Loading dock bumpers can help you safeguard your dock area, your dock equipment and trailers. Every product that passes through your warehouse or manufacturing facility goes through the dock, so it is critical to preserve it and keep every bay in good working order.

Types of Dock Bumpers

Generally, dock bumpers are situated so that a trailer or truck strikes them first rather than your building. This safeguards your facility, your dock levelers and the truck or trailer that makes use of your dock.

There are quite a few types of dock bumpers, and selecting the correct bumper can be critical, depending on the volume of your dock operation. Installing overly-lightweight dock bumpers can sometimes lead to premature failure, while adding dock bumpers that are excessively heavy duty may be pointless and could actually lead to difficulties when securing trucks and trailers.

Not all facilities are the same, and the kind of dock bumpers you pick will be dictated by the approach, average trailer or vehicle height, daily volume and many other variables. For loading docks where trucks or trailers are expected to sway during loading or unloading operations, bumpers can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

Molded Bumpers (Light Duty): Dock bumpers built from molded rubber can provide defense for light duty loading docks. What’s more, molded bumpers can be used inside a warehouse to defend walls, doorways and other building elements from lift trucks and other equipment.

Molded rubber is can’t take as much abuse as other styles of dock bumpers and may chip or gouge over time. They may be a workable option for your operation if your dock doesn’t get a high volume of truck traffic.

Laminated Bumpers (Medium Duty): Laminated bumpers have more substantial pads than molded bumpers and afford increased shock absorption. They are constructed from strips of old truck tires that have been cut to size and mounted between steel brackets.

These bumpers have a medium level of wear resistance and are versatile in terms of height, length and overall thickness. They are often applied in operations set up with pit levelers or edge-of-dock equipment, since they provide enduring defense for high volume loading docks.

Steel Faced Bumpers (Heavy Duty): Steel faced loading dock bumpers are designed with a movable piece of steel that covers a standard laminate bumper, inhibiting excessive abrasion of the layered pads. The steel enables trailers to brush against the bumpers without deteriorating the rubber. Steel bumpers offer outstanding durability, and usually last much longer than uncovered laminate bumpers.

When Should Dock Bumpers Be Replaced?

Despite the fact that dock bumpers are designed to tolerate repeated impact, they do begin to wear after sustained use and should be renewed every so often. There are some telltale signs that your dock bumpers should be replaced.

If the pads have worn away by 50% or more, it's time for replacement. Worn pads do not offer enough impact absorption capacity to protect your building. Heavily worn pads will ultimately erode down to the steel brackets that hold them in place, and this will likely cause needless damage to both trailers and brackets.

In addition to normal wear and tear, you should keep an eye out for other damage like separating laminate layers, cracking, warped or corroding metal and other obvious deficiencies. Scheduled bumper inspections are a practice, just as you would routinely inspect your levelers and other loading dock equipment.

Truck Dock Bumpers Near Me

If you need to have your dock bumpers inspected or replaced, talk to a loading dock equipment professional at Raymond West today.

Raymond West's Santa Barbara County service area includes Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and all surrounding areas.

Raymond West | Santa Barbara Material Handling Equipment Supplier

Santa Barbara County, CA
(805) 749-2777

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