Question for the truckers
Discussion
Some practical help based on your experience if I may be so bold.
Client owns an industrial unit and a tenant want to take a lease but is insisting on a new roller shutter door and a ramp up to allow vehicles to reverse into the unit (rather than to a dock leveller).
The total rise of the ramp will be about 1.2m and I have 18m in front of the unit to get the ramp in.
Does a ramp that steep create any practical or technical issues from the drivers perspective?
Client owns an industrial unit and a tenant want to take a lease but is insisting on a new roller shutter door and a ramp up to allow vehicles to reverse into the unit (rather than to a dock leveller).
The total rise of the ramp will be about 1.2m and I have 18m in front of the unit to get the ramp in.
Does a ramp that steep create any practical or technical issues from the drivers perspective?
Well, I reckon on the ramp being about 1m wider than the door on each side with armco or similar barriers. It's for articulated vehicles I understand and I think it's a nonsense suggestion to be frank.
Just trying to get some opinions on it from a practical perspective.
My view is that nothwithstanding the gradient and so on, it is actually quite tricky to line up and reverse back up that ramp. Is it?
Just trying to get some opinions on it from a practical perspective.
My view is that nothwithstanding the gradient and so on, it is actually quite tricky to line up and reverse back up that ramp. Is it?
There's nothing to difficult about reversing an artic up a ramp as long as you don't have to do it blindside. i.e. the acute angle created when you make your turn is on the drivers side. If the ramp can be approached from either side it won't make much difference.
The main problems I can see will be if the angle of the ramp is to steep the early risers on the back of the tractor may foul on the trailer chassis rails. This then makes turning impossible without causing damage to the tractor and trailer. Also as mentioned by another poster there may be traction issues with a lightly loaded trailer. The armco barriers would also have to be quite short as the first trailer up the ramp would take full length ones out.
The main problems I can see will be if the angle of the ramp is to steep the early risers on the back of the tractor may foul on the trailer chassis rails. This then makes turning impossible without causing damage to the tractor and trailer. Also as mentioned by another poster there may be traction issues with a lightly loaded trailer. The armco barriers would also have to be quite short as the first trailer up the ramp would take full length ones out.
it really depends on how much room in front of the ramp, an artic is 16.5m long and needs a good amount of room to swing it round to line up with the ramp , as standard they are 2.5 m wide , a fridge is 2.75 wide so backing into that doorway ( is it narrow inside, dark ?)will be possible if you can get the swing at it,also if it is wet or icy , no chance
Not a trucker but I do design loading bay access for Sainsbury's wagons at their stores.
One of their current guidelines is to have a "well" sunken into the yard rather than lowering the whole yard, and typically we can stick a 1:15 ramp in which shoudln't cause a grounding issue. If you can achieve that then you should be alright with artics.
I'd be more concerned that the interior floor slab isn't up to the loading we'd expect to be present with a fully loaded artic.
One of their current guidelines is to have a "well" sunken into the yard rather than lowering the whole yard, and typically we can stick a 1:15 ramp in which shoudln't cause a grounding issue. If you can achieve that then you should be alright with artics.
I'd be more concerned that the interior floor slab isn't up to the loading we'd expect to be present with a fully loaded artic.
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