- Location
- Glasgow, Glasgow and Dunbartonshire
- Main postcode districts
- G1, G2 and G22
- Nearby (straight line)
- Rutherglen (3 miles), Bishopbriggs (3 miles) and Bearsden (5 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.
Why do sites in Glasgow choose this?
If a site in Glasgow has had door panels damaged by levellers raised too early, a leveller-to-door interlock is a straightforward fix to consider. Loading docks in Glasgow where drivers wait in their cabs for a hand signal can replace guesswork with a clear red and green light at every bay.
Sites around Glasgow that run night shifts often find traffic lights easier for drivers to read than staff waving or knocking on the cab door.
How does an installation in Glasgow work? First, a free, no-obligation survey to measure up and understand the operation. Next, a fixed written quote. Then a programme agreed with you, so the work fits around deliveries, with out-of-hours slots if needed. The installation itself is carried out by specialist engineers who answer to us, and it finishes with testing, a walk-through for your staff and a handover pack.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
Options to discuss
Standalone LED traffic lights
A red and green pair for each bay, one outside for the driver and one inside for dock staff, switched manually from a control beside the door.
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.
Which rules apply in Scotland?
HSE is the workplace safety regulator in Scotland. At a loading bay in Glasgow, doors need to satisfy regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, dock equipment must be kept safe under PUWER, and drivers must be prevented from pulling away too early. We check what applies at survey.
Questions about dock traffic lights and interlocks in Glasgow
How long does installation take at a site in Glasgow?
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.
What details do you need from us to quote for dock traffic lights and interlocks?
To get started, send the site address in Glasgow, 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.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Glasgow?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
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.
Can interlocks be fitted to a manual loading bay door?
Yes. A door position switch fitted to a manual door can confirm when it is fully open or fully closed. That signal lets the traffic lights change automatically and stops the leveller being raised until the door is out of the way.
Dock traffic lights and interlocks near Glasgow
Sites close to Glasgow get the same service, including those in Rutherglen (3 miles), Bishopbriggs (3 miles) and Bearsden (5 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Glasgow
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · Everything we do in Glasgow
For a written price on loading bay work in Glasgow, request a quote and include photos of the bay if you can.