Stertil's Combilok saves lives
August 28th 2008

The value of reliable vehicle restraint systems has been recognised in this country for some time but it’s not just the UK that has stringent regulations covering this area. The USA too now has strict legislation governing the restraint of vehicles in loading bays and this has resulted in Stertil Stokvis winning significant orders for its proven Combilok system from American companies operating in the UK.

Stertil Stokvis’s Combilok was developed exclusively as a restraint system for vehicles parked at loading bays and is ideally placed to resolve the issue of safe restraint. Communication in loading bays can be difficult and is often poor: the Combilok offers a ‘safety net’ against poor communication by holding vehicles in one place until loading or unloading is completed.

In both the UK and America, trailer creep and trailer pull-away have long been recognised as a serious safety issue in dock operations. The American OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires all vehicles to be restrained when loading is taking place. Safe working practices must be set and enforced for employees involved in trailer to dock operations and systems must be in place to ensure that drivers do not pull away while trucks are loading or unloading.

The Combilok® is integrated into a wheel-alignment guide, through which the truck is centred. The control system is installed in the warehouse and operates the hydraulic movement of a wheel block towards the rear wheel of the truck. An in-built sensor determines the position of the wheel and the wheel block is automatically extended, restraining the vehicle. The movement of the wheel block is accompanied by audible and visual alarms, while a clear LED traffic light shows green to indicate it is safe for the truck to leave the dock.

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