Most of the world’s goods are transported at some time by trucks and tractor trailers. Many of these are loaded and unloaded at enclosed truck docks. When a truck pulls up to the dock, the gap between the vehicle and the dock is a major path for air leakage. In fact, the gaps along a line of vehicles in effect convert an enclosed truck dock to an outdoor space. This greatly increases heating requirements in the loading dock and adjacent spaces during cold weather. When loading to and from refrigerated trucks and spaces, the air leakage radically increases refrigeration cost. You can prevent most of this loss by installing sealing systems on the outside of the truck dock wall that mate with the vehicles. These systems are
commonly called “dock seals.” Figure 1 shows a truck dock that uses dock seals effectively. Dock seals have become popular. They continue to evolve, so get the latest catalogs.