- Location
- Evesham, Worcestershire
- Main postcode district
- WR11
- Nearby (straight line)
- Tewkesbury (11 miles), Stratford-upon-Avon (12 miles) and Worcester (13 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A telescopic-lip dock leveller is a hydraulic pit leveller whose front lip slides forward out of the platform, rather than swinging on a hinge, and can be extended by a controlled amount onto the trailer bed. Telescopic lips commonly extend 500 to 1,000 mm, which lets operators reach over tail lifts, place the lip between pallets and load the last row in a trailer.
Why do sites in Evesham choose this?
A container-handling operation in Evesham can benefit from a telescopic lip, as container floors and chassis heights vary more than standard trailers. Where docks in Evesham have deep bumpers that hold trailers away from the edge, a telescopic lip can bridge a gap a swing lip would struggle to cover.
Replacing worn swing-lip levellers at a site in Evesham is a good moment to ask whether the current trailer mix now calls for telescopic lips.
Here is what happens after you contact us about a site in Evesham. 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 are drive-away risks managed while the lip rests on a trailer?
Drive-away risks are managed by stopping the vehicle leaving until loading has finished and the lip has been withdrawn, using traffic lights, vehicle or trailer restraints, or the person in charge keeping the keys or paperwork. HSE workplace transport guidance (HSG136) and the HSE loading factsheet (followed by HSENI in Northern Ireland) call for safeguards against drivers driving away too early.
- Why it matters: a lip resting on the bed is only safe while the trailer stays put, and trailer creep during forklift loading can open a gap at the dock edge.
- Equipment duties: the leveller is work equipment under PUWER 1998 in Great Britain or PUWER (Northern Ireland) 1999, so it must be maintained and inspected where deterioration could lead to danger. Engineering insurers commonly inspect at 12-month intervals.
- Standard: BS EN 1398:2009 sets the safety requirements for dock levellers and is current, under review.
Enforcement is by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland. Our guide to preventing drive-away and trailer creep compares the safeguards.
Can a telescopic leveller replace a swing-lip unit in the same pit?
Often yes, a telescopic-lip leveller can replace a swing-lip unit in the same pit, provided the pit is square and deep enough and the edge steel is in good condition. Some telescopic units need a little more depth for the lip mechanism, so we measure carefully at survey.
A typical installation:
- The bay is closed and the old leveller isolated, lifted out and removed.
- The pit is cleaned and measured, and any edge steel repairs carried out.
- The new unit is set in, levelled and fixed to the pit steel.
- The power pack, control panel and lip controls are connected and interlocks wired.
- The platform and lip are tested through their full travel.
You will need to provide a clear bay, access for lifting equipment and a suitable power supply, typically three-phase. Installation commonly takes one to two working days per bay once the pit is ready.
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?
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Temperature requirements for chilled, frozen or ambient goods
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
Options to discuss
Automatic return control
A single button that withdraws the lip and lowers the platform to its stored position, reducing the risk of a trailer leaving with the lip still out.
1,000 mm lip extension
A longer reach that clears folded tail lifts and deep bumper projections, so rigids and tail-lift trailers can be loaded at the same bay.
Regulations and approvals in England
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Evesham, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about telescopic-lip dock levellers in Evesham
How long does installation take at a site in Evesham?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Evesham?
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 Evesham, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Evesham?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
Can a telescopic lip bridge a larger gap to the trailer?
Yes, that is one of its strengths. Where deep bumpers hold the trailer further from the dock edge, a telescopic lip can extend to bridge a gap that a fixed swing lip may not cover. We check bumper projection at survey so the lip length suits the dock.
Can telescopic and swing-lip levellers be mixed on one dock?
Yes, and many sites do. Fitting telescopic levellers on the bays that receive tail-lift vehicles or need end loading, and swing-lip units on the rest, keeps costs down while covering every vehicle type. Clear bay signage helps drivers reverse onto the right one.
Telescopic-lip dock levellers near Evesham
Sites close to Evesham get the same service, including those in Tewkesbury (11 miles), Stratford-upon-Avon (12 miles) and Worcester (13 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Evesham
Full guide to telescopic-lip dock levellers · Everything we do in Evesham
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