Warehouses are in constant motion, designed to bring cargo in and sent it right back out. In some ways, it could be classified as a hotel for inventory. Everyone’s stay is temporary.
And just the like front doors of a hotel, the loading bay is the busiest place of the warehouse. It’s where everything is funneled in and out of. Therefore it’s important to understand the various elements of a loading bay.
While the loading dock can differ from place to place, this is what you’ll generally find at most of them.
Loading Dock Breakdown
Ground Level or Elevated?
Is a loading bay still a loading bay if it’s ground level? We think so, but your standard “loading bay” at commercial warehouses will be raised off the ground so that it’s even with trucks that are backing up to it.
The Door
Seems like an obvious place to start. The door of a loading bay is quite similar to what you’d find on a garage. Just like a garage door, it could be either automatic or manual. Regardless of which type it is, it’s important to always keep objects clear of the door when you’re not loading.
Weather permitting, many warehouses like to keep their loading door open as much as possible. Depending on where you are, this may or may not be practical.
Bumpers
The bumpers on the end of the loading dock are what keep the trucks from breaking your dock or their trailer. While caution and patience should always be shown while backing up to a dock, the bumpers offer some much needed cushion so that the trailer can come right up to the dock.
Dock Levelers
Just because a loading bay is raised doesn’t mean it’s going to be the exact same height as the trailers. The levers provide a dock mounted solution that can great a bridge to take care of height differences as well as gaps between the truck and dock itself.
These are typically fashioned with bumpers.
Dock Lift
A dock lift will sometimes be found in front of the loading bay to either lift objects from the ground up to the dock, or visa-versa. If the loading bay is on ground level, if this how cargo typically gets down from a truck and into the warehouse.
Advanced Equipment and Safety
Depending on how extensive the dock is, it might also feature truck restraints, signal lights, and more.
As will all things in the warehouse world, it is important to show extreme caution when handling materials. Between the equipment and heavy cargo, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Come back soon for our next post on loading dock safety.
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