Requirements put in place by the DOT work and strive to keep people safe in their everyday lives across the United States. However, a lot of people often overlook the work done by the DOT. So here are some of the facts that matter about DOT requirements and how they work.
It is important to start in a place where people may be the most confused. The term DOT stands for department of transportation and it deals with, you guessed it, transportation. DOT requirements deal with safety precautions that must be inspected by a certified worker for the department of transportation. Sometimes, they work in conjunction with the NFPA, also known as the National Fire Protection Association.
The NFPA dictates that retroreflective strips must be applied to at least 50% of any emergency vehicle’s cab and body length. These retroreflective strips work to protect the people inside of the emergency vehicle as well as others. This helps make the vehicle much more visible and noticeable. This type of reflective trailer tape is one way DOT requirements help protect people out on the road.
According to the NFPA 91 recommendation, type 1, or engineer grade, is the minimum acceptable type of reflective sheeting that can be used on emergency vehicles. The FRA, or Federal Railroad Administration have installed regulations for freight car markings. These were updated in the year of 2005 to help cover all rail cars and locomotives.
The C2, C3, and C4 designations from the DOT requirements all deal with width and specifically so in inches of DOT certified reflective tape. Again, there is that reflective tape being utilized to help increase visibility. Other drivers will be able to notice this type of reflective tape as opposed to non-reflective tape.
DOT certified tape only comes in one pattern: which is made in the form of alternating red and white sections. These two colors were chosen because they can be seen at all times both early in the morning and late at night. DOt reflective tape and DOT trailer regulations work in conjunction to keep everyone safe and happy.
Any truck exceeding a 10,000-pound weight and an 80-inch width must have its trailers marked with 2-inch wide DOT C2 Reflective tape in alternating white and red stripes. This type of DOT reflective tape requirements for trucks could seem tedious to some until it potentially saves them from a dangerous accident. So make sure that if you own a transportation business you are adhering to the DOT requirements.
Two pairs of reflex reflectors, each pair consisting of 12-inch strips, must be placed on the left and right upper corners of the trailer rear. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA, reflective tape can effectively reduce impacts into trailers by 29%. So this direct stat shows that there are actual benefits involved with using the proper DOT requirements tape!
In Conclusion
Do not disobey DOT requirements if you are a business owner that uses forms of transportation to help boost your bottom line. This is not only put in place as law but it helps keep employees and other drivers safe late at night when visibility is minimalized.