- Location
- Tilbury, Essex
- Main postcode district
- RM18
- Nearby (straight line)
- Gravesend (2 miles), Grays (2 miles) and South Ockendon (4 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.
How does this suit sites in Tilbury?
Tight yards in Tilbury 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 Tilbury that work into the evening rely on good lighting inside trailers once daylight at the dock fades.
On older estates around Tilbury, dock lights may still use outdated lamps, and an LED swing-arm light is a simple upgrade that runs cooler.
Step one is a survey at your site in Tilbury, which costs nothing and carries no obligation. Step two is a written quote with a fixed price and a clear scope. Step three is installation, scheduled around your operation and carried out by specialist installation engineers working under our management, including evenings or weekends if agreed. Step four is handover, when the equipment is tested in front of you and the paperwork is passed over.
Freight infrastructure is part of the background for sites near Tilbury. In particular, the Port of Tilbury handles containers, bulk goods and distribution on the Thames. A bay matched to its vehicles keeps goods moving and people safe.
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.
What happens on site when dock lights or wheel guides are fitted?
Dock lights are fitted from inside the building and usually leave the bay usable for most of the work, while wheel guides close the bay to vehicles until the anchors have cured.
- Dock lights: the bracket is fixed beside the door, the arm and head fitted, and the supply connected and tested. The circuit is isolated briefly during connection.
- Wheel guides: the yard in front of the bay is coned off, guides are set out, drilled and anchored, and the resin is left to cure before trailers return.
- Concrete bases: where tarmac needs a concrete strip first, the bay stays closed until the concrete has gained enough strength.
We ask you to provide a clear bay, details of the nearest power supply, safe yard access and someone who can manage vehicle movements around the work area. Planning guide installation for a quieter period keeps disruption to a minimum.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
Survey checklist for your dock
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Wall and steel structure for door, shelter and bumper fixings
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
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.
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.
Which rules apply in England?
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Tilbury, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about dock lights and wheel guides in Tilbury
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 Essex 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 Tilbury, 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.
What warranty comes with new loading bay equipment?
New equipment comes with the manufacturer's warranty, which varies by product. Our workmanship terms are set out in writing in the quote for your Tilbury site, so you can see what is covered before you commit. Check the warranty terms for any servicing conditions, and we can quote for planned maintenance once the installation is complete.
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.
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 Tilbury
If your site is not in Tilbury itself, it may be near one of these: Gravesend (2 miles), Grays (2 miles) and South Ockendon (4 miles). Pick the closest.
Other loading bay services in Tilbury
Full guide to dock lights and wheel guides · Everything we do in Tilbury
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