Aluminum Loading Dock Plate Raise Dock-Area Efficiency
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Despite efforts at height standardization of loading dock platforms and truck beds, there still are many thousands of occasions each day when trucks back up to loading docks and the height differential between the two is significant. Without proper equipment to correct this, the loading and unloading of trucks can be extremely time consuming. This makes for an inefficient loading dock area, which, for a business that does considerable shipping and receiving, means increased operating costs and thus decreased profits. To alleviate this problem, proper equipment must be at the ready to correct for height discrepancies and to enable wheeled, product-moving equipment to make the dock-to-truck-bed transfer quickly and smoothly. The aluminum
loading dock plate, which is extremely heavy-duty and relatively inexpensive, is very often the
material handling equipment of choice for this important job.
The aluminum
loading dock plate is a mini-ramp that’s moved into place quickly to correct height differences between a dock platform and a truck bed. Also known as an aluminum dock truck board or a
loading leveler, this
dock plate is
material handling equipment that enables forklifts, pallet jacks, and hand trucks to smoothly make the dock-to-truck-bed crossing. When a truck backs up to a dock and a height unevenness is evident, the
loading dock plate is moved into place so that unloading can begin. Top models of
dock levelers are engineered with locking legs that help enable the dockboard to remain firmly in place during repeated crossings. The loading dock plate also has curbs on each side to help prevent forklift runoff as well as to provide a visible driving lane for the forklift operator.
Aluminum loading dock plates are available in a wide variety of lengths, widths, and capacities. Choosing the proper size for your dock area is vital, because using a wrong size can sometimes result in safety issues. A dockboard’s capacity should be well beyond the heaviest load that could be predicted to handle. The recommended loading dock plate width varies among experts, ranging from 8” to 16” wider than the overall width of any load or equipment taken over it. Proper loading dock plate length also is extremely vital and is determined by the maximum height difference expected between the loading dock floor and a visiting truck’s floor. A loading dock plate that’s not long enough for its application causes an unsafe incline angle, which can make such an application a potential cause for accidents.
The use of properly sized aluminum loading dock plate thus is a key aspect of dock-area safety as well as the efficiency. The dock-platform-to-truck-bed crossing point is one of the most potentially hazardous points in the loading dock area of virtually any factory, distribution center, or warehouse. Multiple crossings over this point, especially by forklifts, can turn slight dock-to-truck-bed separations into significantly larger and potentially hazardous gaps. Using top-quality truck dock plates that remain firmly in place, coupled with the use of wheel chocks and dock truck restraints, dramatically lessens the odds that such potentially dangerous gaps will be created by repeated forklift crossings from the dock platform to the truck bed. It is the customer’s responsibility to verify correctness of fit for applications.
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