Dock Leveler Questions and Answers

What Is A Dock Leveler?

The Dock leveler can adjust for height differences between the dock and a truck. This aspect of the Dock Leveler enables trucks to be loaded and unloaded much faster while at the same time placing much less physical strain on dock workers. The units are indispensable material handling equipment for businesses with loading docks that connects mateial flow from the building to the truck trailer. In fact, the busier a loading dock area is, the more essential this equipment is to help ensure that the dock area operates as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

How to select a Dock Leveler?

Dock Levelers are available in hydraulic, mechancal or air activated. Duty cycle, maintenance, type of building and industry is something to consider when selecting a Dock Leveler. Distribution Centers commonly specify manual units over hydraulic or air opearated in addition to edge of dock levelers are selected over pit mounted units. When buildings with a varity of industries calls for a wide delivery slection requiring different truck types, the pit mounted units are more ideal at buidling locations servicing different truck bed heights.

What are the features of a Dock Leveler?

Hydraulic dock levelers also serve as loading ramps between the dock platforms and the truck beds. This aspect is vital because there are many instances in which a truck’s end cannot be made flush with a dock, creating the need for some type of loading ramp. Functioning as dock ramps, they enable hand carts and fork trucks to be smoothly driven or wheeled from dock platform to truck bed and vice-versa. Other essential and similar equipment for a new dock area include portable truck boards and portable ramps.

What are the key important elements of slecting a Dock Leveler?

Size of dock leveler platform,
Capacity,
Duty Cycle per hour,
How many shifts per day,
Dock Height,
Dock Approach (Level / Incline / Decline),
Service range of dock leveler requested,
Operation requested, (Manual, Electric or Air),
Pit mounted or Edge of Dock Leveler or Scissor Dock Lift,

Why use a Dock Leveler?

Truck beds are speficied at 48" as industry standard. Loading docks are specified at 48" tall. Not all truck beds are the same height as the loading dock. Dock Levelers help bridge the gap and height difference between the truck bed and loading dock for loading and unloading procedures.