Dock Plate
Dockboards Are Vital for Well-Run Loading Docks
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t’s a common occurrence at loading dock areas that a truck will back up to a dock, and the height differential between the truck bed and the dock platform will be significant. Very often, this height differential is enough to call into play some type of leveling or ramp-like equipment to correct for this unevenness. Otherwise, wheeled, product-transporting equipment such as fork trucks, carts, and hand trucks will be unable to make the dock-to-truck-bed crossing. This would necessitate that the truck be unloaded manually, which clearly would be a huge misuse of time and manpower. It also will often increase costs immediately, because many trucking companies will charge for extra time spent in loading dock areas. For any business, especially one with busy loading docks, this waste of time and money is unacceptable. The solution in a great many cases is the purchase of a
dock plate, a relatively inexpensive and yet often very necessary piece of equipment.
The portable
dock plate, simply put, are mini-ramps designed to quickly correct the height unevenness between truck beds and loading dock platforms. Once this height disparity is corrected, dock employees can use various wheeled, product-transporting equipment to move cargo into or out of the truck. The portable
dock plate thus is a piece of material handling equipment that performs the same essential service as dock levelers. Virtually all dock plate models are constructed of either steel or aluminum, with steel dock plates generally having greater capacities than aluminum models. At many well-equipped loading dock areas, the dock plate is kept ready to be used for loading and unloading procedures.
The
dock board and the portable dock plate differ in two key areas. Firstly, the dock plate is generally lower capacities than dockboards and are designed for use only with non-powered product-moving vehicles. Secondly, the dock plate is made for smaller height differentials between truck beds and docks and thus tend to be shorter than the
dock board. Top-quality dock plate and
dock board models are designed to remain firmly in place during repeated crossings by equipment that’s often carrying heavy loads. The dock board comes in a wide variety of capacities, lengths, and widths. Choosing the optimum model of for a specific dock area is essential, because using a wrong size sometimes can cause safety issues. To help ensure safety, the dock board’s stated capacity should be considerably greater than the heaviest load anticipated to be carried across it. The recommended dock board width with differs among experts, ranging from 8” to 16” wider than maximum width of anything expected to cross it.
Choosing a dock board of proper length is especially vital because a dock board that is not long enough for its application creates an unsafe incline angle, which can be a direct cause of accidents. The proper length of a dock board for its application is determined by the maximum height difference anticipated between a visiting truck’s floor and the loading dock floor. It also is vital that the proper product-moving equipment be used with dock boards and dock plates. Some models include “hand truck” in their names and indeed are designed strictly for hand truck use. It is the customer’s responsibility to verify correctness of fit for applications.
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