There are more than 2 million semi-trucks in the United States which are out on the road on a regular basis. A semi-truck can be a very helpful vehicle for transporting large quantities of cargo at one time. Without these trucks, it would be quite difficult for the supply chain to run as efficiently as it does.
However, what many people don’t know is that there are many rules and regulations that must be followed to drive such a truck such as DOT reflective tape requirements. If these requirements are not followed, it could cause serious consequences such as car accidents and even fatalities.
But what are the DOT reflective tape requirements and why are they so important? How can ignoring them cause such terrible consequences? Keep reading and learn more about these requirements for semi-trucks below.
What You Need To Know About DOT Reflective Tape
If you have ever seen a semi-truck drive by or even one sitting in traffic, you might have noticed that such a truck, most notably the trailer, will have some reflective borders along its edges. These reflective borders are not just for decoration. Rather, they are important for preventing accidents and they do this in a variety of ways.
It is a rare thing that you do not see a truck with this reflective border, commonly known as DOT reflective tape.
Keep in mind that DOT stands for Department of Transportation and this department is responsible for regulating all sorts of practices that have to do with semi-trucks and their drivers. It also has to do with enforcing safety in the trucking industry by following certain rules and regulations.
Without these rules and regulations, it would be much easier for semi-trucks to get into accidents and cause injuries or even fatalities.
However, even with the help of DOT, truck accidents still happen. This is often due to the error of the truck drivers involved.
The Details
Sometimes, drivers will ignore certain requirements for one reason or another. This, of course, will make it much more likely for accidents to happen. These accidents will not only injure those surrounding the truck but they might affect the truck driver as well.
But what does reflective tape have to do with any of this? Tape seems like the last of a truck driver’s concerns. After all, shouldn’t a driver be more concerned with driving properly or making sure that the cargo on the truck is secured?
What many people don’t realize is that DOT reflective tape plays a big part in the prevention of accidents. This sort of tape is required to be used on any trucks that weigh more than 4,536 kg. The tape needs to be placed in very particular areas.
Usually, you will find this tape lining the bottom of a trailer and sometimes the sides. The tape usually is a long strip that alternates between red and white with both shades being very reflective. But what does this tape aim to accomplish and how is it so helpful in preventing accidents?
How Can DOT Reflective Tape Prevent Accidents?
Just looking at this tape on the side of a truck, you might wonder how it can be so important. However, if you take a look at the same tape during the night or evening, you will have a better idea as to why this tape is so important. This tape is highly reflective and very visible once the sun goes down.
This is essential because semi-trucks on their own, especially those with large trailers, may be hard to see in low-light conditions. Of course, if a person is unable to see a truck at night or even part of the truck, this could lead to a serious accident. It would make it particularly easy for a car to accidentally run into the back or side of a semi-truck.
For example, a car might try to shift lanes but not be aware that there is already a truck trailer in that lane. Or, a truck may slow down or stop and a car behind that truck may run into the trailer if the driver is not able to see the truck in time. As you can imagine, a variety of accidents could happen if drivers are not able to see the trailer of a truck in time.
Even if a car’s headlights are on, it will still be difficult to see a truck from a distance if it doesn’t have any kind of reflective properties. This is one of the many reasons why reflective tape is so important. The DOT reflective tape is so reflective that people can catch a glimpse of it even if the truck is quite a long way away.
What You Need to Know
This is important because the farther away a driver can see the tape on the back or side of the truck, the driver will have more of an opportunity to slow down and avoid hitting the truck. This is in contrast to spotting the truck at the last minute when it might be too late to stop to avoid an accident. Keep in mind that this tape is useful in other situations other than nighttime and evening.
In particular, this tape is also very helpful during scenarios involving bad weather. For example, suppose that it is raining or snowing so hard that it is hard to see the vehicle right in front of you. You might be able to see the vehicle’s rear lights, but only if you are already very close to the back of that vehicle.
In some instances of severe weather, it may be difficult to see a vehicle’s lights at all. But even so, the reflective tape will still be very visible. This is because the tape is so reflective that it should be able to cut through even the harshest of storms.
This is important because, of course, many accidents occur during incidences of severe weather. The simple addition of reflective tape can curb these potential accidents and make the roads much safer.
DOT Reflective Tape Requirements
What you might not know is that DOT reflective tape needs to be used in a very specific way in order to comply with certain rules and regulations. For one, DOT C2 reflective tape needs to be used. Any other kind of reflective tape will not follow the DOT regulations.
The tape also needs to have alternating stripes of red and white and this tape needs to line both the sides as well as the bottom of the truck trailer. As for the rear of the trailer, silver or white tape rather than red can be used in the upper portions. Also, the tape that is used for these upper portions needs to take the shape of two inverted L shapes.
This shape will frame the rear of the trailer and make it more visible as well as provide more information about the trailer’s size. The tape that lines the side of the trailer needs to cover around 50% of the trailer’s length, if not more.
What to Know
For the back of the trailer, the tape needs to run all the way across rather than just partway. You might be wondering what will happen if a truck does not follow these strict conditions. In that case, trouble will arise with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA).
This administration is in charge of making sure that trucks have the correct tape requirements. This administration is also a part of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The administration makes sure that not only the right trucks have reflective tape but also that the tape that is used is the right kind.
This is important because if the tape is not the proper DOT tape, it won’t be able to help prevent accidents. For example, tape that is too small or thin will be too hard to see. Or, on the other hand, if the tape is another shade other than red or white, it may be too hard to visualize.
That is why it is so important to use the right kind of DOT reflective tape for trucks.
Semi-truck DOT Reflective Tape Requirements
A semi-truck can become dangerous if it doesn’t follow DOT reflective tape requirements. This kind of reflective tape aims to make truck trailers more visible during scenarios of low light or bad weather. Without this tape, accidents could easily occur and might even cause injuries or fatalities.
If you have been in a truck accident, contact us here to get the right legal representation.