Loading docks are busy and congested areas, and maintaining a proper safety plan can ensure that your business minimizes expensive and business interrupting accidents.

Truck Restraints

As trucks are backed up to a slot on your loading dock, ensuring that the truck is immobilized is essential to the safety of your employees. As lift trucks move on and off trailers and cargo is added or removed, substantial weight transitions occur. As trailers are jostled they will shift unless they are securely fastened in place by some type of restraint system.

When a trailer is accidentally moved, it is called “trailer creep.” This is exceedingly dangerous for a forklift driver, as the dock board is disconnected from the trailer. A forklift can quickly plummet from the side of the loading dock, resulting in serious bodily harm or death.

A further consideration is unscheduled departures. From time to time, truck drivers may depart from the loading dock before cargo transfer is completed due to oversight or miscommunication. If a lift truck is active when a trailer pulls away it can be disastrous.

Truck restraints are designed to impede trailers from departing from a loading dock until it is advisable to proceed. Restraints can be as basic as wheel chocks, or they can be as elaborate as hydraulic hooks that integrate with dock levelers and doors through interlock security mechanisms.

Trailer Restraints (Dock Locks)

Trailer restraint systems are in essence hooks that grasp the ICC bar on a trailer to hold it tightly in place. These restraints can be bare bones, mechanically operated systems or more complex hydraulic and/or electric configurations.

Oftentimes, restraints are wired directly into the door and dock leveler on a loading dock bay, so that they can’t be detached if the door is open, the dock leveler is in use or the truck driver has not been advised to depart by the dock operator. Having safeguards like these can be advantageous on any active loading dock and can greatly improve safety and productivity.

Wheel Chocks

The most basic way to hold a trailer in place is to chock the wheels. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just use wheel chocks instead of an expensive restraint system? While plain wheel chocks can do the job, there are several risks:

• Inattentive employees can occasionally fail to place chocks correctly
• A sloped or uneven approach can make chocks fail if they aren’t placed correctly
• Wheel chocks can get lost, and busy employees may choose to not use them instead of falling behind
• Setting wheel chocks often requires workers to get low to the ground where truck drivers can’t see them, endangering the worker if the truck moves

Dock Restraints Near Me

To find out more about dock locks or other dock safety equipment, contact a dock and door expert at Raymond West today.

Raymond West's Ontario, California facility serves parts of Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County, including Ontario, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, La Verne, San Dimas, Covina, West Covina, Pomona, Diamond Bar, Rowland Heights, Chino, Norco, Eastvale, Corona, Jurupa Valley, San Bernardino, Rialto and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Ontario California Material Handling Equipment Supplier

4602 E Brickell St
Ontario, CA 91761
(909) 930-9399