06/04/2026
Most facility leaders know something feels off at the loading dock before they can explain why. Equipment that's always giving someone trouble. Dock workers who aren't sure what to do when something goes wrong. Trailers that back in and somehow still feel like a gamble.
Here's what's usually actually happening:
The equipment was spec'd for the previous tenant, not you
PM has been deferred long enough that failures are starting to compound
There are no interlocks forcing operators through the correct sequence
Nobody has a protocol for when the dock lock fails to engage
25% of facility accidents occur at the loading dock. It's one of the biggest liabilities in any building, and one of the last areas to get serious attention.
In the latest episode of Clocking In, Mike Smith and Patrick Feeney go through the top 10 mistakes they see every year and what to do about them.