Loading dock bumpers can help you safeguard your dock area, your dock equipment and trailers. Every product that enters and exits your warehouse or manufacturing facility crosses through the dock, so it’s essential to protect it and keep all doors available and in good condition.

Types of Dock Bumpers

Typically, dock bumpers are positioned so that a truck or trailer "bumps" against them rather than against your structure. This safeguards your building, your dock levelers and the truck or trailer that makes use of your loading dock.

There are many categories of dock bumpers, and choosing an appropriate bumper can be critical, depending upon the workload of your dock operation. Installing dock bumpers that are too light can lead to an early demise, while adding dock bumpers that are thicker than necessary may be pointless and may in fact cause difficulties when docking trailers.

All docks are different, so the type of dock bumpers you choose will be dictated by the approach, average trailer or vehicle height, daily volume and a variety of additional variables. For docks where trucks or trailers are expected to sway during loading operations, bumpers can be attached horizontally or vertically.

Molded Bumpers (Light Duty): Dock bumpers built from molded rubber can offer defense for light duty loading docks. What’s more, these bumpers are sometimes applied within a building to safeguard doorways, walls and other building components from pallet trucks, forklifts and other warehouse and dock equipment.

Molded rubber is can’t take as much abuse as other styles of dock bumpers and may chip or gouge over time. If your loading dock doesn’t receive high volumes of truck traffic, they may be a reasonable choice for your business.

Laminated Bumpers (Medium Duty): Laminated bumpers have improved shock absorption capabilities because they have more substantial pads. They are constructed from cut-to-size strips of used truck tires that are mounted between steel plates.

Laminated bumpers have a moderate capacity for wear resistance and are flexible in terms of height, length and overall thickness. They are frequently applied in operations set up with pit levelers or edge-of-dock levelers, since they allow enduring defense for high volume loading docks.

Steel Faced Bumpers (Heavy Duty): Steel faced bumpers are designed with a movable piece of steel that overlays a common laminate bumper, stopping undue wear and tear on the layered rubber pads. The durable metal enables trailers to rub against the bumpers without deteriorating the rubber. These bumpers offer superior wear resistance, and generally last much longer than uncovered laminate bumpers.

When Should Dock Bumpers Be Replaced?

While dock bumpers are intended to tolerate impact, they do wear down after sustained use and must be renewed periodically. There are a few things to watch for that indicate that your dock bumpers should be replaced.

If the pads are worn by 50% or more, it's time for replacement. Worn pads do not provide adequate impact absorption capacity to protect your warehouse. Overly worn pads will eventually wear down to the steel plates that secure them, and this can cause needless damage to both brackets and trailers.

Apart from regular wear, you should inspect bumpers for other damage like separating laminates, cracking, warped or rusting metal and other obvious deficiencies. You may want to schedule bumper inspections, just as you would routinely inspect your levelers and other dock equipment.

Truck Dock Bumpers Near Me

For questions or a dock bumper price quote, contact a dock equipment expert at Raymond West today.

Raymond West's Oxnard / Ventura service area includes Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Ventura, Santa Paula, Westlake Village, Simi Valley and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Oxnard Material Handling Equipment Supplier

Ventura County, CA
(805) 667-0888