Cracked lens, yellowed housing, or time for an LED upgrade? What to check before ordering a headlight for a Kenworth, Peterbilt, Volvo or Freightliner.
Housing, bulb, or both?
"Headlight" can mean the complete housing assembly (lens, reflector, buckets, harness connector) or just the bulb inside it. A cracked or fogged lens, moisture inside the light, or crash damage means the assembly; a working housing that's simply dim may only need bulbs. Assemblies are sold per side — like mirrors, LEFT is the driver side and RIGHT is the passenger side, and the two are not interchangeable.
Halogen vs LED assemblies
- Halogen: lower purchase price, bulbs are cheap and everywhere, but shorter life and less light on the road.
- LED: brighter, whiter beam and a service life that typically outlasts several halogen bulb cycles — a real safety and downtime upgrade for night-heavy routes.
- Check the connector: many LED direct replacements plug into the factory harness, but verify the listing states plug-and-play for your truck. Some trucks need an anti-flicker/CAN resistor adapter.
- Make sure any assembly is DOT-compliant for on-road use — all headlight assemblies we sell are.
Match the body style, not just the model year
Truck makers change front-end sheet metal mid-generation, and aero and classic hoods on the same model take different lights. The reliable identifiers are the truck model PLUS hood style, and best of all the part number on the back of the old housing — search that cross-reference in our catalog, or filter the Headlights category by your truck make.
Aim them after you install them
A perfectly good headlight aimed high blinds oncoming drivers; aimed low it wastes half your visibility. After swapping housings, park on level ground facing a wall and set the beam cutoff per your truck's service guidance — five minutes that makes the upgrade actually pay off.
Shop related parts
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