- Location
- Stornoway, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles
- Main postcode district
- HS1
- Nearby (straight line)
- Remote location, covered by arrangement
- 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.
How does this suit sites in Stornoway?
When a chilled dock in Stornoway sees condensation and ice around the door, the seal at the trailer is often where improvement starts. Mixed fleets arriving at a cold store in Stornoway, from rigids to double-deck trailers, are exactly the situation inflatable cushions are designed for.
Operators replacing foam seals in Stornoway that keep wearing out against ill-fitting trailers may find an inflatable shelter suffers far less rubbing.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Stornoway for a free survey and then send a written quote with a fixed price. From that point we manage the installation, coordinating delivery, access and any other trades. Fitting is done by specialist installation engineers engaged and managed by us, at times that suit your operation, including out of hours where agreed. You get a tested installation, a demonstration for your team and the manufacturer documentation.
What is involved in installing an inflatable dock shelter?
Installing an inflatable shelter involves fixing a steel frame to the building around the dock door, mounting the cushions and fan, and wiring the controls, usually over one to two days per bay.
- The wall is checked and fixing points or a subframe prepared.
- The frame is fixed from powered access equipment in the yard.
- Top and side cushions are fitted, with protective covers where specified.
- The fan unit is mounted and the control panel wired, including interlocks to the door, leveller or restraint.
- Inflation, deflation and cushion retraction are tested with a trailer in the bay.
You will need to provide a clear yard area in front of the bay, take the bay out of use and arrange a power supply near the door, or ask us to include one. At cold stores we plan the work with the dock door kept closed, so the store stays at temperature while the shelter goes up outside.
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.
The same published guide range applies across Scotland; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
- How drivers are prevented from pulling away too early
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
Options to discuss
Three-sided inflatable
Top and side cushions that inflate around the trailer for the closest seal, the usual choice for chilled and frozen docks with mixed trailers.
Top cushion only
A single inflatable cushion across the top of the opening, paired with fixed side pads or curtains, for docks where trailer heights vary more than widths.
Planning, building control and safety law in Scotland
In Scotland, building work such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need a building warrant from the local authority before it starts. For sites in Stornoway, external structures such as loading houses or canopies may also need planning permission from the council. We check what applies at survey and factor any approvals into the programme.
For Stornoway, installation work is planned in advance rather than on a routine round. The survey and quote are free; where we can, we group installation visits with other work nearby, and any travel and accommodation costs for fitting are set out clearly in the quote.
Questions about inflatable dock shelters in Stornoway
Do you cover Stornoway for inflatable dock shelters?
Yes. We take on inflatable dock shelters for businesses in Stornoway and across Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. 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.
Is VAT included in your guide prices for inflatable dock shelters?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles as everywhere else: for inflatable dock shelters, it is £6,800 to £12,800 per shelter, 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 inflatable dock shelters for a site in Stornoway?
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.
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.
Do the cushions touch the trailer as it reverses in?
No, the cushions stay deflated and pulled back against the building while the trailer reverses in, so there is no rubbing as it docks. They inflate only once the trailer is in position and secured, which reduces wear on the fabric compared with foam seals and curtain shelters.
Inflatable dock shelters near Stornoway
Other loading bay services in Stornoway
Full guide to inflatable dock shelters · Everything we do in Stornoway
Whether it is a new bay or a fault on an existing one, call us or request a quote for your site in Stornoway.