New kid on the block wants to know, Are lights, bars and curtains really so bad? I’m getting the impression this is a raw nerve with so many. Seems like a subject that would attract many thoughts
IF it is want you wish ,then
just do it,as it,s a free country,
or was when i last looked.
In my humble opinion, I am not a lover of bolt on goodies. I have this problem you see, I actually think a truck is a thing I drive so as to earn a living. To me a truck is a tool, a piece of equipment not owned by me, but simply to use as a means of performing my job.
Now I dont have a problem with a truck that is looked after, kept clean and presentable. What I dont understand is actually spending my own money to tart up a piece of equipment that someone else owns.
Now some people do like to have all the ‘extra’s’, fair play to them if they have the time and inclination…and the dosh. to make their vehicle personalised. But at the end of the day it is not my cup of Tea.
The only thing I do detest is ‘peek ‘a’ boo’ curtains’, That’s one thing that I really do not understand 
It’s a question of perspective, and necessity. There are certain, and a very few types of work, where extra lighting is advantageous.
A few years ago, an enthusiastic member told us about how his gaffer had spent about a grand equipping his motor with extra lights, etc. Another member retorted to the effect that wouldn’t he have preferred to have had that money in his pay packet.
Personally. I’d rather have more money in my wallet than be seen preening myself in some ‘blinged up’ monstrosity wondering if the the job would still be there the following week.
Each to his/her own
If you want to customise your truck then it’s your choice, I spend the whole week in mine so I like to be as comfortable as possible with a few ‘home comforts’, my house is clean and tidy so therefore my truck is kept clean and tidy
Some blokes don’t care how dirty thier trucks are or themselves; you know the ones who couldn’t give a monkeys, cos they’re the ones you back away from in a queue because their personal higyne is non existant
It’s also about pride and passion and you’ll find the ones who have niether are the ones who moan about the job the most
Oh and if you buy something for your truck, you can always take it with you when you leave or get another truck
Anything obscuring the windows should be banned & anyone breaking the rule should be placed in front of a firing squad 
Lights are ok as long as there aren’t too many, top & bottom bars are a bit overkill but they look ok, the ones up the back of the cab are IMO ok too.
Bits of shiny metal with LEDs in that are attached to stupid places are ridiculous, I saw an R series on the A14 the other day that had them all round the edge of the grille, as well as on the roof, 1 above the visor, a bottom light bar, 1 under the bumper, 1 under & above the diesel tanks, 1 under each back light & 1 across the back of the chassis & the big Griffin on the back wall of the cab, the driver was obviously embarrassed as he was hiding behind a frilly curtain, WTF is that all about 
Call me old fashioned but a lorry is a tool to earn money, all that ■■■■ ruins the fuel consumption so it’s just plain WRONG 
Unless it’s an owner driver, who should know better you’ll normally find that the wages are crap 
when it comes to bullbars i think theyre a neccessity in the likes of australia where you have narrow roads that go for thousands of kms with bushland on either side of the road, and you WILL get wildlife sitting in the middle of the road
for the likes of the uk and ireland its just a show thing, but whatever floats yer boat
If your Boss pays then Good Luck to you 
If you spend your hard earned dough then don’t or send it to me as i am short of cash at the moment
Do what you want m8
I like to see ‘well dressed’ lorries as it usually shows that 'pride is being taken (to extremes at times 
) but I have one proviso - SAFETY must not be compromised in any way - that means no loss of vision, either to the lorry driver (curtains etc) or other motorists (blinding lights).
So a 3 ft round dreamcatcher in the screen is not acceptable then?
As some have said above, its about pride and passion, if you spend alot of time in your truck then you want to make it “homely”.
On my own truck The only thing in my screen ( along the bottom, Not dangling around the top!) is a blue rope light! 
Too much clutter in vision is not ideal for when I negotiate some of the rail compounds.
I do spend money on things to make MY working week comfortable, like kettle, TV, Freeview, games console. All things which I can take with me if I switch truck.
As for the Light thing, due to the nature of my job (Low Loader/ Plant/Rail) alot of my work is at night, so The whole truck has lights to enable me to see, Oh, and to remind the idiots who insist on driving with their rear foglights on when it is not necessary
I think some of the best “looking” trucks around are the ones with the “less is more approach”
Clarky:
a blue light!
I wonder how long you keep that in the window when you realise the significance of what it means. Just google “blue light and gay”
I agree with the “less is more” approach - or put another way subtlety.
A few weeks ago I saw a new DAF super space (owner driver) in an amazing colour like dark blue. Added to this were some LED light bars - nothing else. The truck looked spot on when lit up either in daylight or in the dark.
What i cannot abide are those bloody awful cheap and nasty tassled curtains/pelmets which make a truck look like a cheap ■■■■■ house, anything that is stuck to the windscreen and those 'orrible “accessories” that seem to be sold in every truck stop in Europe - YUK!
The BEST add on has got to be a decent set of air horns. I know the UK blokes cant really use them (noise abatement, highway code etc…) but when driving through the likes of Madrid, Paris, Milan etc… when you have cars and vans coming at you from all directions they are an absolute must have.
I once added a £0.79 air freshener to my cab,
all the other lads though i was a snob, 
wonder how long you keep that in the window when you realise the significance of what it means. Just google “blue light and gay”
The fact that you googled it concerns me!
The first bum bandit that approaches me for some attention will recieve a boot in his gob, followed by a 3ft rail bar up his A R S E!
starlocation:
I once added a £0.79 air freshener to my cab,
all the other lads though i was a snob,
Geez you should try working on my local DHL site, this site services both S C Johnson and Reckett Benckiser, so the products they haul inc oust, airwick, and glade airfresheners which means at least half the cabs have 1 of those massive (12" x 6" x 6") battery opperated air fresheners stuck to the headliner above the door. so you get a regular periodic burst of air freshener
Clarky:
The fact that you googled it concerns me!
I didn`t google it, it was posted on here some time ago by Rob K if I remember correctly
Some people just don`t realise the significance of it, thats all
Fair play to anyone who wants to spend there hard earnt mony on some one else’s truck. I have a few little bitsthat i’ve had for a long while they might have cost me £10 in 22 yrs ( i know thats a little extravagent) The one thing i really do not like and can’t understand is why you need to hide behind your curtains when driving and when they obscure your vision on the nearside. I have enough blind spots on a fh globetrotter now without adding to them. Keep it simple it looks much nicer.
LOL, I might have known ROB K would pop back up somewhere!
So what do red lights mean then 
Or Green
Or the multi-coloured ones
well ive driven blinged up motors but i must admit im not a fan of spotlight bars anymore.ive seen to many trucks looks ruined by em.my truck has a set of stainless steel wheel trims on it its washed more than once a week its polished once a week and its clean.i dont mind the red led lights down the airkit or even the l.e.d,s at the bottom of the grill like stobarts.i saw a volvo the other day that was plain white had allcoa durabright ally wheels volvos five markerlights on the roof ,lights down the back and some l.e.d,s in the underbumper spoiler no frilly bits and it were spotless. i spoke to the driver and he said he did a few shows but he wont anymore cuz the judges didnt even look at it.
Clarky:
So what do red lights mean then
traditionally …A lady of the night
Clarky:
Or Green
s`pose it denotes your particular ■■■■■■ preferences … see hanky code
Clarky:
Or the multi-coloured ones
S`pose that would be something like a multi coloured spotted hanky
G`won google it … you know you wanna