Is the type of truck using the loading dock door important to determining the proper design of the Compression Seal?
Yes. In order to provide a seal from the elements, the compression seal pads must be compressed by the rear of the truck. The typical over the road semi trailer does not have any kind of a step or bumper on the rear of the van. In this case, the sides and top of the trailer will compress the seal up to the point where the sides and the top hit the dock bumpers. Some straight trucks have a step or step bumper on the rear. This step projects up to 12″ or more beyond the rear of the van. Consequently, when the step of these type straight trucks hit the dock bumpers, the back of the van is 12″ or more away from the bumpers – and a seal that for a semi would properly project 4″ beyond the bumpers would yield a 8″ or more gap between the compression seal pads and the sides and top of the truck. A 4″ projection beyond the bumpers would work for over the road semis will not seal for these type straight trucks. Also, if a seal is properly designed and installed to seal these trucks with steps,
