime.

Electroluminescence
versus incandescence
LEDs utilize electroluminescence to create light.
"[The process of] electroluminescence [in
LEDs] is the movement of electrons between two
terminals of a diode," says Dan Wallace, national
sales manager, OEM Trailer Group, with Phillips
Industries. "The LED is a diode itself. The power

goes into the LED which has semiconductors. As
the power flows back and forth between the semiconductors, it produces light."
Phillips Industries is a manufacturer and
supplier of a variety of commercial trucking parts,
serving both OEMs and the aftermarket.
"The energy that is lost during this process as
it goes between the conductors creates the light
that you see, and you actually see a color," Wallace
continues. "The color is based on how much energy
is lost. You can see red, yellow, blue - really any
color in the rainbow."
The process of incandescence, or light produced
from heat, was utilized in commercial vehicles
before LEDs were integrated. With incandescent bulbs, power is sent to a metal filament; the
filament is heated and begins to glow, emitting
light. In order to obtain different coloring from
incandescent bulbs, a colored lens is placed over
the bulb.
The light-emitting processes and construction
of incandescent bulbs and LEDs are the main
differences between what these types of lighting
can provide a commercial vehicle.

The benefits of LEDs

LED construction is referred to as a solid-state,
being a circuit that is electronically powered.
"The benefits of LED lighting are innumerable,
though the primary among them is that the solidstate nature provides a lifetime lighting solution,"
says Andrew Liuzzo, marketing communications
specialist, Truck-Lite. Truck-Lite designs, manufactures, and distributes vehicular safety lighting
and visibility products.
The longevity of LEDs is superior compared to
incandescent bulbs.
"LED lamps, being a solid-state, are extremely
robust and resilient," says Brett Johnson, president
and CEO of Optronics International, a worldwide
manufacturer and supplier of industrial and
commercial vehicular safety lighting products.
"Incandescent lights generally have a service life
of about 2,500 hours [as it pertains to the commercial vehicle], whereas the solid-state LED has a
service life of up to 100,000 hours."
A major reason for the extended life, beyond its
solid-state construction, is the amount of amperage drawn to power the LED.
"Generally speaking, an LED lamp draws about
one-tenth the amperage of an
incandescent lamp," says
Phillips Industries' Wallace.
"An incandescent stop/tail/
turn light with a 1156 bulb
draws 2.1 amps. The equivalent stop/tail/turn LED
lamp draws 0.2 amps."

June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2020