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DOT-C2 explained: what an inspector actually measures on a trailer

The pattern is prescribed, the 250 RA is a floor, and there is no DOT certificate — what gets checked and how.

Technical noteTechnical Blog

DOT-C2 is a pattern before it is a photometric: two-inch alternating red and white, applied to the surfaces FMVSS 108 names, at a minimum 250 RA. An inspector measures the strip on the trailer, not the roll in your store.

There is no DOT certificate. The rule is self-certified, which is why suppliers who claim a certificate are usually describing an SGS report instead. What you can produce is the marking on the liner and the batch code that ties the roll to a coating run.

The failures we see are layout failures, not film failures: a strip stopped short of the rear corner, a gap at the hinge, or white tape used on a red section because the roll ran out. The 250 RA floor is rarely the problem.

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