When you step into the cab of a truck or climb into the trailer, you're probably not thinking about an important element that makes your job a lot easier: lighting.

Grote Industries, a lighting supplier to the heavy-duty trucking industry, is doing some exciting things in an area many of us take for granted. Dominic Grote, who was recently named president of the company, provided the inside scoop

on where vehicular lighting is headed in the future.

LEDs

One area where vehicle lighting will continue to grow is in the use of LED lighting, rather than incandescent, Grote says. A light-emitting diode is an electronic light source that works when a voltage is applied to it. LED technology has been picking up a lot more in the last three years, Grote says, as it provides several benefits over traditional incandescent lighting. In fact, LED lighting is now standard on trailers, and OEMs are slowly getting there with making it standard on tractors, he said.

When LEDs were first introduced in the late '80s, it was not widely used and cost 10 times more than incandescent, Grote points out. However, these days LED pricing is very competitive with incandescent, with the added benefit of longer life. While incandescent lights last up to 1,800 hours, LED can provide up to 100,000 hours of light.

In addition, using LED technology in trucks draws less amperage from the vehicle's battery. This is an especially good way to address idling issues and improve fuel efficiency, Grote adds.

White Light

Vehicle lighting is also moving toward the use of white light, which can be achieved through several different light sources. Most commonly in trucks, white lights are used inside the trailer or inside the cab of the truck to help in loading/unloading, reading maps, etc. These types of lights are easier on the eyes, Grote says, as they produce an effect similar to sunlight. This, in turn, can result in less fatigue on a driver, he says.

This aspect of lighting is very important when taking into consideration the productivity of a driver or worker. White lights not only help drivers to see what they're doing, they also leave the driver less tired and more efficient in doing the job. "You need light pretty much to do anything," Grote says.

New Applications

Another area where vehicle lighting is headed is in having lights in new applications where you couldn't before. Grote Industries has been a pioneer in this space, with its introduction earlier this year of LightForm technology, a razor thin, flexible LED lighting device that can be installed using a peel and stick method. While the device is not meant to replace traditional lighting, Grote says, it does make things more fun and allows truckers to light places that were dark before.

"When one considers the weight, energy use and aerodynamic advantages associated with an exterior application of LightForm, we've really accomplished something significant," he says, "but when you consider that you can now bend your lighting around corners, over contoured areas and into complicated shapes, we've simply changed the entire lighting equation."

It's clear that the vehicle lighting industry is going through change, and Grote has played a large role in that. While Grote's designs for truck lighting used to be focused on meeting regulations, they are now much more focused on the human interface with their products, he says.

As the fourth generation to head the company, Dominic Grote has ambitious plans for the company in his new role, including global expansion. The company recently moved its Europe operations from Spain to Germany, and they're also working on expanding into the Asian market. The new president's other plans include rolling out new LED technologies and improving the company's relationships with its customers.