Keeping Your Fleet Maintained with DOT Tape
Reflective Tape
Visibility is just as important as a well-maintained engine. At Heskins, our DOT tape can help increase visibility with your fleet.
Keeping large vehicles maintained is always a task to be undertaken with due diligence. Ensuring your vehicle is road worthy is something that must be done in between each job, but ensuring compliance with road regulations is something that must be done at every stop when a driver leaves/re-enters their cab. Weigh stations are often and random spot checkpoints can happen at any time, with the Department of Transport checking the vehicle very thoroughly, and anything that does not meet regulations can result in a citation.
DOT tape is required on large vehicles over 80” in width or over 10,000lbs in weight, most particularly at night. DOT tape is a reflective, self-adhesive tape, applied to certain areas on the vehicle, reflecting light in all directions to ensure proper visibility for other drivers. While our DOT tape is virtually impact resistant, and UV protected, this does not make it infallible to all eventualities. Weathering, scraping or even incorrect application can make DOT tape unfit for use, and if spotted by a Department of Transport official, a citation will be written.
Heskins recent visit to MATS allowed us the opportunity to learn a great deal, particularly about how many people/companies prepare for this. Many keep spare rolls or cuts in their cab to add or replace any that may be missing or damaged. By doing this, you can keep in line with regulations, preventing citations or delays in your job, and with trucking, time is everything…
Heskins range of DOT tape has become varied over the past year, and we now offer a range of roll sizes, cut shapes and kit packs in a range of colors to suit budgets and requirements. We can also offer custom options, dependent on order quantity, so now there is no reason for you to receive a citation for improper maintenance. Our two variants now include glass bead and micro prismatic DOT tapes.
If you would to order, or enquire further about our DOT tape, you can do so by getting in touch with our sales team by phone, email, Live Chat or the contact us form on the website. Our team are looking forward to hearing from you.
What Does Reflective Tape Do?
The main idea for reflective tape is to help improve users’ visibility in lower-light areas. This tape helps ensure safety for vehicles, trailers, and bikes. Therefore, when traveling in those darker areas, the light will be able to reflect and inform other road users that you are there and reducing the likelihood of any severe road accidents.
How To Maintain Reflective Tape
Once applied, it is very important to keep on top of your reflective tape to ensure complete visibility. When on the road, the tape could get very dirty, which can reduce the reflective levels, so to help maintain the tape, keep an eye on it to check if it’s always clear and visible. Get a clean cloth and wipe all the dirt away, it can also be cleaned with the same products used to clean your vehicles, killing two birds with one stone!
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