Why Truck Light Compliance Matters

What Does it Mean to Have Compliant Truck Lights?

Your headlights, taillights, and marker lights are all essential pieces of your truck's safety system. If you can't see the full scope of what's in front of your 80,000-pound vehicle and other motorists can't clearly see you, there'll be trouble for everyone. When you look online, aftermarket headlights are a dime a dozen — a few clicks and you can choose the type of light you need at the right price. Because what's one headlight or stop/turn/taillight from the other, right?

Not necessarily. While it is true that you can easily find replacement lights for your truck or vehicle, there's one important thing you need to keep in mind along with making sure it's an exact fit — whether it's compliant. But what does that mean and how can you tell?

DOT and FMVSS Standards

We don't think about it too much while we're flicking our lights on and off, but there's a lot that goes into making sure that what's lighting your truck is legit. All automotive lights, signals, and reflective devices are regulated by U.S. regulations called Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). These are created and monitored by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

In other words, the DOT created the FMVSS to define the design, construction, performance, and durability requirements for vehicles. For lights to be DOT compliant, they must adhere to Section 108 of the FMVSS.

SAE Standards

You may have seen this acronym on vehicle lighting and not been quite sure what it means. The SAE, or Society of Automotive Engineers, is an organization that sets what the technical standards are for the manufacturing, testing, and design of truck lighting. These guys are experts in the industry, and their recommendations are based on best practices.

SAE recommendations alone don't have legal merit, but they are often adapted into the FMVSS, which makes them law. It's also important to note here that the SAE and DOT don't necessarily work separately of each other. The SAE informs the quality of truck lighting, and the DOT performs testing on those products to ensure their compliance to current transportation law and approved use on U.S. highways and roads.

ECE Standards

The standards mentioned above apply to truck lighting in the U.S., but Europe has its own organization to set similar standards — the ECE, or Economic Commission for Europe. Lighting products that are ECE compliant meet the legal requirements for vehicles in European Union countries and any other nations that adapt ECE standards.

Although the overall goal is the same, the ECE has different standards and testing than the DOT/SAE do. If you find that your truck lights are only ECE compliant, they may not be legal in the U.S. But if your lights are both SAE/ECE compliant, you should be in the clear.

What Happens If Truck Lights Aren't Compliant?

If it seems like a pain to have to find out if your lights are compliant, keep in mind that it's worth not having a road accident due to poor design or cheap components. If you just stick any old lights on your truck and hope for the best, here are the possible consequences:

Legality. In the U.S., if your vehicle lighting isn't DOT compliant, you could find yourself facing a ticket or citation, or in extreme cases even jail time. By law, your headlights and taillights must be DOT compliant for legal use in all 50 states. Without DOT compliance, headlights and taillights can only be used off-road.

Testing. When a headlight or taillight is DOT compliant, that means it has met strict regulations, standards, specs, and testing. The SAE/DOT do their due diligence to ensure products are safe to use in public and provide the best and safest illumination.

How to Find Out If Your Truck Lights are Compliant

If you're not sure whether your truck lights are SAE/DOT compliant, it's easy to check by simply looking at the light itself. All compliant headlights and taillights will have the word "DOT" stamped right onto them, and there will also be the word "SAE" with an identification code molded into the plastic, showing you that your product meets all of the requirements and is completely street legal.

In a situation where you don't find these on your lights, you may have a problem with either faulty products or a possible citation if it gets discovered during inspection. If you find yourself with noncompliant headlights or taillights, take the time to find reputable replacements for your vehicle and replace all necessary lights to get yourself quickly up to code.

It's relevant to point out that the proper language is always going to be "DOT/SAE compliant," never "approved." If products are claiming to be approved by these organizations, something might be fishy.

SAE/DOT Compliant Truck Lights

Need to replace your headlights or taillights but not sure where to find ones that are compliant? The good news is that you don't have to buy the lights first to be able to check them for compliance. Most brands that have legitimate SAE/DOT lighting will typically say so in their product information.

Recommended: Match Made Lighting

Match Made is an example of a brand that adheres to U.S. SAE/DOT regulations. Match Made lighting is tested both inside and outside of the manufacturing facilities, ensuring that each product meets these strict standards. And one additional win with Match Made — you get all the value and performance without the high sticker price of big brands.

Match Made lighting comes with a 2-year warranty, and this up-and-coming brand also offers seals, water pumps, brake chambers, and more.

Check out our full haul of heavy-duty everything, including Match Made lighting. Log in or create an account today, and don't leave your lighting situation up to chance.