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A faulty rear light or a poor electrical connection can unexpectedly throw a semi-trailer off schedule. Often, the cause lies not only with the bulb itself, but also with moisture, corrosion or damaged wiring. With regular checks and a structured approach, many lighting faults can be detected at an earlier stage.
Check lighting and cabling regularly
Semi-trailer lights are exposed to dirt, moisture, road salt and vibrations whilst on the road. You should therefore not only check that all lights are working, but also inspect the connectors, cables and fixings. Look out for corrosion, damage, moisture inside the lamp housing and loose connections.
A check following intensive use or a service can help to spot emerging problems before they lead to a breakdown. Don’t forget to check the earth connections: a poor earth connection can cause symptoms similar to those of a faulty lamp.
Replace damaged parts in good time
Replacing a bulb will not solve the problem if the connection or wiring harness is damaged. Furthermore, repeated emergency repairs can result in an installation with a mix of different cables, connectors and repair points. This makes subsequent faults more difficult to trace.
If problems recur, carry out a full inspection of the installation. Replace worn or corroded parts where necessary and ensure that new components are compatible with one another. This can make the installation process clearer and reduce the risk of connection errors.
Test all functions after maintenance
After a repair or modification, check all lighting functions with the tractor connected. Test the rear lights, brake lights, indicators and marker lights, amongst other things. Also check whether the dashboard displays a fault message and watch out for rapidly flashing or pulsing lights.
When carrying out work on lighting, it is also important to take the applicable regulations into account. View the overview of lighting requirements for lorries.
Be aware of lamp monitoring in CANbus systems
Some modern tractors monitor the electrical load of lighting functions. As LED lights generally use less power than incandescent bulbs, the light monitoring system may sometimes display an error message even though the light is actually on. A rapidly flashing indicator may also indicate such a situation.
The lamp monitoring system checks the lighting function; the CAN bus network can transmit information about a fault within the vehicle. The right solution depends on the tractor unit and the connected lighting. A plug-and-play system from TRALERT® can be a handy solution for this. It can be supplied with a control box, which can help to overcome these problems.
Record repairs
Make a note for each semi-trailer of which parts have been replaced and when the work was carried out. This allows the workshop to see more quickly which modifications have already been made and enables recurring faults to be investigated more effectively.
By carrying out regular checks, using the correct parts and performing a functional test after installation, you can reduce the risk of a lighting fault causing an unexpected stoppage.