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 matters for dock traffic lights and interlocks in North Yorkshire?
New warehouses in North Yorkshire can have lights and interlocks wired in during the electrical fit-out, avoiding retrofit cabling and keeping every bay on one control standard. Whether your unit in North Yorkshire has one dock or twenty, the survey looks at each bay's existing controls before we quote a fixed price in writing.
Sites around North Yorkshire that run night shifts often find traffic lights easier for drivers to read than staff waving or knocking on the cab door.
Here is what happens after you contact us about a site in North Yorkshire. We arrange a free survey, measure up and send a fixed written quote. If you go ahead, we manage the whole job, including ordering, delivery and coordination with your site team. Specialist installation engineers working under our management do the fitting, at times built around your loading schedule, with out-of-hours work by arrangement. Testing and handover documents close the job.
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.
How much do dock traffic lights and interlocks cost?
Dock traffic lights and interlocks typically cost £650 to £3,400 per bay, supplied and fitted, excluding VAT. A pair of manually switched LED signals sits at the lower end, while a full interlock panel linking door, leveller, restraint and shelter sits towards the top.
What moves the price:
- Level of control: standalone lights, door-linked lights or a full interlocked sequence.
- Existing control panels: modern door and leveller panels often accept interlocks directly; older panels may need replacing with a combined bay panel.
- Sensors: door position switches, trailer presence sensors and restraint signals each add parts and wiring.
- Cable runs: distances between lights, panels and the power supply.
- Number of bays and timing: repeat bays reduce the cost per bay, while out-of-hours working adds to it.
These are guide budgets. After a free site survey we send a written quote, and that quote is the fixed price. VAT is added at the standard rate.
Towns we cover in North Yorkshire
Choose a town below to see how we handle dock traffic lights and interlocks in that part of North Yorkshire.
Budget range for supply and fit. The written quote after a free survey is the fixed price. All guide prices.
What do the rules in England mean for the work?
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 North Yorkshire. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.
Questions
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 North Yorkshire, 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.
How do you price dock traffic lights and interlocks for a site in North Yorkshire?
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.
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.
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.
Other services in North Yorkshire
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · All loading bay services in North Yorkshire