- Location
- Bognor Regis, West Sussex
- Main postcode district
- PO21
- Nearby (straight line)
- Chichester (6 miles), Littlehampton (6 miles) and Emsworth (12 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A swing-lip dock leveller is a hydraulic ramp set into a pit at the dock edge, with a hinged steel lip along its front. When a trailer is docked the platform rises, the lip swings out, and the platform lowers until the lip rests on the trailer bed, forming a bridge for forklifts and pallet trucks. The lip is typically about 400 to 500 mm long.
Is this right for your site in Bognor Regis?
Ageing levellers in older docks around Bognor Regis can often be replaced like for like in the existing pit, avoiding new concrete work if the pit is sound. Chilled food distributors in Bognor Regis can specify insulated swing-lip levellers with pit seals to cut cold loss through the floor of the bay.
Operators in Bognor Regis who have added electric pallet trucks to their fleet may find an existing leveller too short, making a longer platform worth considering.
We keep the process simple for sites in Bognor Regis. A free survey tells us what the dock needs; a fixed written quote tells you what it will cost and what is included. We then organise the installation, with specialist engineers under our management and a programme agreed around your shifts. Night and weekend work is available by arrangement. Before we leave, the new equipment is tested, demonstrated and handed over with its documentation.
How much does a swing-lip dock leveller cost?
A swing-lip dock leveller typically costs £5,200 to £8,800 per leveller, excluding VAT, supply and fit, assuming it goes into an existing, sound pit. New pits, pit repairs, concrete and groundworks are priced separately after survey.
Within that range, the price is driven by:
- Platform length: longer platforms give a gentler gradient but cost more.
- Width and capacity: wider decks and higher load ratings use heavier steel and cylinders.
- Lip length: a longer lip reaches further onto the trailer bed.
- Insulation and sealing: insulated platforms and pit seals for chilled buildings.
- Controls and interlocks: links to the door, restraint or traffic lights.
- Removal and access: taking out the old unit, lifting equipment for delivery and out-of-hours work.
If the pit edge steel is damaged or the pit is out of square, we tell you at survey and price the repair as a separate item, so the leveller price stays clear. The written quote is then the fixed price for the work described.
Do dock levellers have to be inspected by law?
Yes, dock levellers are work equipment and must be kept in a safe condition and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. The law and the regulator depend on where the site is.
- Great Britain: the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), enforced by HSE.
- Northern Ireland: PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999, enforced by HSENI.
- Inspection interval: engineering insurers commonly inspect dock levellers under PUWER at 12-month intervals.
- LOLER: most levellers are treated as work equipment under PUWER, but one designed or used to lift people may fall under LOLER, or LOLER (Northern Ireland) 1999, with 6-monthly thorough examination. It depends on the equipment and how it is used; your insurer or competent person will confirm.
- Standard: BS EN 1398:2009 sets the safety requirements for dock levellers. It is current and under review.
Our inspection guide explains what an examiner looks at.
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?
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
Options to discuss
Standard swing-lip leveller
A hydraulic pit leveller with a hinged lip of about 400 to 500 mm, suited to general distribution with curtain-siders and box trailers.
Long-platform leveller
A longer platform that keeps gradients gentle where trailer heights vary widely or low-clearance electric pallet trucks are used across the bay.
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 Bognor Regis. 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 swing-lip dock levellers in Bognor Regis
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Bognor Regis?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Bognor Regis, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Do you cover Bognor Regis for swing-lip dock levellers?
Yes. We take on swing-lip dock levellers for businesses in Bognor Regis and across West Sussex. 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 swing-lip dock levellers?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in West Sussex as everywhere else: for swing-lip dock levellers, it is £5,200 to £8,800 per leveller, 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.
Can a new leveller fit our old pit?
Usually, yes. Levellers are made in standard sizes and many can be supplied to suit an existing pit, but the pit must be square, sound and deep enough. We measure the pit and check the edge steel at survey, and if adjustment or repair is needed we price it separately.
What happens if a trailer pulls away with the lip on its bed?
The platform drops until its safety system stops it. Hydraulic levellers have a velocity fuse that arrests the fall, but the event can still damage the leveller and endanger anyone on it, which is why dock traffic lights, restraints and key control are used to prevent early drive-away.
Swing-lip dock levellers near Bognor Regis
We also cover towns near Bognor Regis, including Chichester (6 miles), Littlehampton (6 miles) and Emsworth (12 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Bognor Regis
Full guide to swing-lip dock levellers · Everything we do in Bognor Regis
Whether it is a new bay or a fault on an existing one, call us or request a quote for your site in Bognor Regis.