- Location
- Hitchin, Hertfordshire
- Main postcode districts
- SG4 and SG5
- Nearby (straight line)
- Letchworth Garden City (3 miles), Stevenage (5 miles) and Luton (7 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.
Why do sites in Hitchin choose this?
Any site in Hitchin considering these items gets the same survey and fixed written quote that we provide across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Tight yards in Hitchin where drivers reverse between parked trailers or around buildings make wheel guides especially useful for getting the trailer straight first time.
Resurfacing works on a yard in Hitchin are an ideal moment to fit cast-in wheel guides, before the concrete is finished and bays come back into use.
Any project involving dock lights and wheel guides at a working site in Hitchin takes planning. We survey free of charge, quote a fixed price in writing, and then agree a programme that keeps as much of the dock running as possible. Specialist installation engineers carry out the work under our management, out of hours if that suits you better. On completion we test each item, show your team how it operates and leave the documentation with you.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
Options to discuss
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.
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.
Regulations and approvals in England
Sites in Hitchin fall under the rules for England. Structural changes such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need Building Regulations approval, and external structures such as loading houses, canopies or new dock approaches can need planning permission from the local planning authority. We check what applies at survey and build any approvals into the plan.
Questions about dock lights and wheel guides in Hitchin
How long does installation take at a site in Hitchin?
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.
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Hitchin?
Yes, by arrangement. Evening, night and weekend working can be planned so the installation causes as little disruption as possible to your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work can affect the price, so mention it at the survey and we will include it in the written quote. The agreed times are confirmed in the programme before the job starts.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Hitchin?
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 Hitchin, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
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.
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.
Dock lights and wheel guides near Hitchin
Sites close to Hitchin get the same service, including those in Letchworth Garden City (3 miles), Stevenage (5 miles) and Luton (7 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Hitchin
Full guide to dock lights and wheel guides · Everything we do in Hitchin
Get in touch about loading bay doors and dock equipment in Hitchin: call, email or use the quote tool.