Castell has expanded Salvo’s product range with the introduction of an automatic door lock developed specifically for manual-lift loading dock doors. Salvo is an automatic interlocking system designed to prevent accidents associated with unscheduled truck departure.

Salvo’s Automatic Door Lock will only allow the door to be unlocked and opened once the Salvo key has been inserted into a control panel located on the exterior wall next to the loading dock door. This key is released by the Salvo Glad Hand Lock after it has been attached to the trailer’s emergency glad hand fitting; attachment of the Glad Hand Lock ensures the trailer’s brakes are locked to minimize any trailer movement during the loading / unloading operation and warn the driver it is not safe to depart. In addition, the Automatic Door Lock tells the dock attendant that the trailer is locked out and that it is safe for the loading operation to begin.

Salvo’s automatic door lock comprises a solenoid-controlled latch lock with auxiliary switch contacts. The auxiliary contacts can be used to provide the option of switching power to another piece of dock equipment or lights only after the door lock has been unlocked.

A trailer to be loaded / unloaded is backed into a loading dock and the Salvo Gland Hand Lock is attached to the emergency glad hand fitting, releasing the uniquely-coded key. The key is inserted into the control panel next to the dock door and, when turned, energizes the door lock’s solenoid. The door can then be unlocked, via the locking bolt, and opened.

As long as the door lock is unbolted, the key remains trapped in the control panel outside, preventing the Salvo from being removed from the trailer’s emergency gland hand fitting and allow the driver to pull away. This process interlocks the trailer with the loading dock door and prevents unscheduled truck departure. Only when loading / unloading is complete, and the dock attendant has locked the door, can the interlocking sequence be reversed, allowing the trailer to depart from the dock safely.

The automatic Salvo system is ideally suited to larger applications where the door lock needs to be released from outside the building.