- Location
- Dunoon, Argyll and Bute
- Main postcode district
- PA23
- Nearby (straight line)
- Greenock (6 miles), Helensburgh (8 miles) and Vale of Leven (13 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
Dock lights and wheel guides are two simple loading bay aids. A dock light is a lamp, usually LED, on a swing arm beside the dock door that shines into the trailer so forklift drivers can see the load. Wheel guides are steel rails fixed to the yard that steer the rear wheels so the trailer arrives straight and centred on the leveller.
What should sites in Dunoon consider?
Parcel and retail distribution operators in Dunoon that work into the evening rely on good lighting inside trailers once daylight at the dock fades. Tight yards in Dunoon where drivers reverse between parked trailers or around buildings make wheel guides especially useful for getting the trailer straight first time.
A landlord preparing a unit in Dunoon for re-letting can add dock lights and wheel guides at modest cost to make the bays more practical.
Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Dunoon, the survey and written quote are free, and the quoted price is fixed for the agreed scope. Installation is carried out by specialist engineers working under our management, at times planned with you to protect your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work is available by arrangement. We finish by testing the equipment and handing over its documentation.
Do health and safety rules cover dock lights and wheel guides?
Dock lights and wheel guides support your wider loading bay safety duties rather than replacing them. Once fitted, a dock light is work equipment under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), so it must be suitable, maintained in a safe condition and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. In Northern Ireland the equivalent is PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999.
HSE's guide to workplace transport safety (HSG136) is the main reference for managing vehicles in the yard, and its loading guidance says there should be safeguards against drivers driving away too early, such as traffic lights, restraints or key control. Wheel guides and dock lights do not meet that requirement on their own, but they help drivers park accurately and help dock staff see what they are doing.
Electrical work for dock lights is carried out by qualified electricians and tested before use. The regulator is HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
Which type of dock light is best for a loading bay?
An LED swing-arm dock light is the usual choice for a loading bay, because it reaches into the trailer during loading and folds back flat against the wall when the bay is closed. LED heads run much cooler than older lamps and cope better with knocks and vibration.
- Arm length: longer arms push light further into deep trailers, but need clear wall space so they can fold away from the door path.
- Rigid or flexible arm: a rigid arm with a pivoting head is tougher; a flexible section can be easier to aim.
- Guarding: a protective cage or polycarbonate cover helps the head survive forklift contact.
- Switching: a switch on the head or on the wall, or linked to the door so the light comes on as it opens.
- Supply voltage: mains or low-voltage, confirmed at survey to suit your site.
The light is mounted inside the building beside the door, clear of the door tracks, at a height that lets it swing over the leveller and into the trailer.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Clear opening width and height for each door
Options to discuss
Cast-in wheel guides
Guides set into new concrete with embedded anchors during yard works, giving a very strong fixing for new-build docks, resurfaced yards and loading bay conversions.
Low-voltage dock light
A swing-arm light fed through a transformer mounted nearby, for sites that prefer a reduced voltage at the lamp head. Same reach and folding action as a mains light.
Planning, building control and safety law in Scotland
In Scotland, building work such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need a building warrant from the local authority before it starts. For sites in Dunoon, external structures such as loading houses or canopies may also need planning permission from the council. We check what applies at survey and factor any approvals into the programme.
We cover Dunoon by arrangement. The survey and written quote stay free: for remote and island sites we often start from your photos, drawings and a video call, then confirm measurements on site. Travel and any accommodation needed for the installation are shown as separate lines in the fixed quote.
Questions about dock lights and wheel guides in Dunoon
How long does installation take at a site in Dunoon?
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.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for dock lights and wheel guides?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Argyll and Bute as everywhere else: for dock lights and wheel guides, it is £280 to £950 per item, 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.
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Dunoon, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
How long should wheel guides be?
Wheel guides need to be long enough to straighten the trailer before it reaches the bumpers, and the right length depends on your yard and approach. Tight yards where drivers turn late usually need longer guides with a flared entry. We set the length and spacing at survey.
Can wheel guides be fitted to a tarmac yard?
Wheel guides can be fitted to a tarmac yard, but tarmac is usually too soft to hold anchors on its own. The normal approach is to cut out a strip and lay a concrete base for the guides. That work is identified at survey and included in the written quote.
Dock lights and wheel guides near Dunoon
We also cover towns near Dunoon, including Greenock (6 miles), Helensburgh (8 miles) and Vale of Leven (13 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Dunoon
Full guide to dock lights and wheel guides · Everything we do in Dunoon
Get in touch about loading bay doors and dock equipment in Dunoon: call, email or use the quote tool.