Decide between a dock lift and a dock leveler for a given facility
domain: loading-dock-equipment · 4 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Use a dock leveler when the building already has a raised dock face (commonly around 48 in above the drive approach in North America) and trailers arrive at a consistent bed height.
Use a dock lift (scissor/vertical) at grade-level buildings, for mixed truck types (straight trucks plus trailers), or where pit space for a leveler isn't available.
For cold storage, consider a vertical-storing leveler or lift option that closes the door opening tightly when idle to reduce air infiltration.
Confirm capacity, platform size, and travel height cover the full range of vehicles expected, including occasional flatbeds or straight trucks.
Known gotchas
A dock lift adds a load/unload step (vehicle stops at grade, lift carries load to dock level) that is typically slower per cycle than a leveler bridging a matched-height dock - factor cycle time into high-volume decisions.
Retrofitting a lift into a building designed for levelers (or vice versa) often requires structural/pit changes - confirm feasibility with a facilities engineer before assuming either option drops in.
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