“What Makes Box Truck Windshields Different From Regular Car Windshields?”
Summary:
For Mike, the biggest difference with box truck windshields comes down to weight. They weigh a lot more than a car windshield, which makes them much harder to install on your own. It can be done solo, but the bigger, heavier windows typically require more than one person to set the glass, or the use of setting tools. He also points out a difference on the regulatory side. Box trucks face a lot of restrictions as far as driving. They are not allowed to have rock chips or cracks in their windshields, because under DOT (Department of Transportation) standards a truck with damaged glass is not allowed on the road. That makes prompt repair or replacement a necessity rather than a choice.
Answer:
The difference with box van windows, to me, is pretty straightforward. It is weight. They weigh a lot more, they are a lot heavier, and they are a lot harder to install on your own. Not that it cannot be done, because it can. But typically, a lot of times, the bigger, heavier windows require more than just one person to set it, or the use of setting tools. On a regular car windshield, one person can usually handle the glass. On a box truck, the size and the weight of the glass change how you approach setting it. The other thing is that you do run into a lot of restrictions as far as driving. They cannot have rock chips in their windows, or cracks, or anything like that, because then they will not be allowed to be on the road under DOT standards. So for a box truck, a chip or a crack is not something you can put off. It has to be taken care of to keep the truck legal and working.