Penske retrofitting 5,000 trucks with LED headlights

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READING, Pa. — Penske Truck Leasing is retrofitting 5,000 of its 2012 and 2013 semi-tractors currently within its commercial truck rental fleet with new LED headlights from Truck-Lite. Penske officials say the company is the first and only commercial truck rental operation to currently offer the headlamp option within its fleet. The retrofitting will take place over the next 12 months. Penske says it plans to make the LED lights part of its core standard specifications for all the semi-tractors in its commercial truck rental fleet.

“We’ve field-tested these new lights,” said Art Vallely, executive vice-president of operations for Penske Truck Leasing. “They provide greater night-time visibility compared with traditional headlights, which enhances safety for commercial truck drivers operating our equipment. The high durability of these lights also provides a significant cost-savings from a maintenance standpoint.”

The new Truck-Lite LED headlamps were initially developed for military use and have been battlefield-tested by vehicles serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Our LED forward lighting capabilities and product line has continued to strengthen and grow,” said Beth English, vice-president of marketing for Truck-Lite. “The overwhelming response from the military and commercial vehicle markets has allowed us to push forward and move the technology toward the custom heavy-duty market and our fleet partners. As a direct replacement to current headlamps, retrofit is easy, taking only minutes.

“Our new LED headlamp offering really speaks to high performance, durability and increased visibility for forward lighting applications,” English continued. “Offering longer life than comparable incandescent lamps, these LED headlamp products are worth the upfront investment, saving the time and expense of replacing lamps multiple times while offering increased safety for the driver.”

Truck-Lite’s LED forward-lighting headlamps are designed to offer improved driver visibility through a more natural light spectrum, which officials say can help lead to improved object recognition at night and increased daytime visibility. The LED beam pattern also reduces eyestrain for drivers and reduces harsh headlight glare to oncoming traffic, according to the company. As an additional benefit, the LED reduces amperage draw on the vehicle’s electrical system, and can result in lighting system life 50 times longer than conventional halogen technology, Truck-Lite officials said.

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  • Although they are improvement to visibility and longevity, LED lights do not generate enough heat to self clean during periods of snow or freezing rain. With an LED headlamp, forward visibility is reduced due snow and/or ice build-up.
    We have already experienced this problem with LED tail light assemblies that can not heat enough to clear snow from themselves,and eventually blocking them, causing a problem for following vehicles.

  • I agree with Dennis. LED tail lights are prone to freezing over even in light snow, making them invisible and creating an extremely hazardous situation. Their use should not be permitted in winter months. Will the headlights be any safer?