Dock Bumpers
Definition: What are Dock Bumpers?
A dock bumper is a recoiling or resilient attachment that is part of a loading dock.It is designed to absorb the impact of a hit by a truck or any other transportation vehicle.
One of the basic decisions before building a loading dock and its dock bumper involves the choice between declining and inclining docks. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Declining versions will move the top of the trailer towards the wall of the building, endangering both structure and equipment. Inclining versions tend to cause the ICC bar to come too close to the wall under the bumpers.
Another issue is how severe the decline or incline should be: if it is too much, it can endanger employees, equipment and product as the risk of toppling during loading or unloading increases beyond acceptable standards.
Design, calculation and construction of dock bumpers (and docks in general) requires serious consideration that includes planning for future uses. One of the most important requirements is the calculation of proper dock incline or decline and that of the corresponding dock bumper. Another part of the calculation includes the requirement to accommodate changes when the nose of a truck is raised in order to couple with a tractor.