Penske Truck Leasing is retrofitting 5,000 model year 2012 and 2013 tractors within its commercial truck rental fleet with new, cutting-edge LED headlights from Truck-Lite. The retrofitting will take place over the next 12 months. Penske plans to make these 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,” says Art Vallely, executive vice-president of operations for Penske Truck Leasing. “They provide greater nighttime 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 offer increased durability, visibility, and safety. Manufactured in the United States, Truck-Lite’s forward-lighting technology is battlefield tough and tested on vehicles serving in the Iraq and Afghan theaters since 2007.
“Our LED forward lighting capabilities and product line has continued to strengthen and grow,” says 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.”
Truck-Lite’s LED forward-lighting headlamp offers improved illumination through its more natural light spectrum, leading to improved object recognition at night and increased daytime visibility. Truck-Lite’s LED beam pattern also reduces eye-strain for drivers and reduces harsh headlight glare to oncoming traffic. An additional benefit is a significant reduction in amperage draw on the vehicle electrical system, freeing up power for other uses and resulting in a 50-times longer lighting system life than conventional halogen technology.