MADISON, Ind. — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck, scheduled for May 4-6, is fast approaching. This year’s focus is on vehicle lighting — which accounted for a significant number of violations during last year’s roadcheck — as well as hours of service compliance.
The experts at Grote Industries have compiled a checklist to help drivers and fleet managers prepare for the lighting portion of this year’s roadcheck.
“Implementing a schedule of thorough pre-trip inspections will go a long way toward cutting down on violations of all kinds, including lighting,” said Alicia Jones, Grote Industries’ global market manager for trailer/body builder. “But often, it is the unseen dangers of corrosion and wiring damage that contribute most to lighting failure on the road. Once moisture enters a wire, a capillary effect draws it through the wire and eventually throughout the electrical system. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of lighting violations.”
To help reduce potential lighting violations, the following steps should be taken:
- Be sure to inspect all wiring, and make sure all frayed wiring is spliced out and properly sealed. Discoloration and foreign material on damaged wiring is a telltale warning sign of corrosion. Copper corrodes into a powdery green or white substance, while iron-based components form brown or red rust as they deteriorate. Corroded or incorrectly spliced wires are poor conductors of electricity; as a result, lamps — especially ABS indicator lamps or stop/tail/lamps — will flicker or stop working altogether.
- All splices should be heat-sealed with shrink splices; avoid taped splices in your wiring. When inspecting your wiring, be aware that built-up winter grime often hides splices that need attention.
- Any wires that hang down from their correct runs on the exterior of a trailer are prime candidates for wear or damage. Wiring needs to be bundled and securely fastened into its run using plastic tie wraps so that vibration or environmental factors cannot dislodge it.
- Although the use of drip loops to direct water away from connections is a good practice, check to see that drip loops are not in a place where unseen ice can build up in cold weather. Bear in mind that in winter, drip loops no longer always deflect water as they do when the temperature is above freezing.
- Sealing out corrosion with dielectric grease is a good way to safeguard your system, and it can add years of life to your trailer when used correctly. Whenever a harness connection is opened, either harness to harness or harness to lamp, the old grease should be cleaned out and new grease should be applied. This ensures the connection is always protected and prevents an excessive amount of dielectric grease from building up, which can prevent harnesses from closing properly.
- At the front of the trailer, battery and nose box connections should be checked to make sure the required current is present. Terminals should be cleaned, tightened and greased to protect the battery and the overall electrical system.
To learn more about the International Roadcheck, click here.
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