4Front Engineered Solutions recently introduced the Talon trailer restraint, the company’s latest innovation in loading dock safety equipment.
Offered under both the Kelley and Serco brands, the new Talon is the Carrollton, Texas-based supplier’s “next-generation” approach to securing docked trucks that delivers upgrades in safe and effective trailer loading and unloading.
Due to pending National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regulations affecting the design of trailer rear impact guard (RIG) bars, many trailer restraints are no longer compatible or are simply less effective at restraining and releasing trailers, the company said. Newer-style five-sided RIG bars with pentagonal cross-sections or tilted configurations require a different approach to trailer restraint design.
To keep redesigned RIG bars more secure during dock activities, the Talon trailer restraint’s additional upper hook provides true four-sided RIG bar capture, which is much more effective than two- or three-sided capture. The four-sided capture also prevents the RIG bar from hopping over the hook and releasing the trailer from the dock. Talon is unique in that it accomplishes this as a powered restraint that does not use hydraulics or a motor, resulting in lower maintenance costs and total cost of ownership.
“The addition of Talon really cements Kelley and Serco as the leaders in loading dock safety solutions,” Ryan Talbot, 4Front vice president of sales and marketing, said in a news release. “Its clever design means that it works better with a wider range of trailers, cutting down on complexity while making it the most advanced trailer restraint system out there.”
Instead of a trailer restraint’s hook contacting only two or three sides of a RIG bar, the Talon makes complete contact with and surrounds all five surfaces of the pentagonal RIG bar while also eliminating restraint release failure, ensuring the trailer can be released at the appropriate time, thanks to a proprietary locking mechanism.
Many trailer restraints have excessive play (running room) between the restraint and RIG bar during forklift movement, 4Front added. To eliminate running-room issues, as a trailer moves toward the loading dock bumpers and engages with the Talon trailer restraint, the three-position slide lock limits trailer movement for a more stable loading environment. External red and green LED indicators inform the driver whether the restraint is still engaged or disengaged so the trailer can safely depart.
