Dock Shelters: Keeping your loading bay safe and saving you money

If you work in a business with loading bays, you’ll know how quickly the weather can impact loading and unloading operations. Wet and windy conditions can create safety hazards, with employees slipping, tripping, or falling on wet surfaces. This is in addition to the extra cost of heating or cooling the warehouse, if temperature control is necessary to manage stock.  

Here we outline what a dock shelter is, how it differs from a dock seal, and delve into how they can enhance safety and boost profitability, as well as other key benefits.

What is a dock shelter?

Dock shelters (sometimes called ‘docking shelters’) are structures installed at a loading dock door to seal the gap between the dock and vehicle trailer. The most common design – a ‘curtain dock shelter’ - is made of an aluminum frame mounted with sealing flaps. This frame can be either fixed or with a compressible design that responds to pressure from docking vehicles. Dock shelters often include features like chevron guides for safe and accurate vehicle positioning and increased visibility of the loading bay.

By providing a protective barrier against the elements, both employees and goods are kept safe and shielded from outside conditions during loading and unloading.  

What is the difference between a dock shelter and dock seal?

Both offer protection against the elements. However, dock shelters are larger structures that create a canopy over the trailer, providing a comprehensive enclosure. In contrast, dock seals are made of foam pads that compress when the trailer backs up, creating a tight seal around the sides and top.

These aren’t the only differences: Dock shelters are suited to a diverse range of vehicle sizes and dock configurations, providing flexibility for a wide range of trailers and swap bodies. They also tend to offer greater impact resistance with curtains being more forgiving following vehicle contact. (Inflatable dock shelters only inflate when vehicles are docked, so they receive even less wear and tear from vehicles.) 

If your loading bay only services a consistent fleet of vehicle sizes, then dock seals may be best. While they are less versatile and may be more venerable to wear and tear, they provide excellent sealing against the outside and are typically lower in cost.

What are the key benefits of dock shelters?

Most companies investing in dock shelters need to understand their ROI. Whilst some of the main safety and energy-saving aspects of shelters may be understood, a full comprehension of their benefits can persuade key stakeholders of their value.

Energy efficiency:  

Dock shelters help maintain internal temperatures, reducing heating and cooling costs. With energy costs increasingly unpredictable and liable to spike at short notice, the chance to reduce energy use at every loading bay is a crucial benefit. On top of that, shelters are used in many BREEAM certified projects, helping to demonstrate your company's commitment to sustainability.

Protection from weather and pests:

Weather in the UK and other countries can be unpredictable, to say the least. By shielding your employees from the elements, you create a more comfortable working environment – boosting productivity and reducing absenteeism as a result. And with a protected loading dock, you’ll also prevent insects and rodents from entering the facility – this is particularly important for food and pharmaceutical industries.

Improved safety:

Loading bays can be an area prone to accidents. Keeping concrete floors dry and free of debris minimises the risk of slips, trips and falls. Plus, a sheltered environment allows employees to fully focus on loading and unloading operations, rather than being distracted by working in a challenging environment.

Versatility and compatibility:

It’s common for many loading bays to service different trailer sizes and styles. Some facilities will also require a temperature-controlled environment. Fortunately, dock shelters come in a range of models and can also be tailor-made to suit your building design, ensuring they provide a universal and flexible solution for your sheltering needs.

Additionally, our BIM models are available for architects, contractors and property owners to ensure the correct size and model of dock shelter is used in your project. This prevents plans having to be resubmitted for major loading bay projects - and supports ‘clash detection’ with other building infrastructure.  

Branding:

As a clearly visible part of your building, it can be useful to brand dock shelters. Curtains and panels can be supplied for a variety of shelters in your corporate colours and include your logo and loading bay number identifications, improving both the aesthetic and functionality of shelters.

How do you choose the right dock shelter?

There are three main types to choose from, providing various levels of flexibility, impact resistance, and sealing effectiveness.  

Curtain dock shelters:  

Ideal for facilities servicing varied vehicle heights and styles and for ambient warehouse conditions. As previously mentioned, these are available with fixed frames or collapsible frames that compress during vehicle contact.  

Our WL Curtain Shelter, for example, has a collapsible aluminium frame preventing damage from incorrect docking of vehicles and can be fully customised to suit your exact needs. They also provide effective wind protection to keep curtains in place even under extreme wind conditions.

Inflatable dock shelters:  

Ideal for food distribution, pharmaceuticals, or any facility requiring strict climate control. They combine optimum sealing with the greatest possible variety of applications.

Our WI-Series, for example, comes with inflatable sides and top seals to provide virtually airtight contact with vehicles. This makes the inflatable shelter the ideal shelter for temperature-controlled warehouses and distribution centres to seal against summer heat, winter cold, draught, dust and insects.

Cushion dock shelters:  

Ideal for facilities that have a limited vehicle fleet or where environmental control is important.

Our T-Series Cushion Shelters, for example, includes cushions fixed on galvanised steel back plates and are therefore suitable for use at locations with strict environmental requirements. Due to the wide range of vehicle dimensions and sectional doors, cushion shelters are in most cases tailor-made for each customer.

Our van hybrid dock shelter, meanwhile, is manufactured from high-quality performance materials resistant to chemicals and diesel as well as mold caused by damp or wet conditions. The strong but soft foam cushions have 98 per cent compres­sion recovery.

Want to know more about dock shelters and seals?

It’s important to get a fully tailored dock shelter solution that meets the requirements of your loading bay operations.

So if you are looking to invest in a safer and more energy efficient loading facility, check out our range of dock shelters – or talk to one of our loading bay specialists to get all the information you need.  

Contact Stertil on 08707 700471, or email info@stertil.co.uk.