- Location
- Hawick, Scottish Borders
- Main postcode district
- TD9
- Nearby (straight line)
- Galashiels (13 miles) and Peebles (22 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
Dock bumpers are rubber or rubber-and-steel buffers fixed to the face of a loading dock, either side of the leveller, to absorb the impact of reversing vehicles. They hold the trailer a set distance from the building, protect the dock wall, leveller and door, and help a dock seal or shelter compress evenly. Most bays use two bumpers, replaced as they wear.
Where does this fit at a dock in Hawick?
For new-build warehouses in Hawick, bumpers are best specified alongside the leveller and seal so that projection and seal compression are correct before the first trailer arrives. Older industrial units around Hawick sometimes still have their original bumpers, or none at all, leaving the dock wall and leveller lip to absorb every reversing impact.
We survey and quote for dock bumper work in Hawick on the same basis as anywhere else in the UK, with the price fixed in a written quote.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Hawick for a free survey and then send a written quote with a fixed price. From that point we manage the installation, coordinating delivery, access and any other trades. Fitting is done by specialist installation engineers engaged and managed by us, at times that suit your operation, including out of hours where agreed. You get a tested installation, a demonstration for your team and the manufacturer documentation.
Where should dock bumpers be positioned on the dock face?
Dock bumpers are normally fixed either side of the leveller, at a height that catches the rear of the trailer before anything else touches the building.
- Height: typical UK dock height is around 1,200 mm, but trailer bed heights vary from roughly 900 to 1,600 mm, so bumpers must cover the range of vehicles you receive.
- Projection: bumpers commonly stand about 100 mm proud of the dock face. Too little and trailers hit the wall; too much and a swing lip of about 400 to 500 mm may not reach far enough on to the trailer bed.
- Spacing: bumpers should line up with the trailer chassis and sit clear of the leveller lip.
- Seals and shelters: projection controls how far a dock seal compresses, so it is set with the seal depth in mind.
Pairing bumpers with steel wheel guides helps drivers reverse square, so both bumpers take an equal share of each impact.
Do dock bumpers need inspecting under PUWER?
Dock bumpers should be checked whenever the loading bay is serviced, because they protect equipment that the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply to. In Northern Ireland the equivalent is PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999.
PUWER requires work equipment, including dock levellers, loading bay doors and shelters, to be suitable, maintained in a safe condition and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. A bumper worn down to its backing lets trailers strike the leveller lip and front plate, which can crack welds, bend hinges and leave a leveller that is no longer safe to drive across.
Engineering insurers commonly inspect dock levellers under PUWER at 12-month intervals. Replacing a worn bumper usually costs far less than repairing the leveller it should have protected.
The health and safety regulator is HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland. Including bumpers in planned maintenance checks shows the dock is being looked after.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
Options to discuss
Vertical sliding bumpers
A face that rides up and down with the trailer instead of rubbing against it, reducing wear on very high-throughput docks.
Laminated rubber bumpers
Layers of fabric-reinforced rubber clamped between steel angles. Economical and good at absorbing impact, they are the standard choice for many general-purpose loading docks.
What do the rules in Scotland mean for the work?
Energy standards for buildings in Scotland are set out in Section 6 of the Building Standards Technical Handbook. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Hawick, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than relying on rules written for elsewhere in the UK.
Questions about dock bumpers in Hawick
Is VAT included in your guide prices for dock bumpers?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in the Scottish Borders as everywhere else: for dock bumpers, it is £120 to £480 per bumper, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.
What details do you need from us to quote for dock bumpers?
To get started, send the site address in Hawick, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.
How long does installation take at a site in Hawick?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
How long do dock bumpers last?
There is no fixed lifespan for a dock bumper, because wear depends on how many trailers use the bay, how hard drivers reverse and how much the trailer moves during loading. A quiet dock may keep the same bumpers for many years, while a busy distribution bay can wear through the rubber much sooner. Checking them at each service visit catches wear early.
Can dock bumpers be fitted with an edge-of-dock leveller?
Yes. With an edge-of-dock leveller, bumpers are usually fixed to the dock face either side of the unit, or to the leveller's own mounting frame where it is designed for that. Their projection has to suit the short lip so it still reaches on to the trailer bed, which we check at survey.
Dock bumpers near Hawick
Other towns within reach of Hawick on our coverage list include Galashiels (13 miles) and Peebles (22 miles), all covered on the same terms.
Other loading bay services in Hawick
Full guide to dock bumpers · Everything we do in Hawick
Phone us to discuss your loading bay in Hawick, or start with the online quote tool if you prefer to send details first.