Why Reflective tape on trucks
“When donkey carts in some rural villages in Botswana applied reflective tape, crashes were prevented and lives were saved.”
GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF NGOS FOR ROAD SAFETY/SOCIETY OF ROAD SAFETY AMBASSADORS
The above information is extracted from Fobes.
What is the reflective tape?
Reflective tape is also called conspicuity tape or retro-reflective tape, the standard width of a reflective tape roll is normally 5cm, and the length is 50m. which is the reflective tape requirement on trailers from worldwide. thus to been seen from the road during day and night time.
The safety reflective tape for trailers is to help with saving lives. The design of reflective vinyl tape either white reflective tape and red reflective tape, or single white reflective vinyl tape, yellow reflective tape or red reflective tape, and it always comes with pieces, the size of one piece is 5cm*30cm. The feature of reflective vinyl tape is self-adhesive and retroreflective, thus it is easy to apply for safety purposes.
Where the reflective tape comes from?
The principle of reflective vinyl tapes
The principles of retroreflection are designed to reflect only a beam of light back along the same path as the incoming beam. Thus the technology is categorized into glass beads and prismatic reflectors.
Why reflective tape vinyl needs a top layer
XW Reflective apply for the glass beads method to produce the reflective tape, this is developed by 3M reflective tape in 1937, the very first reflective tape is glass beads without top layers, and applied for vertical signs outdoor, the reflective glass beads lost all reflectivity in heavy rain and dirt.
How to extend the using life of reflective tape vinyl
In order to solve this problem of lost reflectivity in the poor environment, XW Reflective applied a facing layer of transparent plastic to the open face of the reflective beads, such as PMMA, PET, or PVC, they are all smooth glossy top surface.
In this situation, the reflective tape rolls have a protective layer on the surface, with features of waterproof, anti-UV, etc, that can be used for a longer time than before.
Reflective tapes in the market
The reflective sheeting is a kind of composite sheeting, the reflective glass beads are enclosed within the top layers and pressure-sensitive adhesive. In the market, reflective tape has three kinds of surface film, this is for different levels of the market according to the local weather, market price, and local regulations.
What kind of reflective tape?
As each country has its own regulation, such as the USA apply DOT C2, were set up by the FMCSA to help improve visibility in low light conditions and reduce the probability of fatal motor vehicle crashes into the sides or back of stopped or parked trucks and tractor-trailers at night or in poor visibility conditions.
Reflectivity & Performance is one of the most important aspects of this reflective tape, this is enhancing the visibility on the driveway, especially for highway applications. To meet the DOT C2,3,4 requirements a tape must meet all the requirements for ASTM D4956-90 Type V Reflective Sheeting EXCEPT for the reflectivity. XW1200 reflective trailer tape dot c2 is basically equal to Type III or High-Intensity Glass Bead tape, which is DOTC2 Reflective tape.
How to apply reflective tape on the trucks?
Normally, trucks exceeding 5 tons and over 2 meters wide must mark their trailers with DOT C2 reflective tape.
For the side of the trailer, the DOT C2 retro-reflective tape need to be marked horizontally on both side of the trailer, it is required to be covered at least 50% of each side. For the lower rear of the trailer,
50% of each side must be covered, two strips must be used in the lower rear, it also must be equipped with retro-reflective tape horizontally as practicable, from the beginning and ending as close to the extreme edges as practicable. For the rear of the truck, it is required to cover the reflective tape near the top of the mudflap.
Above picture extract from https://reflectivetape.info/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/dot_c21.jpg
The glance of reflective tape for the truck from worldwide.
Different country has its own regulation and culture, thus the reflective tape for trucks are different, here are some pictures for your information.
The USA adopts DOT C2 regulations, the reflective tape is white and red designs.
China adopts CCC regulations, and it is required to renew annually.
Australia is adopting white reflective tape, yellow reflective tape, and red retroreflective tape for heavy vehicles.
This is a reflective truck from India, it is not only for reflective, but this is also a culture that gods are protecting.
Where can you buy a reflective tape?
If you are looking for a few pieces, I recommend that you can source from your local shops, such as Home Depot, Amazon, or Walmart.
If you are distributors, and you are looking for a bulk amount, such as 500 reflective tape rolls, most welcome to leave us an inquiry, we will reply to you very soon.
