KENT, Ohio—Safety innovation is a guiding light for MAC LTT.
The tank trailer manufacturer introduced its Total Area Lighting Kit (TALK) system more than 10 years ago. MAC LTT also was the first manufacturer to put a ring of lights around the back of a tanker, and, more recently, it rolled out fuel-saving molded aero skirts and life-saving side underride guards for tank trailers.
Now Jim Maiorana, MAC LTT president, is out to redefine highway visibility.
His company, which holds 35 patents—most of which are based on his designs—debuted its illuminated “glow heads” last year at National Tank Truck Carriers’ Tank Truck Week in Charlotte, North Carolina. The patent-pending technology features a giant Lexan lens with hidden lighting that transforms the entire rear end of a MAC LTT trailer into an attention-grabbing stop/tail/turn light.
“For us, it’s all about safety—the safety of the driver, and for the tank going down the highway,” Maiorana said.
“When the tank is more visible, everyone is better off.”
MAC LTT’s glow-head tank was impossible to miss at Tank Truck Week, where Maiorana said reactions were overwhelmingly positive. The system’s turn signals light up half the rear end, the left side when turning left, and the right when turning right. The manufacturer also can embed logos behind the lens. “Essentially, we add an extension to the barrel to create a void behind the Lexan lens, which also is used for draining the top vapor rails, and then there is a series of lights behind the lens that work together as a stop/turn/tail system reflected through the lens,” Maiorana explained.
The system went on sale last year. Only 12 glow head-equipped units were on the road as of January, but Maiorana is hoping to increase adoption going forward. MAC LTT now offers the glow head with its TALK system, which goes on 30% of the trailers the manufacturer sells, with plenty of repeat buyers, he added.
“The glow head is adaptable to numerous tanks,” Maiorana said. “We can put it on chemical tanks, milk tankers, and 406s.”
TALK safety technology includes a set of self-illuminated arms—each one features red LED light strips on the sides, white LEDs on the bottom, and an amber strobe on the end—that swing out to create a protected work zone; a fully illuminated interlock bar for safer hose connections; a lighted hose guard for barrel protection; and a ladder with lights that are embedded inside special extrusions for clearer climbing.
The system also is available with a unique electron-beam warning system.
“That’s what we’re all about—building custom trailers for end users that fit their needs and make their fleets stand out from the rest of the pack,” Maiorana said.
“That’s our specialty.”
