- Location
- Haverfordwest, Dyfed
- Main postcode district
- SA61
- Nearby (straight line)
- Milford Haven (7 miles), Pembroke Dock (8 miles) and Carmarthen (29 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
Dock traffic lights are red and green signals mounted outside and inside a loading bay to tell the driver and dock staff when it is safe to move or load. Interlocks are control links that stop equipment operating out of sequence, for example preventing the door opening until the trailer is restrained, or the leveller operating until the door is fully open.
What should sites in Haverfordwest consider?
Older docks in Haverfordwest with separate door and leveller controls can be brought into a proper sequence by adding interlocks that stop equipment working out of order. Distribution centres near Haverfordwest taking trailers from many different hauliers benefit from a signal every driver understands, regardless of language or familiarity with the site.
New warehouses in Haverfordwest can have lights and interlocks wired in during the electrical fit-out, avoiding retrofit cabling and keeping every bay on one control standard.
Your loading bay stays our responsibility from the survey to the handover. In Haverfordwest, 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.
Which interlocks should a loading bay have?
The most useful loading bay interlocks stop the door opening until the trailer is in place or restrained, and stop the leveller operating until the door is fully open. Beyond that, the right set depends on the equipment fitted and your risk assessment.
- Door to restraint: the door cannot open until the restraint is engaged or a trailer is detected.
- Leveller to door: the leveller cannot be raised until the door is fully open, which prevents the lip hitting door panels.
- Door to leveller: the door cannot close until the leveller is back in its parked position.
- Restraint release: the restraint only releases once the door is closed and the leveller parked.
- Shelter to trailer: an inflatable shelter only inflates when a trailer is docked.
On a bay without a restraint, a trailer presence sensor can take its place in the door logic, although it confirms a trailer is there rather than holding it. Combining interlocks with vehicle restraints gives the strongest protection against drive-away.
How do inside and outside dock traffic lights work together?
Inside and outside dock lights always show opposite colours: when the driver sees red, dock staff see green, and the other way round. Each light is aimed at a different person, so each one only ever gives one instruction.
- Outside light, facing the driver: red means stay on the bay because loading is in progress; green means the bay is clear to leave or to reverse on to.
- Inside light, facing dock staff: green means the trailer is in place and it is safe to open the door and load; red means do not open the door or enter the trailer.
Lights can be switched in three main ways:
- Manually, by a switch beside the door, relying on dock staff to change it at the right moment.
- By door position, so opening the door automatically turns the outside light red.
- By the restraint, so the light only changes when the trailer is physically held.
The same published guide range applies across Wales; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
Options to discuss
Full bay interlock panel
A single control panel that runs the door, leveller, restraint and shelter in the correct sequence, with indicators showing which step is active or blocked.
Door-linked lights
Lights that change automatically with the door position, using a door switch or a signal from the door control panel, so the outside light turns red as the door opens.
Regulations and approvals in Wales
HSE regulates workplace safety in Wales. Loading bays in Haverfordwest need doors that meet regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, work equipment maintained under PUWER, and safeguards that stop vehicles leaving the dock too early. We check what applies at survey and build those measures into the design.
Questions about dock traffic lights and interlocks in Haverfordwest
Is VAT included in your guide prices for dock traffic lights and interlocks?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Dyfed as everywhere else: for dock traffic lights and interlocks, it is £650 to £3,400 per bay, 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.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Haverfordwest?
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 traffic lights and interlocks for a site in Haverfordwest?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £650 to £3,400 per bay, 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.
Are dock traffic lights enough on their own to stop drive-away?
Traffic lights on their own are a signal, not a physical barrier, so they depend on drivers obeying them. HSE lists traffic lights among the measures against early drive-away, and many sites combine them with key or paperwork control or with a vehicle restraint. The right combination should come from your workplace transport risk assessment.
Can you add lights and interlocks across a whole dock in one project?
Yes. A whole-dock project is usually phased bay by bay so most doors stay in use, and every bay ends up on the same control standard. That consistency makes training easier for staff and drivers, and it simplifies servicing because every bay behaves in the same way.
Dock traffic lights and interlocks near Haverfordwest
Nearby places we cover, measured from Haverfordwest, include Milford Haven (7 miles), Pembroke Dock (8 miles) and Carmarthen (29 miles). Ask if your own town is missing.
Other loading bay services in Haverfordwest
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · Everything we do in Haverfordwest
For a written price on loading bay work in Haverfordwest, request a quote and include photos of the bay if you can.