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.
How does this suit sites in Fife?
Food and chilled operations around Fife with inflatable shelters often add interlocks so the shelter only inflates once a trailer is docked and restrained. Loading docks in Fife where drivers wait in their cabs for a hand signal can replace guesswork with a clear red and green light at every bay.
Whether your unit in Fife has one dock or twenty, the survey looks at each bay's existing controls before we quote a fixed price in writing.
Keeping the dock running is usually the first concern, so we plan around it. After a free survey of your Fife 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.
Can traffic lights and interlocks be added to older loading bays?
Yes, traffic lights and interlocks can be added to most older loading bays, although some need new control panels before the interlocks can work.
- Manual doors: a door position switch can confirm the door is fully open or closed, which lets lights and leveller interlocks work even without a motor.
- Older powered doors and levellers: basic control boxes may not have connections for interlocks, so a combined bay panel can replace separate controls.
- Mixed equipment: doors and levellers from different suppliers can usually be brought under one interlock panel, so every bay works the same way.
Interlocks cannot make faulty equipment safe. If a door or leveller has a defect, it should be repaired before interlocks are added, and the survey will flag anything we find. Upgrading lights and interlocks at the same time as replacing a door or leveller is often the most economical moment to do it.
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.
Towns we cover in Fife
Each of the following towns in Fife has its own page on dock traffic lights and interlocks, covering how we work and what to send us.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
Planning, building control and safety law in Scotland
Energy standards for buildings in Scotland are set out in Section 6 of the Building Standards Technical Handbook. For new or replacement loading bay doors in Fife, we confirm the figure that applies to your project and check what applies at survey, rather than relying on rules written for elsewhere in the UK.
Questions
Do you cover Fife for dock traffic lights and interlocks?
Yes. We take on dock traffic lights and interlocks for businesses in Fife and across Fife. 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.
Is the site survey in Fife free?
Yes. For new installations, replacements, upgrades, conversions and complete bays, the site survey and written quote are free and come with no obligation. The survey lets us measure the openings, check the dock and structure, and understand how the bay is used, so the quote reflects your site. Repair and servicing visits are different: they are chargeable, with the price agreed before anyone attends.
Do traffic lights and interlocks need maintenance?
Yes. Lights, sensors and interlocks should be checked at each planned service visit, including testing the full sequence and confirming that steps attempted out of order are blocked. As part of the dock equipment they fall under PUWER, which requires work equipment to be maintained in a safe condition.
Which way round do the inside and outside lights work?
The inside and outside lights always show opposite colours. While a trailer is being loaded, the outside light is red so the driver stays put and the inside light is green so staff can work. When loading is finished and the door is closed, the inside light turns red and the outside light turns green for the driver.
Other services in Fife
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · All loading bay services in Fife