- Location
- Dundee, Dundee and Angus
- Main postcode district
- DD1
- Nearby (straight line)
- St Andrews (11 miles), Forfar (13 miles) and Arbroath (16 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.
Is this right for your site in Dundee?
Tight yards in Dundee where drivers reverse between parked trailers or around buildings make wheel guides especially useful for getting the trailer straight first time. Parcel and retail distribution operators in Dundee that work into the evening rely on good lighting inside trailers once daylight at the dock fades.
Warehouses in Dundee loading deep trailers by forklift often find the back of the load hard to see without a dock light reaching into the trailer.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Dundee 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.
How much do dock lights and wheel guides cost?
Dock lights and wheel guides typically cost £280 to £950 per item, supplied and fitted, excluding VAT, where an item is one dock light or one wheel guide. A standard LED swing-arm light usually sits in the lower half of the range; long, heavy-section or cast-in guides sit towards the top.
What moves the price:
- Light specification: arm length, LED head output, protective guarding and whether a low-voltage supply is needed.
- Power: the distance to a suitable supply and how the cable is contained.
- Guide length and section: longer guides and heavier steel cost more.
- Yard surface: sound concrete takes anchors directly; tarmac usually needs a concrete base first, priced after survey.
- Number of bays: fitting several bays in one visit lowers the cost per item.
These are guide budgets. After a free site survey we send a written quote, which is the fixed price. VAT is added at the standard rate.
How do wheel guides protect shelters, seals and levellers?
Wheel guides protect dock equipment by keeping every trailer centred on the bay, so contact forces land where the equipment is designed to take them. A trailer that parks off-centre loads one side of the dock much harder than the other.
- Shelters: off-centre trailers catch the side curtains and frame, causing tears and bent arms.
- Seals: one pad is crushed while the other barely touches, leaving gaps for draughts and rain.
- Levellers: the lip can land near the edge of the trailer bed, with less support for forklifts.
- Bumpers: one bumper takes every impact and wears out early.
Dock lights help in a different way: forklift drivers who can see clearly inside the trailer are less likely to strike the trailer walls or the door frame on the way out. Combining guides and lights with correctly positioned dock bumpers gives a well-protected bay.
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?
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
Options to discuss
Bolt-down wheel guides
Steel tube or channel guides fixed with resin anchors into an existing concrete apron, typically galvanised or painted in high-visibility colours for drivers using mirrors.
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.
Regulations and approvals in Scotland
Doors and dock equipment installed in Scotland may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and we pass on the documentation for everything fitted in Dundee. Because building warrant and planning questions can affect the programme, we check what applies at survey and raise any approvals early rather than assuming none are needed.
Questions about dock lights and wheel guides in Dundee
Do you cover Dundee for dock lights and wheel guides?
Yes. We take on dock lights and wheel guides for businesses in Dundee and across Dundee and Angus. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Dundee?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Dundee, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Dundee?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
Where should a dock light be mounted?
A dock light is mounted inside the building beside the door opening, high enough to swing over the leveller and into the trailer. It must fold back flat against the wall, clear of the door tracks and the forklift route, so it is not struck when the bay is not in use.
Do wheel guides damage tyres?
Correctly spaced wheel guides should not damage tyres. They are set slightly wider than the trailer track so the tyre only brushes the guide when the trailer is off line, and a flared entry stops tyres hitting the end. Guides that are bent or set too narrow should be corrected.
Dock lights and wheel guides near Dundee
If your site is not in Dundee itself, it may be near one of these: St Andrews (11 miles), Forfar (13 miles) and Arbroath (16 miles). Pick the closest.
Other loading bay services in Dundee
Full guide to dock lights and wheel guides · Everything we do in Dundee
Phone us to discuss your loading bay in Dundee, or start with the online quote tool if you prefer to send details first.