Have you ever tried to DIY a dock solution?  If so, you definitely can relate to this.  A friend of ours had a pretty handy setup built with some 2x4s and plywood.  It was working well…or not so well.

Help!

So what do you do when you have semi-trucks generating up to 300,000 pounds of impact force backing into your dock door?  Call an experienced professional who can help…that’s where we came in!

Best Practice Solutions… Always

We set up our food industry friend with a best practice dock solution that would help his product last longer, assist with environment control, increase the safety of employees, and reduce the damage risk to semis delivering product.

We think of best practices as using the right tools to do all the right things in order to get the right results.  It took a few dock bumpers, some heavy duty dock levelers, and a number of environment stabilizing dock shelters to produce the right solution.  When you have a food distribution center, the opportunity for improvement is there.  We’re always looking for ways to reduce errors, labor, and cycle time while increasing the potential for accuracy and service.

Ultimate Dock Solution

Understanding the specific needs of the food industry loading dock area (and other industries too) takes experience and the right connections with quality vendors – which we have both.  We’re in the business to support you with best practice solutions and provide you with the education to help you make the best decision.

If you’re looking for similar successful results for your dock operation, we suggest the following products which were used in this solution – and here’s why:

Basic Rubber Dock Bumpers

Loading dock bumpers protect your dock, equipment, and building from the impact of semi-truck trailers backing up into your loading dock.  The impact resistance and strength of the bumper plays a role in damage prevention.   There are several styles and guidelines to consider based upon your needs.

Blue Giant I-Beam Mechanical Pit-Style Dock Leveler

This dock leveler has a rated capacity of 50,000 lbs – a definite workhorse!  It has an Assured Motion Float Feature which allows full-width contact between the lip and truck bed.  This design reduces cross traffic bounce and provides instant hold at any point in the full operating range.  We find that it’s best at preventing damage to forklifts, tires, and steering systems.

Blue Giant HingeMaster Dock Shelter

This is a full-access dock shelter which we’ve found has superior sealing efficiency.  The HingeMaster J-hooks off negative space created by gaps from varied sizes of trailer doors.  The result is a tight top-to-bottom seal that will not limit access to the trailer.  Greatly prevents debris and loss of conditioned air – crucial to maintain in the food industry.

Or call us at 800.442.3061 for some tips, consultation, or any questions on loading dock solutions for your industry.

We also provide dock door and leveler maintenance and service plans!