Vestil Loading Dock Equipment

Edge-of-Dock Levelers

Face-mounted levelers that bridge dock to trailer for routine pallet traffic, in capacities to 30,000 lb.

Yard Ramps

Steel and aluminum ramps that create a dock anywhere a trailer can park — up to 30,000 lb capacity.

Truck Scissor Dock Lifts

Hydraulic platforms that lift loads from grade to trailer height where no raised dock exists.

Trailer Stabilizing Jacks

Ratchet and hydraulic jacks that support uncoupled trailers during loading and unloading.

Dock Plates & Dockboards

Aluminum and steel spans for pallet jacks and forklifts, sized to the total moving load.

Bumpers, Chocks & Accessories

Laminated dock bumpers, wheel chocks, wheel risers, holders, and storage racks.

Hand pump Edge-O-Dock levelers bridge routine pallet traffic into the trailer.

An edge-of-dock leveler mounts to the face of the dock and swings up and over onto the trailer bed, bridging the gap without the pit and concrete work a recessed leveler requires. For docks that serve trailers close to dock height with pallet jack and forklift traffic, it is the most economical permanent bridge you can install.

Vestil’s hand pump Edge-O-Dock levelers use a hydraulic hand pump to raise the deck — no bending and lifting with a pry bar. Capacities run from 15,000 to 30,000 lb in 66″ and 72″ usable widths, with a standard ramp reach of 29″ and an extended 36-5/8″ ramp option where you need a gentler grade. Units ship with dock bumpers and installation instructions.

If your trailers vary widely in bed height, or you move heavy powered traffic all day, tell us — that is where a pit leveler or dock lift earns its cost, and we will say so.

A yard ramp is a portable loading dock: park a trailer anywhere on your lot, roll the ramp to its rear, and drive a forklift from the ground into the trailer. For buildings with no dock, overflow during peak season, or ground-level container work, it is usually the fastest way to add loading capacity without construction.

Vestil steel yard ramps use open serrated grating that gives forklift tires positive traction and lets rain and snow fall through, with high steel side curbs to prevent runoff and safety locking chains that secure the ramp to the trailer. Dock-level models (16,000 and 20,000 lb capacities) serve a fixed dock; full yard ramps in the 36-foot class reach trailer beds with a service height range of roughly 45″ to 55″.

Positioning is by hand crank on mechanical models or a hydraulic pump on hydraulic models, and aluminum ramps deliver up to 30,000 lb capacity at far lower weight with no rust.

Open grating, side curbs, and locking chains are standard on Vestil steel ramps.

A scissor dock lift turns a ground-level door into a working dock.

When there is no raised dock and a ramp will not work — tight lots, mixed delivery vehicles, or freight too heavy to drive up a grade — a truck scissor dock lift raises the load instead. The platform sits at grade, freight rolls on, and the hydraulic scissor lifts it to the trailer bed, where a bridge spans the last gap. One person with a pallet jack can work an entire trailer.

Vestil’s premium truck scissor dock lifts come in 6,000 and 8,000 lb capacities with platform sizes from 6×8 up to 8×10 ft. A deep options list tailors the lift to the site: handrails with toeboards, split steel or aluminum bridges, approach ramps, mobile wheel kits, stop sign signals, and warning beepers with strobes.

Because a dock lift also serves delivery vans, box trucks, and flatbeds at their own bed heights, it is often the right answer for facilities that receive from many different vehicle types.

An uncoupled semitrailer at a dock is balanced on its landing gear. Drive a loaded forklift toward the nose and the trailer can tip forward or the landing gear can collapse — one of the most severe accident types that happens at a dock. OSHA’s powered industrial truck standard, 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(3), notes that fixed jacks may be necessary to support a semitrailer and prevent upending during loading or unloading when the trailer is not coupled to a tractor.

Vestil trailer stabilizing jacks position under the trailer nose and take that load. Ratchet models are raised with a two-speed ratchet action and provide 40,000 to 50,000 lb of lifting capacity with supporting capacities up to 100,000 lb, on wide triangular bases with wheels for one-person positioning. A hydraulic beam-style jack raises the trailer with a pump instead of a ratchet.

Run two jacks per trailer — one under each side of the nose — as standard practice for drop-and-hook docks.

Stabilizing jacks control the upending risk on uncoupled trailers.

Aluminum plates handle manual traffic; curbed dockboards handle forklifts.

Dock plates and dockboards are the portable spans of the dock world. A dock plate — typically smooth-lifting aluminum with a diamond tread surface — is rated for manual equipment: pallet jacks, hand trucks, and foot traffic. A dockboard is the heavier version with raised side curbs, rated for powered equipment like forklifts. The curbs are not decoration; they are what keeps a forklift wheel from running off the edge.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.26 sets the rules: dockboards must support their working load, must be secured by anchoring or by devices that prevent them from moving out of a safe position, and portable dockboards must have handholds or other means for safe handling. Size every plate and board by the total moving load — equipment, operator, and cargo together.

Store them properly, too: a dock plate leaned against a wall is a tip-over hazard and gets damaged. Vestil’s dock plate storage rack holds boards upright and out of the traffic path, and a leverlift option makes moving a heavy board a one-person job.

The small hardware at the dock does outsized work. Laminated dock bumpers — layered rubber pads compressed between steel angles — absorb the impact of every trailer that backs in, protecting the dock face and the building structure behind it. Vestil builds them in heights from 20″ to 36″ with 4.5″ and 6″ projections, so you can match bumper height to your dock and trailer mix.

Wheel chocks keep the trailer from creeping away from the dock as forklifts work inside it. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(k)(1) requires brakes set and wheel blocks in place to prevent movement of trucks and trailers while they are boarded with powered industrial trucks. Vestil’s heavy-duty molded rubber chocks grip the apron, and chock holders, hanger kits, and 3-ft to 15-ft strap kits keep them at the dock instead of wandering off on a trailer.

Chocked wheels and set brakes are an OSHA requirement, not a suggestion.

Restrain the trailer

Brakes set, wheel chocks placed against the tires (or dock restraint engaged) before anyone opens the door.

Support the nose

If the tractor is gone, set stabilizing jacks under both sides of the trailer nose before powered equipment enters.

Set the bridge

Position and secure the leveler, dockboard, or plate — confirmed seated, anchored, and rated for the total moving load.

Work the load

Keep speeds down, loads low, and watch trailer creep as weight shifts during the load or unload.

Release in reverse

Store the bridge, pull the jacks, then remove chocks only when the driver is in the cab and ready to pull out.

Vestil manufactures in Angola, Indiana — family-owned since 1958.

Vestil Manufacturing traces to 1958, when it was founded as T&S Equipment in Albion, Michigan. The company moved to Angola, Indiana in 1982 to support its growth, and today operates more than a million square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space in Steuben County. Still family-owned, Vestil has grown into one of the broadest lines in material handling — over 1,000 product lines, many stocked for immediate shipment.

That breadth is exactly what you want at a loading dock, where one project can touch a leveler, a jack, chocks, bumpers, and a storage rack at once. See our Vestil overview for the full range we carry, or browse Vestil brochures for detailed product literature.

Stocked Online Store

Hundreds of Vestil loading dock SKUs with live pricing — levelers, ramps, jacks, chocks, bumpers, and options.

Specification Help

We size levelers, ramps, and lifts against your dock heights, loads, and traffic — and tell you when a cheaper option is the right one.

30+ Years of Experience

We have equipped docks, warehouses, and storage systems across the Mountain West and beyond since the early 1990s.

Freight Handled Right

Yard ramps and dock lifts are heavy freight. We coordinate shipping, delivery, and offloading so it arrives ready to use.

One Source for the Dock

Pair dock equipment with pallet rack, conveyor, shelving, and safety netting from a single supplier.

Real Support After the Sale

Parts, options, and answers from people who know the product line — not a marketplace listing.