- Location
- Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
- Main postcode districts
- GL50 and GL52
- Nearby (straight line)
- Tewkesbury (7 miles), Gloucester (7 miles) and Stroud (12 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.
Is this right for your site in Cheltenham?
Distribution centres near Cheltenham taking trailers from many different hauliers benefit from a signal every driver understands, regardless of language or familiarity with the site. Sites around Cheltenham that run night shifts often find traffic lights easier for drivers to read than staff waving or knocking on the cab door.
Food and chilled operations around Cheltenham with inflatable shelters often add interlocks so the shelter only inflates once a trailer is docked and restrained.
The survey is free, the quote is written and the price is fixed: that is how every installation in Cheltenham begins. We then manage the work from start to finish. Fitting is carried out by specialist installers under our management, phased so the operation keeps moving, and nights or weekends can be booked by arrangement. On the final day we test the equipment with you and hand over the operating and maintenance information.
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.
What does HSE guidance say about stopping drivers leaving too early?
HSE guidance (followed by HSENI in Northern Ireland) says there should be safeguards against drivers driving away from a loading bay too early, and it names traffic lights as one of the measures. Vehicle or trailer restraints, and the person in charge keeping keys or paperwork until it is safe, are the others listed in HSE's guide to workplace transport safety (HSG136) and its loading factsheet.
Traffic lights are a signal, not a physical barrier, so they work best as part of a clear procedure or alongside a restraint. Your risk assessment should decide the combination. In Northern Ireland the regulator is HSENI.
Interlocks also touch on door safety law. Under regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, or the Northern Ireland 1993 equivalent, powered doors need suitable and effective features to prevent them trapping anyone. Interlocks must never bypass those features, and door control work should respect BS EN 12453, the standard for safety in use of power-operated doors.
Read more in our guide to preventing drive-away and trailer creep.
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?
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
Options to discuss
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.
Trailer presence sensors
Sensors that detect a trailer on the bay, used to switch lights, enable the door or trigger an inflatable shelter where no restraint is fitted.
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 Cheltenham. 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 traffic lights and interlocks in Cheltenham
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Cheltenham?
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.
Do you cover Cheltenham for dock traffic lights and interlocks?
Yes. We take on dock traffic lights and interlocks for businesses in Cheltenham and across Gloucestershire. 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.
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Cheltenham, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
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.
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.
Dock traffic lights and interlocks near Cheltenham
Sites close to Cheltenham get the same service, including those in Tewkesbury (7 miles), Gloucester (7 miles) and Stroud (12 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Cheltenham
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · Everything we do in Cheltenham
If a loading bay in Cheltenham needs attention, call us or send photos and details online.