MULTI-FAB GLOSSARY OF TERMS

BUMPERS, DOCK
Pieces of rubber or other resilient material located at the floor level of a dock opening to cushion the building from truck trailer impact.

CURB ANGLE
The steel angles used to reinforce and protect the corner edges of the pit area or the face edge of a dock. See, Pit Steel

DAWG
A toothed device that when engaged with a ratchet bar limits the travel of the bar to one direction.
See, Pawl

DOCK
The sorting or staging platform where shipments are loaded or unloaded.

DOCK BOARD
A device for bridging the gap between the warehouse and/or loading dock platform and a vehicle's load bed.

DOCK LEVELERS
A manually, hydraulically, or electrically operated plate, located at the dock entrance, that can be raised and lowered to accommodate varying trailer floor heights.

DOCK PLATE
A moveable metal ramp that allows access to a rail car or trailer.

DOCK BUMPER
Pieces of rubber located at the floor level of a dock opening to cushion the building from truck trailer impact.

DOCK FACE
The outside wall of the dock door area.

DOCK LIFT
A lift whose travel is generally 5 feet (1524 mm) or less and which is primarily used to load/unload material from trucks and transfer it to dock or ground elevation.

DOCK SEAL
A rubber or canvas covering that extends out from a dock face to seal the gap between the dock and the trailer's entrance.

DOCK SHELTER
A cover that protects the space between the door of a rail car or truck and a warehouse from inclement weather.

EOD
(Edge of Dock) A Dock Leveler design mainly to be face mounted on the leading edge of a dock. It can also be pit mounted.

FLIP LIP
A style of lip extension which uses the energy left over after the dock-leveler deck has come to the fully raised position and then flips the lip out. The dock board is then walked down with the lip already in the extended position.

HOLDOWN
A mechanical, electrical or hydraulic device that hold a dock leveler at a set height above at, or below dock level. See, Ramp Control

LOADING DOCK DOOR
The openings in the loading dock area to the outside of a building. Loading dock doors are an important topic in planning and constructing a building. The rapidity of loading dock door opening is a consideration where some control of ambient temperature and humidity are required and often doors of this type are equipped to open automatically as a moving object approaches the door.

LOADING DOCK
The sorting or staging platform where shipments are loaded or unloaded.

LOADING DOCK EQUIPMENT
Equipment used to make the loading dock area of a facility more accessible and to provide safe movement of goods in that dock area. Loading dock equipment includes elevating docks, dock levelers, dock boards, dock lights, bumpers, seals, shelters, vehicle restraints and traffic doors.

PAWL
A toothed device that when engaged with a ratchet bar limits the travel of the bar to one direction.

PIT
That part of the dock area that is cut out to contain a dock-leveling device.

PIT STEEL
Steel edging embedded in concrete to protect the corners surrounding the area cut out to contain the leveler device.

RACK BAR
A flat bar with teeth cut in one face to allow a round gear with corresponding teeth to roll back and forth changing rotary motion into linear motion or vice versa.

RAMP CONTROL
A mechanical device using a ratchet bar and pawl assembly to hold a dock-leveler at a particular position. See, Holdown

RATCHET BAR
A steel bar with inclined teeth on one face which when used with a pawl only allows movement of the bar in one direction.

RATED CAPACITY
The maximum load which can be applied according to the manufacturer's specification.

RATED LOAD CAPACITY
The maximum load for which the equipment is designed by the manufacturer.

STUMP OUT
A term that describes the inability of a fork truck to drive back up on to the dock-leveler from the truck because the lip has folded so far down as to prevent the fork truck from driving up its incline.

VELOCITY FUSE

WALK OUT LIP
A style of dock-leveler that is designed to extend the lip section as the board is lowered into position.