- Location
- Horley, Surrey
- Main postcode district
- RH6
- Nearby (straight line)
- Crawley (4 miles), Redhill (5 miles) and Reigate (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.
What matters for dock traffic lights and interlocks in Horley?
Older docks in Horley 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 Horley taking trailers from many different hauliers benefit from a signal every driver understands, regardless of language or familiarity with the site.
New warehouses in Horley can have lights and interlocks wired in during the electrical fit-out, avoiding retrofit cabling and keeping every bay on one control standard.
Here is what happens after you contact us about a site in Horley. 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.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Age and condition of the equipment already in place
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
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.
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 Horley. 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 Horley
Is the site survey in Horley 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.
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 Surrey 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.
How do you price dock traffic lights and interlocks for a site in Horley?
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.
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.
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.
Dock traffic lights and interlocks near Horley
The same survey, quote and repair service is available in towns around Horley, such as Crawley (4 miles), Redhill (5 miles) and Reigate (5 miles).
Other loading bay services in Horley
Full guide to dock traffic lights and interlocks · Everything we do in Horley
For a written price on loading bay work in Horley, request a quote and include photos of the bay if you can.