VBR-350 Automatic Ground-Stored Trailer Restraint

Is your restraint dependable in live loading environments?

Rite-Hite® created the vehicle restraint industry in 1980 with the original Dok-Lok®. It’s trusted and used by more customers worldwide than any other loading dock solutions provider. The VBR-350 offers dependable rear impact guard (RIG) engagement by automatically positioning with a large hydraulic hook cylinder and featuring ergonomic push-button operation.

 

Is your restraint designed and built with a focus on loading dock safety?

The material handling industry reports more than 100,000 annual forklift accidents. Proper RIG engagement paired with constant restraint status communication helps prevent certain trailer separation accidents, including:

• Trailer creep
• Early departure

In dropped load applications, trailer stands are needed to help prevent vertical separation accidents such as trailer pop-up and landing gear collapse. For a solution that addresses both horizontal and vertical trailer separation accident for all load styles, rotating hook restraints are recommended.

All Dok-Lok vehicle restraints come standard with red and green lights to communicate to drivers when it’s safe to back in or depart, and to dock workers when it’s safe to perform loading or unloading operations. Your vehicle restraints should also feature or support future integration of solutions that address trending pedestrian hazards that often occur outside on the dangerous drive approach and inside the loading dock.

Additional Dock Safety Products

Supporting solutions: 

• Rite-Vu™ Hazard Recognition and Control
• Dok-Commander® Combined Controls
• Wheel Guides
• Trailer Stands (necessary for dropped trailers) 

Services:

• Loading Dock Planning & Design
• Planned Maintenance
• Rite-Hite One

Are you getting the full value from your vehicle restraint?  

Product Specifications:

• Exclusive Barrier Design
  • 4.25" (108 mm) high barrier with reverse taper design provides the highest and widest coverage of RIGs.
  • Truck presence bar is depressed upon positive engagement with RIG, signaling safe engagement to inside dock attendants. Exclusive mag res switch will not come out of adjustment, helping ensure proper engagement communication.
• Advanced Performance   
  • Activated with the simple push of a button, VBR-350’s heavy-duty hydraulic hook cylinder is 50% stronger than standard rods, helping to automatically position the barrier after a truck is backed into the dock.
  • Dual clad track with 50% more track strength to help minimize damage for heavy loading environments or aggressive pull-out attempts.
  • Additional anchors reinforce high-pressure (failure) points to reduce downtime and unplanned maintenance, especially in the event of early departure.
  • VBR-350’s sealed gas spring manually activates with control rod, positioning the barrier after truck is backed into dock. With continuous upward force, the barrier maintains constant contact with the RIG and adjusts automatically with trailer float motion to ensure proper engagement at all times during loading operations.
  • If hook is challenged while in operation, auto-refire technology helps restore safe, secure engagement.
• Integrity of Installation
  • The VBR-350 automatic ground stored trailer restraint is mounted to a steel plate secured by 8 anchor bolts plus 15" (381 mm) of weld to the pit curb angle. Installation does not require modification of the leveler.
  • Completed dock survey required for each dock position to help ensure safe and proper application of all Dok-Loks®.
  • Rite-Hite's Standard Warranty includes 2-year parts / 2-year labor.
  • Extended Warranty includes 3-year parts / 3-year labor.
  • Certified to meet and exceed ANSI MH30.3 performance testing standards.
• Pull-Out Force Benchmarks
  • Rite-Hite was the first loading dock equipment manufacturer to establish pull-out force benchmarks based on years of research and development.
  • All Rite-Hite restraints are installed with more than 100,000 lbs. of mounting force and 32,000  lbs. of pull-out force - double what tractors can achieve in first gear. 
• Built for Variety of Environments
  • Grade-stored housing protects all components from damage by weather, dirt and debris.
  • Base housing, mounting plate, covers and hardware are all zinc plated, and large steel barrier has a yellow dichromate finish.

How clear is your communication at the loading dock?  

Rite-Hite’s communication systems enhance Dok-Lok safety by clearly informing dock personnel when they can safely enter or exit a trailer — and truck drivers when they can depart after loading or unloading.

Operated from a NEMA 4X interior panel, the VBR-350’s standard Dok-Lok® Controls and Dok-Commander® Combined Controls can interlock into a safe sequence of operations to help protect people, products and equipment by reducing human error and equipment faults.

• Corner-Vu™
  • Two auxiliary LED light brackets mounted to upper corners on interior loading dock doors provide immediate line-of-sight vehicle restraint status to material handlers entering trailer. 
  • Mitigates risk of control box sight obstruction from pallets, personnel and forklifts. 

• Leveler-Vu™ 
  • Two auxiliary LED lights mounted alongside the loading dock leveler pit, provides immediate line-of-sight for Dok-Lok vehicle restraint status to material handlers exiting trailer.
  • Reduces unnecessary forklift traffic and miscommunication.
• Pedestrian-Vu™
  • Addresses forklift-pedestrian accidents, which account for 80% of all reported forklift accidents by extending the forklift's blue light.
  • Detects activity inside trailer with mounted sensors and emits intense blue light onto the leveler when motion is detected, communicating that dock personnel should proceed with caution.
  • Can be interlocked with any Dok-Lok to help prevent disengagement for added safety and sounds alarm if unrestrained trailer is entered. 
• Approach-Vu™
  • Visual and audible warning system activated by presence of backing vehicle in the drive approach, indicating need for pedestrians to safely vacate due to potential threat.
  • Available as standalone for facilities with simple wheel chocks or competitive units or embedded in VBR-350 housing. 
• Lok-Vu™
  • Lock verification system that utilizes an outside camera and inside monitor to show dock personnel when trailer arrives and is safely engaged or disengaged, reducing number of processes out on the dangerous drive approach.
  • Dual camera option allows dock personnel to also confirm trailer stand presence in the case of spotted (dropped) trailers. 
• Dok-Lok® Dock Timer
  • Real-time display of active or total (un) loading duration for each dock position, helping improve loading efficiency by increasing capacity and trailer throughput.
  • Integrate with trailer presence sensor to track duration from trailer arrival to Dok-Lok engagement via Rite-Hite ONE while also helping to keep boots off the ground to verify trailer arrival. 

Want more visibility into dock performance for safety and productivity?  

Dok-Lok Vehicle Restraints are Rite-Hite ONE-enabled. Connecting to this single Digital Platform provides real-time visibility and data to empower maintenance decisions, reduce inefficiencies and help mitigate safety events.  

• Safety. Real-time alerts delivered to any device to identify and stop unsafe behavior, such as:
  • Dok-Lok overrides and/or fault modes.
  • Employee entering an unrestrained trailer.
  • Dock door open but safety barrier not deployed.
• Productivity. Analytics gathered during each step of the loading process to identify bottlenecks and optimize operations, such as:
  • Total duration of loading, to help avoid detention costs.
  • Equipment utilization to determine under- or -over-usage. 
  • Trailer at dock but restraint not yet engaged.
• Uptime. Visibility into connected equipment status and service history, such as: 
  • Designate equipment state (out of service or immediate repair service required).
  • Equipment performance trending down (cycle counts, use, service history).
  • Document and log maintenance and services events.

What challenges do you have at your loading dock?

The VBR-350 automatic ground-stored vertical barrier restraint system is built to service RIG-based trailers in the most demanding, live loading environments with the following features:

Trailer types

• 4.25” (108 mm) high barrier with reverse taper design provides the highest and widest coverage of RIGs, including outdated ICC bars, traditional 4x4 and pentagonal RIGs.
• Vertical barrier hook accommodates obstructed RIGs and intermodal containers in live loading applications.

Dock environment

• Larger, heavy-duty cylinder, dual clad-track track and additional anchors for demanding loads (Food & Beverage, Pulp & Paper & Automotive).

Loading style

• Vertical barrier (hook) and standard vehicle restraint status communication, helps address horizontal trailer separation accidents during live loading.

Labor and operations

• NEMA 4X control panel for powered (automatic) operation.
• Heavy-duty components and integrity of installation compatible with AGV/LGVs for automated (un)loading operations.
• Interlock capable controls for ease of training to mitigate high employee turnover.
• Interior mounted controls operated with the push of a button to Dok-Lok restraint and enhanced with optional trailer presence sensor and Lok-Vu to support boots-off-the-ground out on the dangerous drive approach.