My son who is a Tractor trailer driver asks..

Question

Why in the world are Trailers not requiered to have back up lights or a signal beeper on the trailer to warn people that one of the biggest vehicles on the road is backing up???

Answer 1

A tractor trailer driver should know that you never back up unless you know what is behind you. If there is a question about what is behind you, you are supposed to get out and look. That is what G.O.A.L. means on the mirrors on a lot of big trucks.  If you are in an area where there is a lot of activity behind you, you either don't back up or you use a spotter ( a person on the ground that can see behind you) to guide you back. A spotter is the safest way to back up. Besides, I sure as h**l wouldn't want to listen to back up alarms all night long when trying to sleep in the truck. It's bad enough you have idiots that can't shut their jake brake off or blow their air horn in truck stop parking lots.

Answer 2

A safe driver will have his four-way flashers on while backing his trailer.

Answer 3

Would it really matter,I have had both going and they still pull up to the back and just sit there waiting for you to move,I even parked my rig and went to the back of my trailer and told the person to back up they just looked at me,like to say why,very frustrating.

Answer 4

Backup lights on a vehicle ( including semi tractors) are not to let others know they are backing up, but rather to illuminate the area behind the vehicle for the driver at night. Even without a trailor, in my truck, because the light beside the taillights shine directly back, & I am using mirrors on the sides, it is very diffcult to see without also turning on my "cargo" lights (the ones on the back of the sleeper).

In order to illuminate behind the trailer (& be able to allow the driver to to really distinguish what is there) the lights would have be so bright they would blind anyone behind them. I do agree it would be safer to have them & any amount of light would help when backing into a dark hole. Unfortunately, the backup lights, or a beeper, work off the gear shift when it is put into reverse, & the trailer has no way of knowing when this occurs. So for now ( & probably the distant future) using the flashers is the best recourse. You can also blow the horn a couple of times in heavily crowded areas.

Answer 5

people wouldn't pay attention anyhow<

Answer 6

Good thought> seems they should> But since all trailer don't stay on 1 rig and the tractors are different it would be very hard to adapt all trailers to 1>

Answer 7

I am a tractor trailer driver my self and i have been doing that for 6 years now and I thought of that qustion too but cars still wont pay attation any ways if you got this 13' 6 and this 72 foot tractor and trailer and you gross at 80 thousand pounds rig and if you have your 4 way flashers and cars will try to get around you in nomater what you are trying to do even you lay on the air horn as a back up alarm people are idots coming with truck and car safty