Effective Sunday, as dictated by European Directive 2007/35/EC, all new registrations of European commercial vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes, more than 6.00 metres long and more than 2.10 metres wide must be provided with contour marking (retroreflective tape).
The contour marking consists of 50 mm wide reflective strips, which must be approved in accordance with ECE-R 104. These strips must be affixed as a technical lighting facility in accordance with ECE-R 48, and will therefore be subject to the general (MOT) and roadside inspections.
In accordance with these, the conspicuous contour marking must always consist of rear and side marking whereby the rear marking must be attached as a full contour marking in either yellow or red and the side marking at least as partial contour marking in yellow or white – full contour marking at the side as an option.
A frequent cause of accidents involving lorries is poor visibility in twilight, during the hours of darkness and in poor weather, as the vehicles are often seen either too late or not at all. Contour markings counteract this danger, as they ensure that lorries are easier to see at a distance and also make it easier to identify a trailer up ahead much more quickly.
For many years, Krone has been offering its customers the option of fitting semitrailers and trailers with contour markings. Krone is not only a pioneer with load-securing systems, but also equips its trailers as standard with the RSS (Roll Stability Support) stability system.