Loading docks are heavily used and potentially dangers areas, and implementing a good safety program can help your business avoid expensive and business interrupting mistakes.

Truck Restraints

When trailers enter a slot on your loading dock, making sure the trailer remains stationary is crucial to the safety of your labor force. As lift trucks maneuver in and out of trailers and pallets are transferred, substantial weight shifts ensue. As trailers are bumped they tend to move unless they are safely tethered in place by some kind of restraint system.

Any time a trailer is inadvertently moved, it is called “trailer creep.” This is exceptionally hazardous for a lift truck driver, as the dock leveler is detached from the trailer. A lift truck can undeniably plummet from the side of the loading dock, resulting in severe injury or death.

A further consideration is unscheduled drive offs. Sometimes drivers will pull away from the loading dock before loading or unloading is finished due to miscalculation or miscommunication. If a lift truck is active when a trailer pulls away it can be catastrophic.

Truck restraints are engineered to prevent trucks from departing from a dock until it is advisable to do so. Restraints can be as rudimentary as wheel chocks, or they can be as advanced as hydraulic hooks that tie into doors and dock levelers through interlock safety mechanisms.

Trailer Restraints (Dock Locks)

Trailer restraint mechanisms are essentially hooks that grab the ICC bar on a trailer frame to secure it firmly in place. These restraints can be basic, mechanically operated systems or more advanced hydraulic and/or electric configurations.

Oftentimes, restraints are directly tied to the door, signaling lights and leveler equipment on a loading dock bay, so that they can’t be detached if the door is in the open position, the dock leveler is extended or the truck driver hasn’t been instructed to proceed by the dock operator. These safety features are invaluable on any high traffic 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. So why use a restraint system instead of wheel chocks? While ordinary wheel chocks can do the job, there are some additional risks:

• Absent minded employees can sometimes neglect to put chocks in place
• Uneven surfaces can cause chocks to slip or not function properly
• Chocks can get lost, and busy employees may forego them rather than fall behind
• Placing wheel chocks often requires workers to get low to the pavement where drivers can’t see them, putting the employee in harm’s way if the truck moves

Dock Restraints Near Me

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

Raymond West's Spokane branch services Spokane, Airway Heights, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, Coeur d'Alene, Medical Lake, Cheney, Pullman, Moscow, Moses Lake, Yakima, Wenatchee, Lewiston, Clarkston, Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Walla Walla and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Spokane Material Handling Equipment Supplier

11002 E Montgomery Dr #100
Spokane, WA 99206
(509) 728-6000