- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
- Main postcode district
- PR7
- Nearby (straight line)
- Leyland (4 miles), Darwen (7 miles) and Wigan (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.
Where does this fit at a dock in Chorley?
On older estates around Chorley, dock lights may still use outdated lamps, and an LED swing-arm light is a simple upgrade that runs cooler. Warehouses in Chorley loading deep trailers by forklift often find the back of the load hard to see without a dock light reaching into the trailer.
A landlord preparing a unit in Chorley for re-letting can add dock lights and wheel guides at modest cost to make the bays more practical.
Keeping the dock running is usually the first concern, so we plan around it. After a free survey of your Chorley site and a written quote at a fixed price, we agree when each bay can be released and whether any work should happen out of hours. Specialist installation engineers working under our management then fit the equipment, and we test it and hand over the documentation before the bay goes back into use.
Should wheel guides be bolted down or cast in?
Wheel guides are bolted down on an existing sound concrete yard and cast in where new concrete is being laid. Both give a strong fixing; the choice depends on whether the yard is being resurfaced.
- Bolt-down guides: steel tube or channel fixed with resin anchors. Quick to fit to existing bays and easy to replace if damaged.
- Cast-in guides: set into fresh concrete with embedded anchors, suited to new-build docks and conversions.
- Flared entry: an angled lead-in at the yard end catches the wheel early and steers it into line.
- Finish: typically galvanised, or painted yellow and black so drivers can see them in mirrors.
Guides are set out to suit the track width of the trailers you receive, centred on the leveller, and long enough to straighten the trailer before it reaches the bumpers. Tarmac is usually too soft to hold anchors, so a concrete strip or base is laid first. Our guide to choosing dock bumpers and wheel guides covers layout in more depth.
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 do we check at the survey?
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
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.
Which rules apply in England?
Powered doors and dock equipment installed in England may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and doors are covered by the product standard BS EN 13241. We hand over the relevant documentation for each item fitted in Chorley. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.
Questions about dock lights and wheel guides in Chorley
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Chorley?
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.
How do you price dock lights and wheel guides for a site in Chorley?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £280 to £950 per item, excluding VAT. The figure moves with size, insulation, the operator, electrics, access, any pit or groundworks and out-of-hours working. Where levellers are involved, the guide assumes an existing, sound pit. After the free survey you receive a fixed written quote, and that is the price for the agreed scope.
What details do you need from us to quote for dock lights and wheel guides?
To get started, send the site address in Chorley, 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.
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.
Can dock lights be fitted without stopping loading?
Usually yes. Dock lights are fitted from inside the building beside the door, and the bay can often keep working except for a short period while the supply is isolated and connected. We agree timings with you so the work fits around trailer arrivals.
Dock lights and wheel guides near Chorley
We also cover towns near Chorley, including Leyland (4 miles), Darwen (7 miles) and Wigan (7 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Chorley
Full guide to dock lights and wheel guides · Everything we do in Chorley
Tell us what is happening at your Chorley dock, what equipment is there and when it is used, and we will suggest the right next step.