Fight Back against the Elements: Loading Dock Tips for the Winter Months
When temperatures drop and the snow starts to fall, your loading docks have to adapt, or your operation will freeze to halt. Frigid cold, rain, sleet, and drifting snows can significantly increase your facility’s costs and lead to unsafe working conditions if the right steps aren’t taken. In this blog post, we talk about the most important ways to prepare your loading dock for the colder months, so you can save money and help protect your employees. Here’s what we cover:
- Inspect all loading dock equipment
- Conduct the light test
- Keep the warm air in and the cold air out
- Improve airflow in your warehouse
- Use vehicle restraints
Inspect all loading dock equipment
Your loading dock is constantly exposed to the elements in all seasons, so equipment wear and tear is going to happen. Before the harsher winter conditions set in, it’s critical to look for any signs of damage and make sure your equipment is functioning correctly. We recommend checking your dock levelers, dock seals, dock shelters, doors, vehicle restraints, air curtains, and lights for proper operation. Repair or replace any malfunctioning or broken parts, and lubricate all hinges, rollers, and other moving parts. Once the snow comes, clean your loading dock equipment regularly to remove any salt and sand that may harm their components.
Conduct the light test
Even small gaps in your loading dock doors, between the trailer and dock shelter, or around your dock seals can lead to significant heat and energy loss during the winter months. One of the easiest ways to identify these gaps is through a light test. During the daytime, fully shut your door or back up a trailer against your seal or shelter, turn off the lights in the loading dock area, and look for any light shining through anywhere. Be sure to pay close attention to the sides and top of the trailer, corners of the door, and around the dock leveler and trailer gap. If you can see light, then you have a gap or leak that needs to be fixed.
Keep the warm air in and the cold air out
There are multiple types of equipment that help you handle the elements and maintain a comfortable warehouse and loading area. At JIT Toyota-Lift, we carry a wide variety of options from Blue Giant:
- Head Curtain dock seals – Designed to accommodate a range of trailer heights, these dock seals ensure your crew and facility stay dry during cross docking operations.
- HingeMaster™ dock shelters – An innovative dock seal that closes off the hinge gaps on trailer doors, keeping more warm air inside your warehouse and the wet and cold outside.
- Air curtains – Forming an invisible barrier, Blue Giant air curtains provide a stream of air that blocks cold winds while allowing foot and vehicle traffic to pass through.
If you’re unsure exactly what you need for your facility, contact our team, and we’ll suggest the right loading dock equipment for your specific requirements.
Improve airflow in your warehouse
One of the best ways to ensure your employees are comfortable and avoid high heating costs in winter is to install high volume low speed (HVLS) fans. They force the warmer air that is trapped against your ceiling down towards the floor, raising the temperatures without raising your utility bill.
Use vehicle restraints
Slippery conditions can cause your standard wheel chocks to slip and the truck or trailer to slide. Plus, your chocks can easily be lost in deep snow or pushed away by plows. To improve your dock operation during winter weather, we recommend using ice wheel chocks or installing fixed vehicle restraints. Ice wheel chocks are designed to grip icy surfaces, but they still run the risk of being covered or lost in snowdrifts. Vehicle restraints are an even better solution, because they remain fixed in place no matter the conditions, and they are hydraulically or mechanically activated, so they can force their way through snow or ice.
At JIT Toyota-Lift, we offer everything required to prepare your loading docks for the cold, snow, and ice, and keep your operation running smoothly in the face of our harsh Western New York winters. Contact our team, to find the best solution for your needs!
Click here to view our Blue Giant loading dock equipment.