Category: Loading Dock Bumpers

Loading dock bumpers are available in a variety of sizes and types. Dock bumpers are designed as a stopping point for truck traffic at a loading dock. This prevents the truck from hitting the building wall. The main types are laminated rubber, steel-face, and molded rubber. A generic bumper is laminated rubber. On edge-of-dock (EOD) levelers, the standard bumper is molded. Modifications are available for laminated and steel-face on an EOD leveler.

Dock seal pads are commonly misidentified as bumpers. They are not designed to stop a truck from hitting a building wall. For dock seals, see here.

Bumpers can be wider than taller, or taller than wider. Taller bumpers (called "vertical" bumpers) are often recommended for large and irregular truck height variations. This will prevent truck/trailer extensions from finding their way under the bumper and pushing upward to destroy the anchor of the bumper.

Laminated Dock Bumpers

Generally speaking, laminated rubber dock bumpers are the most common for loading dock traffic. They are made of recycled truck tires woven onto steel rods. A common thickness for a dock bumper is 4.5". Some docks require thicker bumpers if there is not enough offset from the building wall to prevent trailers from hitting the wall at the top corners of the trailer.

Dock bumpers are shown to absorb up to 80% of truck trailer impact. Over time, dock bumpers wear down. Once they wear to the side steel angle, they need to be replaced.

Steel-Face Dock Bumpers

Steel plated bumpers are a standard laminated bumper with a steel plate modification on the face of the bumper. Steel dock bumpers are commonly offered with 3/8" thick steel on the face. They are great for high-traffic loading docks and make the up and down movement of trailers during cargo transfer better for the bumper.

Molded Rubber Bumpers

Molded rubber bumpers used for light and medium truck traffic. They are often used with an edge-of-dock leveler. They are installed on steel bumper blocks using hex bolts, and are easy to install. They are offered in a 2- and 4-hole configuration. Modifications are available for thicker bumpers, as well as laminated rubber or steel-faced. The most common thickness is 4".

Installation

Standard dock bumpers have steel angles on the sides for mounting to a flat surface. They can be purchased with steel angle on both sides, no sides, or 1 flat side and 1 angle side. A flat side configuration offers the ability to weld closer to a dock leveler pit on embedded steel angles. Alternatively, an angles can be cut off from dock bumpers to make a different configuration.

Dock bumpers are installed with the pads going vertically. They wear better this way and prevent trailers from moving in-between the pads. For molded bumpers, they are manufactured with holes through the bumper for mounting.

Sleeve anchors that are 3/4" diameter are often used to install a dock bumper into a concrete loading dock.