Any commercial loading bay, but especially those for large businesses or even huge complexes like sizeable shopping malls, can have millions worth of cargo and inventory moving through it each week. In such cases, these areas can be prime targets for thieves. It’s also important to remember that in such areas that pose a security risk, safety is on the line too.
This is because in an area with so many large vehicles, various drivers, warehouse workers and movers, it’s essential to have systems in place to manage people and processes. If achieved correctly, you can more easily limit safety risks, bad protocols, and yes, theft or damage.
However, any security measures must always keep in mind the smooth operational requirements of the loading area after all. If you add even ten minutes of average administrative time to the comings and goings of trucks, this can spell out hours of wasted time and missed targets going forward. It’s a tough balance to strike, but certainly one to try and achieve.
In the following post, we’ll discuss a few tips for getting there:
Vehicle Processing
It goes without saying that managing the flow of trucks and delivery vans in and out of your loading bay needs to be quick and secure. To achieve that, you absolutely need to rely on a streamlined process right from the moment a vehicle approaches the gate. Think about everything you need to do, such as checking manifestos and verifying driver identification before they even enter the property. A great piece of technology that can really assist with this is an ALPR system.
Such a function relates to auto vehicle scanning and checks that happen automatically, so you can verify a truck and its details before you grant it access to your lot. Just make sure your drivers know the procedure beforehand so they can move through the checkpoints and process their load easily.
Bay Assignment & Control
As ever, you need a clear system for telling the driver exactly which bay they should use. Random parking and disorganized docking are safety hazards and cause delays at the same time, even if the latter is preferable to the former.
We’d suggest you have a digital system or a clear visual board that shows which bays are open and which truck is assigned to which spot. You should use clear signs and floor markings to guide the vehicle directly to the assigned location and even chaperones if they need to make tight turns.
Strict Access Control
The loading bay itself is quite a big security risk with all the wide open access routes to your warehouse, so you need to treat it like a restricted area. It’s not enough to just control the trucks either, you have to control the people who are moving around the cargo.
This means that access to the actual docking area should be strictly limited to essential personnel only. You should use proper card readers or keypads on all doors leading from the warehouse floor into the bay, and also walkways they can stick to in order to prevent exposure to moving vehicles.
It’s also important to make sure all staff working in this area wear visible identification, even visitor badges given for guests.
With this advice, we hope you can make sure your loading bay is secure and correctly managed.
