may2021 - 50

GUEST EDITORIAL
No/Defective lamp/Reﬂector-towaway operation

»Out-of-service (OOS) lighting
violations in the U.S. from the 2020
International Roadcheck event.

Required lamp not powered by vehicle electric 5
Inoperable head lamps

Inoperative/Defective hazard warning lamp

No/Defective towaway lamps on rear unit
Inoperable tail lamp
All required lamps on towed
vehicle inoperative due to no electrical connection
Stop lamp violations

Statistics courtesy of the Commercial Vehicle
Safety Alliance | Graphic by Erin Brown

Over the long haul

27
34
39

Inoperative brake lamps

111

Inoperative required lamp

200

Inoperative turn signal

373

Keeping the lights on
Practical, actionable, and common sense tips to
help fleets keep vehicle lighting in working order.
There is not yet a technology or algorithm
capable of tracking down and correcting
electrical and lighting issues, and until there
is, technicians will have to continue to troubleshoot and correct electrical and lighting
problems the old-fashioned way - through
the process of elimination. It is still a matter
of power and ground.
If a maintenance department already has
a well-documented preventive maintenance
(PM) protocol in place, they are likely already
periodically examining the electrical and lighting system on each vehicle.
A fleet's drivers are the last line of defense
for detecting lighting issues, so it is important
to remind drivers that they are required by
law to inspect their truck and trailer before
starting their shift and again every 24 hours
on the road.

Make drivers part of the
maintenance team

Before a driver starts a pre-trip inspection, they
might be asking themselves a few questions.

By Kyle O'Dell

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING AND NEW PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT, OPTRONICS INTERNATIONAL | USA
HARNESS INTERNATIONAL
Optronics International | USA Harness International is
a leading manufacturer of vehicle harnesses, electronic
control systems, and LED lighting for the global transportation industry. Kyle O'Dell is the company's director of
engineering and new product development. O'Dell has
over 22 years of experience designing and manufacturing
consumer products. He has an extensive background in
marine electronic systems, aircraft harnessing, and automotive and commercial vehicle lighting.

50 Fleet Maintenance | May 2021

Did my fleet take the required maintenance
and service steps to support proper lighting
operation on my vehicle? Did my fleet make
educated decisions in selecting or specifying
electrical and lighting technology? Did fleet
management adequately train me to perform
a driver vehicle inspection?
Drivers who know the answers to these questions are indicative of a well-run fleet, and welltrained drivers and maintenance crews work
together. Without knowledge, understanding,
cooperation, teamwork, and training, even a
good maintenance program can be undermined by an uninformed, untrained driver
in the field.
While there are not any legal guidelines
governing how long a pre-trip inspection
should take, a proper inspection will take
somewhere between 30 and 50 minutes.
Doing an inspection properly requires following a process, focus, and vigilance as the driver moves methodically around each area of
the vehicle.
Some critical lighting features that can easily get overlooked are reflectors and conspicuity tape. These passive safeguards are there
as a critical precaution and a key feature of
safety and visibility. They can also save lives
in situations where lighting and power have
been lost on a vehicle.
Drivers can receive violations for having
defective reflectors and conspicuity tape.
Working together, maintenance crews and
drivers need to make sure that reflectors are
free of cracks and dirt. Be aware that over
time, conspicuity tape can also deteriorate
so that it is no longer sufficiently reflective,
thus making it a candidate for an infraction
or, worse yet, a collision.

It is important for every fleet to establish and
adhere to a well-documented PM schedule,
including the thorough examination of a
vehicle's entire electrical and lighting system
beginning on day one.
If OEMs have positioned wiring and connectors in high-moisture areas, such as just above
or behind tires, the fleet maintenance team
may want to add ancillary protective coverings in the form of boots, plastic looms, moldings, or tubing.
These measures not only help reduce
high-pressure moisture exposure, they also
diminish the potential damage that can be
inflicted by rocks, road debris, and ice accumulation that can place undue stress on wiring
and connection points.
During the new vehicle inspection, maintenance professionals should make sure that all
lighting is correctly installed and operational.
They should look for wires and cables that are
bent sharply and those that come into contact
with metal edges, such as where wires pass
through walls or into body cavities.
Dielectric grease can be added to grounding
ring terminals that are improperly connected to a frame member and might otherwise
produce a galvanic response caused by two
dissimilar metals making contact.
To the extent possible, corrections should be
made and the system augmented as needed.
Any wiring that appears to be loosely hanging
should be secured. If unused connectors are
spotted, these should immediately be capped.
The cable and wiring augmentation
described above will help guard against corrosion, but if problems arise, here is what to look
for. Wiring and harness problems usually come
in three identifiable categories:
Ü Failure due to a grounded circuit
Ü Failure due to an open circuit
Ü Failure due to a short circuit
Once the vehicle is in service, maintenance
personnel should focus on seals, connection
points, and cable and wiring integrity.
Fleets should follow this five-point approach:
Ü Start corrosion prevention on the day the
fleet takes possession of the vehicle.
Ü Train drivers to perform proper pre-trip
inspections (make them a part of the maintenance protocol).
Ü Train everyone on the team on how to spot
corrosion and where to look for it.
Ü Stick to a regimented PM schedule.
Ü Replace incandescent lamps with LED lamps.
By taking some practical steps in the short
term and some intelligent steps in the long
term, a fleet can ensure their trucks are safe,
well-lit, and prepared for whatever they meet
on the road ahead.

may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021