Wheel Risers

Wheel risers are small ramps that go under the wheels of trucks.  They are used whenever docks are higher than the backs of the trucks being loaded.  In the world of loading dock equipment, almost everything goes up more easily—and more safely-- than it goes down.  If you have a 48 inch high dock and a 52 inch high trailer bed, you don’t need a wheel riser or any other special equipment.  The long side of your dockboard, also known as the ramping portion, goes on the dock itself.  The other end, called the break over because it flattens out approximately 11 inches back from the end of the board, goes into the truck.  At the point where it becomes horizontal, fork trucks have a smooth transition over an even grade which is more stable for transit and safe for personnel.

But what do you do if the heights of the dock and the truck trailer bed are reversed?  Many smaller vehicles, like city bobtails, can be as low as 47”. Wheel risers have to be placed under these trucks in order to make them higher than the docks.  Otherwise, the dockboard has to be reversed, with the sloping side of the board going into the back of the truck.  This is both unsafe and in many cases impractical, because if the truck is full there will not be enough room for the board to go into the trailer bed. 

During the course of the day, loading dock crews are driving fork trucks up the dockboard at an average of 2” into an over the road trailer.  If on occasions a smaller truck pulls up and you have to reverse your dockboard, you don’t really need a wheel riser provided you secure the board on both ends.  However, if throughout the day you are CONSISTENTLY having to go down from the dock to the truck, wheel risers are needed to elevate the truck high enough to create an incline equivalent to that of an over the road truck.  Smaller trucks that are approximately 3” lower than the dock can be raised to an equivalent height using 5” wheel risers.  This will then allow you to keep the long side of the board inside the building and position the ramp as it is meant to work.  If you need a wheel riser larger than this, we have many models.

Manufactured in both steel and aluminum they come in a variety of sizes and capacities that start at 30,000 lbs.  We have units as high as 12” in height that you can order from your material handling specialist, and widths range from 18” to 24” across to provide a stable, sturdy support for truck tires. 

Wheel risers can be permanently or temporarily positioned in your dock. Permanent positioning is generally recommended if most of the inbound trucks coming in are lower than your dock.  Talk to your account manager about these efficient and affordable ramps that help minimize the risk of worker injury and damage to loading equipment.