Retroreflective tape Regulations: How much do you know?

Retroreflective tape used in many traffic safety signs

It’s safe to say that very few people give much thought about a roll of retroreflective tape.

The truth is, retroreflective tape is one of that unsung safetyUse this marking tape on your trailers or tractors.

Those materials that quietly help create a safer environment for almost everyone.

Reflective material, and consequently retroreflective tape.

They were developed to enable objects to become visible at night or in low light situations.

Retroreflection tape allows road signs, barriers, posts, and non-illuminated vehicles to be clearly visible at night

Greatly reducing the traffic accident

In fact, a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),

An agency under the United States Department of Transportation states that retroreflective tape can effectively reduce impacts into trailers by 29%.

This report has, unsurprisingly,

Led by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

(FMCSA – the agency responsible for overseeing the safety of commercial vehicles)

Requiring large commercial vehicles such as trucks and tractor trailers be outfitted with retroreflective tape.

Show Your (Reflective) Colors – and Size

As you may know, reflective sheeting comes in many different colors.

As per the FMCSA’s recommendations,

The tape colors should only be red and white, or more specifically,

The reflective sheeting should be alternating red and white sections.

Also, the two segments should have a minimum of 12 inches in length plus or minus six inches.

This would mean a range of six inches to eighteen inches.

However, the tape should be trimmed if it would cause any form of obstruction.

Besides the 2 colors, the reflective sheeting should only come in the following widths: 2 inches, 3 inches, and 4 inches.

Commercially, these tapes would be designated as DOT C2 reflective tape for the 2-inch wide tape,

DOT-C3 for 3 inches,

And DOT-C4 for the 4-inch wide variant.

Marking Your Commercial Vehicles with Reflective sheeting Ideal for marking stationary objects increasing nighttime visibility.

It’s not just enough to randomly cover your commercial vehicle with retroreflective tape.

Rather, the tape should be placed in locations on your truck or trailer where the material would be most effective.

Reflective Tape Position

The FMCSA has determined these areas to be on the sides of the trailer,

The lower rear section of the trailer,

The upper rear section of the trailer and the rear section of your truck.

Retroreflective tape on the Sides of the trailer

Sides of the trailer – On the sides of your trailer,

Your Retroreflective tape should be positioned as horizontally as possible,

Beginning and ending as close to the front and the rear as practically possible.

The tape needs not be continuous; rather you could have evenly spaced sections of tape.

However, the sum of the length of your tape should be about half the length of the trailer.

Reflective tape on lower rear section of the trailer

Lower rear section of the trailer – The entire width of your trailer should be equipped with reflective tape.

Position the marking tape as horizontally as you can,

Beginning and ending as close to the end edges as possible.

Finally, the centerline for the strip of tape should be between 15 and 60 inches above the road surface when the trailer is empty,

Or as close to this measurement as possible.

Reflective tape on upper rear section of the trailer

Upper rear section of the trailer

This requirement is slightly different from the others in that the required tape color is white rather than an alternating red and white.

Two pairs of reflective tape should be positioned horizontally and vertically on both right and left upper corners, as close to the edge as possible.

The end result should be two inverted “L” tapes covering the two upper corners.

If, however, the trailer doesn't have any angles when viewed from behind, as with a tanker,

The reflective sheeting should be positioned as close as possible to the upper-most and outer-most perimeter on both the left and right sides.

Reflective tape on rear section of trucks

Rear section of trucks – For trucks,

Reflective sheeting should be positioned as close as possible to the edges of mud flaps or their support brackets, or on the rear fenders.

Tape should also be mounted on the upper contours of the truck’s cab,

Similar to how these would appear on the upper rear section of a trailer.

Maintenance Equals Safety

Remember, your reflective sheeting is only as effective as it is visible.

Even if you invest in the right tape and install these in the proper manner as defined by the FMCSA,

You should also take the time to clean them occasionally.

This is to ensure your tapes do their jobs properly.

Not to overly stress the point,

But dirty reflective sheeting won’t catch light properly leading to diminished visibility.

To learn more about the rules for refraction tape sticking positions

You can view this link Reflective Tape For Trailers

Reflective tape in Germany

In Germany

In addition to motorcyclists, other motor vehicle drivers are required to wear reflective clothing with reflective tape for clothing.

At night, motor vehicle failure, or temporary parking

When the driver gets off, it is extremely dangerous

Wear anti-reflective clothing can be warning in advance of the coming and going vehicles

To ensure your travel safety

As always, stay safe on and off the road!

WEALLIGHT reflective sheeting are with you!

Our website：https://weallight.com