Marker Lights: Must Have?

[whitey1]

I'm sure I read that you don't have to have marker lights on your box, but if you do they must work.
It also seems that some of the custom trucks go sans markers.
I'd really like to get rid of my markers in front top of box, they are seemingly constantly burning out or getting snapped off, and they are hard to get to to replace.
Anybody know if you are required to have marker lights on the front of your box (straight truck)?

 

[greg334]

er.. not to be a smart a** but you do have that little green book?

Have you read the part on lights?

If you don't have that book, well.... nevermind

 

[ConfusedMuse]

Little GREEN book???? errrrrrrrrrrr it's not black. oops I musta been sleeping when that one got passed out... I'm looking....

 

[Crazynuff]

>Little GREEN book???? errrrrrrrrrrr it's not black. oops I
>musta been sleeping when that one got passed out... I'm
>looking....
WAKE UP !!! THIS little green book ! http://tinyurl.com/2m5z5d . They sell it at almost every fuel stop . The problem is they are shrink wrapped and you can't tell how long ago it was published . You can get updates from the above link .

 

[greg334]

It don't think the rules on lights have changed since 1995.

And I thought every truck was required to have on?

 

[riverrat2000]

actually I was waiting and interested in your question but it doesn't look like an answer is forthcoming I did do some searches and while I cannot completely answer your question this link

ww.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.asp?rule_toc=762&section=393.17&section_toc=1861
will help, I will look later when I have more time. Hopefully someone here that really knows the answer to your question will take a few minutes to tell you more than to go look in the green book.

 

[greg334]

I did answer the question, the book should be read by every contractor, and every driver should at least try to understand how the regs fit together and every truck should have a copy. I think that asking a question is good but the direction to look in the book was a proper answer to make.

But to answer the question, “if you are required to have marker lights on the front of your box…?†it is yes you have to have front clearance lights on your box – ref. 393.11. I think that with Reefer equipped trucks the center clearance lights can be used on the cab and the side front clearance lights need to be visible from a position facing the truck.

If you want exact text, read the book.

In reference to 393.17 that section has to do with towing vehicles and rollaway.

 

[cheri1122]

Greg was doing a good thing: teaching you to fish, rather than handing you a dinner.

 

[riverrat2000]

sorry if I offended anyone, but this is suppose to be where to get good info and I was kinda of interested in the answer myself and have not had the time to wade thru the book myself yet, and after 4 posts and without the answer well he** it was a simple question that someone that knew the answer too should have just answered

 

[arkjarhead]

Another good reason to have the book is to carry in with you to the scale house. On time I got pulled in the scale house at Vicksburg,MS on I 20. I took in all my papers and my lil green book. The dot man asked to see my b.o.ls. I told him I didn't have any because I was empty and on the way to load. He then asked me why my trailer doors were locked. I told him it was because I didn't want my load bars and straps and pallet jack to get stolen. He said I was decieving him by having the doors locked while empty, and he was going to write me a ticket for it. I polietly pulled out my lil green book and asked him to show me in the book where it said I couldn't have my doors locked while empty. He told me it wasn't in there. i told him and I'd like to speak with his supervisor and he told me I could leave. So now you see one way that lil book can save you money.

 

[greg334]

Riverrat,
You didn't offend me at all, on the contrary, it forced me out of the house and into my truck to grab the green book and look up that and another issue.

I think that what lacks here and other sites is if we answer the question, it really just answers the question and nothing else. Telling someone to look it up and where to find the info allows someone to look up other issues that come to mind.

 

[cheri1122]

In other words: teaching someone how to fish, instead of handing them dinner - aka: tough love!
IMO, knowing the answer to any question isn't half as important as knowing where to find the correct answer when you want it, and that's what Greg was telling you - where to find the answer that is accurate. If several posters replied with information that's inaccurate, would that help you? Arkjar is right: when you're faced with a jerk in the scalehouse, it is good to know what he can & can't demand. A jerk will argue with a driver, but not with the little green book.

 

[riverrat2000]

ok, back to the original question and yes use the green book and look up 393.11 there are good diagrams there that will answer your questions as to the specific on the front marker lights it depends on the hight under 80" it looks like you do not need them over 80 you do my book is over two years old so you would need to check that they haven't changed the requirments,Iought it but you never know.

 

[whitey1]

Oddly enough, it never occurred to me to look in the rule book.
Once I did as suggested, it is pretty clear that you need amber marker lights as "high on the box as practical", and spread out to the far edges, if your truck is over 80 inches wide (not high as posted above).
As also noted above, there are some pretty nifty little diagrams.
OBTW, mine is a blue and white 2005 edition(of the book).
Ah well, I thought I might have been able to rid myself of a little pain, I guess from now on I'll George of the Jungle it and "Watch out for that treeeee!"

 

[Crazynuff]

Riverrat , just a suggestion . See how your long url requires the message to be scrolled to read in its entirety ? When you have a long url like that if you go to http://tinyurl.com you can reduce the length of the url .
On another note , the laws on lighting have changed , then changed back . A while back there was a regulation saying there could only be 5 marker lights across the front or back of a box . Thet later removed that regulation .

 

[riverrat2000]

thanks for the tip on the url,s sorry about the width/hight mix up, and it isn't hard to believe that they would change then change back the requirements after all it IS a government entity and we all know that they can't make up their minds. I wonder when they will come up with a requirement to have a degree in law to get a cdl

 

[greg334]

"I wonder when they will come up with a requirement to have a degree in law to get a cdl"

Actually I think they need to add more to the test because I found a few drivers out there who could not check their oil. Every driver should know more about their truck than just a simple pre-trip. But that is all for another post.

 

[cheri1122]

A "simple pretrip"? Greg, the test I took (granted, it was in the "show me" state, lol) included 105 separate items on the pretrip - if that's simple, I'd hate to see the complicated one! But I agree 100%: every driver should be as familiar with their truck as say, their toothbrush.
I am still learning "how to" on the truck I drive - it didn't come with an owners' manual, but I am learning where to find the answers, and whom to call with the questions, too. (Thank you to Brenda Ryan, Moot, Highway Star, et al, for the help, BTW, you guys are awesome!)

 

[ConfusedMuse]

Sorry, I responded in jest, was out of line. I found this site while surfing around looking stuff up, and we do have the green book. Guess it was truly stumbled upon my access is now denied... shall try again. and I am truly sorry.

 

[greg334]

>Sorry, I responded in jest, was out of line. I found this
>site while surfing around looking stuff up, and we do have
>the green book. Guess it was truly stumbled upon my access
>is now denied... shall try again. and I am truly sorry.

Why apologize? it was really something that made me think. And yes I also have a black book in the truck too.