Restraint behind the wheels

-- Modern Materials Handling, 1/11/2007

A wheel-based vehicle restraint system developed in Canada by GMR Safety (Booth 2658) is now available for sale through U.S. distributors.

Many truck restraint systems hold the truck in place by locking on to the rig bar. However, more than 10% of all trucks—and up to 50% by some estimates—cannot be restrained effectively in that way due to obstructions, rust or damaged rig bars.

GMR’s solution, on the other hand, uses a large steel chock set at the end of a counter-balanced arm. "We restrain the part of the vehicle that is always there," said Gaetan Jette, GMR’s president. "It’s simple and it works all the time."

The chock is placed behind the vehicle’s rear wheel on a grade-level ground plate. The system also features an interlock communication system of interior and exterior lights, sensors and audible alarms that provide a clear message about loading safety to both dock employees and truck drivers.

"Once the vehicle has been interlocked, it cannot be moved in an unsafe way without setting off an alarm inside and outside the building," Jette said. "We do not allow unsafe operations. That’s the key."