LOADING DOCK DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Designing the loading dock area of any given building would, at first glance, appear to be a simple procedure. However, for an efficient working dock seal or truck shelter many things should be considered before the loading dock is designed.
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Loading Dock equipment, Strip Doors, Dock Seals, and rolling doors
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Truck movement to and from the dock. Can the building be positioned on the available site to meet local codes and also provide safe, efficient access for approaching trucks?
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Quantity of door openings
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Grade of truck approach (i.e., incline, decline, or level)
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Style of truck (i.e., tractor trailer, common carrier or captive fleet), straight truck, step vans, trucks with hydraulic lifts, or package delivery vans.
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Truck restraint devices
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Number of trucks per door per day.
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Method of loading (i.e., pallet jack, fork lift, unitized loads, conveyer, or hand loading).
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Weight, frequency, and speed of forklift.
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Whether to use dock seals or shelters.
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Dock height
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Dock leveler style.
For your individual loading dock application all of the above should be considered.
Another very prevalent problem is over-compression. Many consider 12-inch projection seals and 4-inch projection bumpers to be standard. The problem with this is that seals should be compressed 4 inches to 6 inches. This means that the maximum recommended seal is 10 inches for a 4-inch bumper and the minimum recommended bumper is 6-inch for a 12-inch seal. Anything over 6 inches of compression does not create a better seal; rather, it just makes the seal wear out faster.
It seems that the more specialized the building project is, the more likely the loading dock will be treated as unimportant and will be set up incorrectly. For example, some of the worst loading docks that we have seen are on hospitals.
Many times, the dock seal and shelter cover fabric specifications are based on some of the more expensive rubber based products that have been very heavily promoted by the dock seal industry leaders. Although these fabrics have a good reputation, from a durability standpoint the important factor is not whether the coating is rubber or vinyl, but rather is the base fabric. The base fabric of a material is the interwoven nylon or polyester strands sandwiched between the two layers of rubber or vinyl. The thickness and quality of the strands determines the tear strength of the material. In some cases, thee are very commonly specified light duty base fabrics used in conjunction with expensive rubber coatings. The end result is a product with low durability and a high cost. Nearly every manufacturer of seals and shelters has available what is generically known as ?high tear vinyl.? Because durability and longevity is the goal, these fabrics provide the most cost effective product.
We hope some of the information contained in this article has been helpful, and we invite anyone who has a question regarding loading dock design to give us a call.
Gary and Chris Buechel are owners of Rotary Products Inc. in Ashley, Ohio. Started by their father in 1958, the company has been active in manufacturing and distributing loading dock related products for the past 20 years.
