Labcraft, the industry-leading designers and manufacturers of LED lighting for commercial vehicles, has introduced two new versions of its Banksman light which will bring safer manoeuvring to a wider range of vehicle fleets.

Labcraft’s innovative Banksman BM3 lighting solution is already proving to be an effective contributor to safety and cost reduction in the commercial vehicle industry. With over 6,000 installations, ranging from large fleets to single vehicles, operators who have fitted the system are reporting improved levels of safety and significant savings associated with accident damage and vehicle downtime.

Now, to accommodate a wider range of vehicle specifications and industry sectors, Labcraft is highlighting the operational and safety benefits of its R23 – regulation, BM4 and BM6 variations.

Banksman R23, the world’s first Regulation 23-compliant manoeuvring lamp and first to be introduced in Europe, is designed to increase employee safety while reducing vehicle accidents. It delivers additional bright light around the vehicle, helping the drivers to manoeuvre more easily and with confidence in large and narrow spaces.

Mounted at various points on the underside of the chassis, Banksman delivers bright, white light around the vehicle to areas which conventional reversing lights cannot reach.  It is suitable for any vehicle required to work in areas of darkness or poor light and simple to install – either to pre-registered vehicles, as ‘standard’, or for retrofitting to an existing fleet.

Waste management and environmental solutions provider, Grundon, has fitted the system to over 130 of its trade waste vehicles operating at around 100 locations, where, says Grundon they are reversing up to 70% of the time during the hours of darkness.

“Our objective was to find a solution which would enable drivers to see as clearly as possible and thus reduce accident risk,” said Grundon.

To this end, the Banksman projects a white light at a 90-degree angle from the vehicle sides onto the surrounding area and illuminates up to 30 square metres.

“The degree of close-quarter vision produced by just two lights on each vehicle not only improves safety but also, reduces downtime and minimises repair costs,” said Grundon. “Also, the system is easy and quick to retrofit which again means minimum time off the road.”

For vehicle chassis unsuitable for the BM3, where no horizontal surfaces are accessible or fitting space is restricted, the Banksman BM4 is designed to fit vertically, thereby offering a wider range of mounting options to operators of more specialist equipment, such as for construction, plant, storage and handling.

Meanwhile, the Banksman BM6 is designed to provide a slightly less intense output, making it perfect for more dense and populated areas.

All Banksman lights are rugged, fully waterproof and come with a five-year warranty.

For Lenham Storage, the ambient grocery and FMCG logistics specialist, the safety and commercial benefits of Banksman lighting are clear:

“A good proportion of our deliveries are made at nighttime to supermarkets and service station forecourts,” said the company, “where there are many potential hazards in the form of low bollards, signs, other vehicles and of course, people. We trialled the Banksman manoeuvring light system and now fit two lamps on each side of all new trailers. No question, we will see a reduction in accidents vehicle down-time and repair costs – this is the only responsible way to go.”

The benefits and success of Banksman, says Labcraft’s Technical Director Jamie Pettit, has led to collaboration with industry bodies and leading vehicle manufacturers focused on improving safety and reducing costs.

“We are constantly reviewing and modifying our broad range of lighting and Banksman solutions to keep in tune with fleet safety and regulatory requirements,” said Jamie.

Accordingly, Labcraft recommends the use of Regulation 23 – approved manoeuvring lamps on all new trailers and vehicles of certain types and lengths and the retrofitting of same to existing trailers and vehicles.

“It goes without saying,” adds Jamie Pettit, “that a 14m articulated trailer requires greater illumination than a 3.5-ton vehicle of half the length.”

All Labcraft lights, including the Banksman range, are made at the company’s ISO9001/14001 facility in Saffron Walden, Essex, where they follow an environmentally conscious, ecological and responsible manufacturing process.