Logixx Security’s shunt truck driver never saw the security guard removing the trailer’s gladhand locks. It was 6:20 a.m., and the area at the nose of the trailer parked at the Brampton, Ont., facility was dark. When the truck shifted into reverse, there was no spotlight or audible backup alarm, either. They weren’t working. And the guard wasn’t wearing reflective clothing.

In the end, the guard was dead. After pleading guilty under the Ontario Health and Safety Act, the company paid $250,000 in fines and surcharges.

The November 2021 accident delivered yet another reminder about the importance of visibility.

Truck drivers and warehouse staff don’t choose workspaces. The gas stations, truck yards and roadside construction areas won’t always be well lit.

But fleet purchasing decisions can make a difference, with targeted lights that define workspaces, heated lamps that keep bulbs clear of ice and snow, and flashing auxiliary lamps to warn about hazards.

Tandet Group, recognized by the National Tank Truck awards as one of the safest tanker operations in North America, is testing a lamp system that establishes a ‘ring of safety’ that circles the space where drivers couple and uncouple hoses. Based on feedback about the first two test units, the fleet may invest $700 to outfit each of its 538 trailers.

Doug Galvin, manager equipment sourcing and assessment, said Tandet Group drivers mostly deliver in noisy areas. But when hearing is overloaded, sight offers a solution.

It isn’t the only application where targeted lighting can make a difference. Hella’s Visiotech system, for example, projects shapes and symbols on the ground around garbage trucks. It defines and lights the area around waste receptacles, warning pedestrians to stay away while a truck’s arm operates.

Additional layer of safety

The business also produces traditional beacons and light bars, but they aren’t always as effective as they could be. “People are so used to seeing those, they tune out. This provides an additional layer of safety,” said Will McQuail, national sales manager.

Visiotech can be customized, with different aiming and mounting points, and even display custom messages in the light. McQuail added that it can be automatically activated by the vehicle’s computer system, when a garbage truck’s arm is deployed to collect waste bins.

The type of light can also enhance the visibility of reflective clothing and surfaces. Grote Industries’ WorkShield warning lights, for example, use minimally visible, low-wavelength light to illuminate any high-visibility material like vests, without blinding people in the vicinity.

Matt Forner, director of aftermarket sales, Grote Industries, said illuminated reflective surfaces and traffic cones can be seen from 100 feet (30 meters) away. The shorter the distance, the brighter the surface.

This acts as a visual aid for drivers working in construction zones, lighting workers and road crews. But what about the person in the truck? There is no shortage of distracted drivers who could potentially drive into the back end of a trailer.

An auxiliary strobe and stop light can draw their attention, said Kent Bode, vice-president – sales and marketing, Grote Industries. Wired to the brake circuit, it produces five amber flashes just before switching to a red brake light. “It helps with conspicuity. If it strobes all the time, drivers will get used to it,” he said.

Tandet Group has connected strobing amber lights to the braking systems of about 100 tanker trailers. “This can be the difference between someone having a normal day and a really bad day,” said Tandet Group president Scott Tilley.

Over time, the entire fleet will be transitioned to this lighting system.

Heated lights

Of course, any lens needs to be clean to maximize a bulb’s reach. It’s why some drivers have been known to pour hot water over headlights to clear away ice and snow from LED lamps that don’t generate heat like their incandescent counterparts. But that presents its own hazards when drivers do this at the side of the road.

Truck-Lite’s integrated heating technology takes care of that. Paige Johnson, marketing manager, said the heated element melts snow and ice from turn signals and brake lights on trailers.

Amazon installed flashing auxiliary lamps in 2022 and added reflective tape to its dry vans.

Minimizing risk

The pilot project’s results were eye-opening. Rear-end collision rates dropped 35.6%. A full perimeter of reflective tape lowered crash rates by 45%.

Tandet’s Tilley notes that visibility-related enhancements are all about minimizing risk.

“When it works, we hear nothing about it. You never get a direct indication that you are safer. You only get an indication when something goes wrong.”