Most Common Truck Types at the Loading Dock

When designing a loading dock, it is essential to plan for the different types of trucks that may visit your facility. There is a wide variety of truck lengths, overall heights, and bed heights. During the dock design process, it is a good idea to ask your clients for a list of the trucks that the dock will service, and have them include the information listed below:

The types of trucks that will be serviced at your facility. These may include:

• Double-Axel Semi-Trucks
• Flatbed Trucks
• Panel Trucks
• Container Trucks
• Low Boys
• High Cube Vans
• Step Vans
• Furniture Vans
• City Trucks

All of the above trucks have different bed heights. For instance, the truck bed height for a double-axel semi-truck can range from 45 inches to 55 inches. Meanwhile, a furniture van may only have a height of 23 inches to 36 inches.

Additionally, the height of each of the above trucks can fluctuate between six and eight inches depending on whether fully loaded or empty. If the truck has an air-ride trailer suspension, the height could fluctuate as much as twelve inches.

Other Truck Considerations

To make sure you’re making the ideal part selections for your dock, don’t just consider the height of the truck beds, but also the following:

• Overall truck height
• The width of the trailer
• Length of the trailer
• Frequency of arrival

Knowing all of the above information will help you set up your dock correctly for the vehicles that it will serve. For instance, if you have a particularly high frequency of truck arrivals, you’ll want to focus on the durability of the parts you purchase.

How You Can Plan for Different Trucks

To service as many vehicles as possible, you can either install docks of different heights or use a scissor lift or a dock leveler. Since many facilities don’t have the option to set docks at varying heights, the installation of levelers and scissors is usually the easier and more convenient option.

Make the Right Adjustments with Parts from Parts Brite

Getting the right loading dock parts now can save you later. You’ll see a decrease in wear and tear, improvements in safety, and greater efficiency when loading and unloading.

Come to Parts Brite to get the highest quality aftermarket loading dock parts so that you can make the crucial adjustments you need to today. Our warehouses can accommodate orders anywhere in the country, allowing us to get you your parts right when you need them. Order your parts today by calling us at 1-800-PARTSBRITE.