- Location
- Walkden, Greater Manchester
- Main postcode district
- M28
- Nearby (straight line)
- Tyldesley (3 miles), Eccles (4 miles) and Radcliffe (4 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
An inflatable dock shelter is a dock shelter with air-filled fabric cushions at the top and sides of the opening, kept deflated and close to the building until a trailer has reversed in. A fan then inflates the cushions so they press against the trailer roof and sides, giving a close seal that adapts to different trailer widths and heights, and deflates again before the trailer leaves.
Is this right for your site in Walkden?
Pharmaceutical distributors around Walkden working to tight temperature limits may want the close seal an inflatable shelter gives during every load. Frozen food stores in Walkden loading trailers of varying sizes can use inflatable shelters to keep warm outside air away from the open door.
Operators replacing foam seals in Walkden that keep wearing out against ill-fitting trailers may find an inflatable shelter suffers far less rubbing.
Here is what happens after you contact us about a site in Walkden. 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.
What safety rules affect inflatable dock shelters?
An inflatable shelter is powered dock equipment, so it must be suitable, maintained and correctly marked, and it should be controlled so a trailer cannot pull away with the cushions inflated around it.
- Work equipment: PUWER 1998 in Great Britain and PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999 require it to be maintained in a safe condition and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger.
- Marking: in Great Britain powered dock equipment may carry the UKCA or the CE mark. For Northern Ireland, the CE mark or CE with UKNI applies.
- Drive-away: HSE workplace transport guidance (HSG136), followed by HSENI in Northern Ireland, calls for safeguards against drivers driving away too early, such as traffic lights, vehicle or trailer restraints, or keeping keys until it is safe. Linking deflation to these controls protects both the cushions and the driver.
- Regulator: HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
A vehicle restraint interlocked with the shelter and door is a common way to make the whole sequence dependable.
How does an inflatable shelter work with the dock door and leveller?
An inflatable shelter is the first step in the dock sequence: it seals around the trailer before the door opens and only deflates once the door has closed. Getting that order right is what makes it effective.
- The trailer reverses onto the bumpers, guided by dock lights and wheel guides.
- The trailer is secured by restraint or key control, and the outside light shows red.
- The cushions inflate around the top and sides of the trailer.
- With the trailer sealed, the door opens and the leveller is deployed.
- After loading, the leveller is stored and the door closed.
- The cushions deflate and retract, and the light turns green.
Deflated cushions must sit clear of the door and leveller, and internal straps or weights pull them back so trailers do not catch them. Interlocks make each step depend on the last, so staff cannot open the door onto an unsealed trailer.
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?
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- Scope to convert ground-level doors into docks or add lift tables
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
Options to discuss
Protective outer covers
Hard-wearing covers over the cushions that shield the fabric from weather, sunlight and trailer contact, extending cushion life on exposed docks.
Interlocked controls
Controls linked to the door, leveller and restraint so the shelter inflates before the door opens and deflates only once it has closed.
Regulations and approvals 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 Walkden. 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 inflatable dock shelters in Walkden
What warranty comes with new loading bay equipment?
New equipment comes with the manufacturer's warranty, which varies by product. Our workmanship terms are set out in writing in the quote for your Walkden site, so you can see what is covered before you commit. Check the warranty terms for any servicing conditions, and we can quote for planned maintenance once the installation is complete.
How do you price inflatable dock shelters for a site in Walkden?
Guide budgets for supply and fit are £6,800 to £12,800 per shelter, 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.
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 Walkden, 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.
Does an inflatable shelter work with containers and double-deck trailers?
Yes, provided the shelter is sized for the tallest and widest vehicles you receive. The cushions adapt to each vehicle's dimensions, which is a key reason inflatable shelters suit sites handling containers, standard trailers and double-deck units at the same bays.
Will we need to change the rest of the dock?
Usually not. Most inflatable shelters fit around an existing door opening, though the leveller, bumpers and door controls are reviewed so the cushions clear them and the interlocks work. Where the wall cannot carry the frame, a subframe is added. We confirm what is needed at survey.
Inflatable dock shelters near Walkden
Businesses outside Walkden may find their nearest town in this list: Tyldesley (3 miles), Eccles (4 miles) and Radcliffe (4 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.
Other loading bay services in Walkden
Full guide to inflatable dock shelters · Everything we do in Walkden
Ready to talk about a loading bay in Walkden? Call us, or send the details through the quote form.