Vehicle & Container Access Platforms
HERMEQ supplies access platforms for reaching lorries, trailers and containers safely, from the ground or from the forks of a forklift. The range covers forklift access platforms and man cages for maintenance, inspection and stocktaking at height, mobile steps and unloading decks for lorries and trailers, and ramps that let a forklift load and unload shipping containers and trailers. The Passerelle temporary bridge completes the range and carries people on foot across open trenches and excavations on construction sites.
Lorry steps, trailer platforms and skip ladders
Where a person on foot has to get onto a lorry bed, into a trailer or up to the edge of a skip, the right equipment depends on which side of the vehicle the work happens and how the load comes off.
Lorry access steps
Mobile lorry access steps, also called truck access steps or lorry mounting steps, wheel up to the tailgate or doors of a lorry, trailer or container and give a handrailed stair and a top platform in place of climbing on a wheel or bumper. They suit depots and yards where drivers and loaders go up and down many times a shift, and they move by hand from one vehicle to the next.
Side access trailer steps
Curtain-siders and flatbeds unloaded from the side need a working platform that runs along the trailer bed. Side access trailer steps come in runs from 1.3 m to 6 m, so the operative can walk the length of the load to release straps, draw curtains and hand goods down without stepping off and repositioning at every bay.
Rear unloading decks
Rear unloading decks for trailers, also sold as mobile access platforms or trailer unloading platforms, stand at the back of a box trailer or container and give a level deck at the door opening. A deck with rungs suits occasional access, a deck with integral steps suits people climbing on and off all day, and a full width version covers the whole rear opening when loose goods are unloaded by hand.
Skip ladder
A skip ladder is a wheeled stair with handrails and a guarded top platform that stands against the side of a skip, so waste is placed over the skip wall from a stable position instead of being thrown up from the ground.
Container ramp or mobile yard ramp
The two forklift ramps in the range solve different height problems. A shipping container ramp bridges the short step and door threshold between the yard surface and the floor of a container standing on the ground, so a forklift can drive in and lift pallets from the back of the box. A mobile forklift ramp, also called a yard ramp or container loading platform, lifts the forklift from yard level to the bed of a trailer, or of a container on a chassis, and is the choice for sites with no loading bay.
Each asks something different of the yard. A container ramp needs the container on firm, level ground, with the ramp seated squarely on the container floor and the doors secured open clear of the truck. A yard ramp needs hard, level standing for its full length and the approach, room for the trailer to reverse up to it, and the trailer braked and chocked before the first forklift drives up. The Titan yard ramps are steel built for outdoor use in all weathers. The shipping container ramp is rated to 6,000 kg. For either ramp, compare its rating with the laden weight of the forklift, which is the truck plus the heaviest load it carries.
Forklift man cages and access platforms
For racking repairs, lighting, inspection or stocktaking at height, the range lifts up to two people on the forks in guarded cages built for the purpose and fixed to the truck.
Forklift access platform
The forklift access platform is a full-height guarded cage for two people, with harness attachment rings and pins that lock it to the truck. It suits regular high-level work in warehouses, yards and plant rooms, and the choice of entry through a lift-up bar or a side gate lets you match it to how often people get in and out.
Folding forklift access platform
The folding forklift access platform collapses when it is not in use, which suits sites where floor space is short or where the cage travels on a vehicle between jobs. It is built for a single operative, so a two-person cage is the choice when a second person works alongside.
Forklift man cage
The forklift man cage is a compact two-person cage for maintenance, inspection and stocktaking, and it fits most standard forklift trucks. Its fork pockets are set for forks at 490 mm centres, so measure your truck's fork spacing before ordering.
Goods cages and roll cage lifters
The forklift and telehandler goods cage moves materials on forklifts, telehandlers and cranes, and the roll cage and pallet lifter raises roll cages onto articulated vehicles. Both carry goods only and are never used to lift people: anyone working at height on the forks goes in one of the man cages or access platforms above.
Temporary footbridge for trench crossings
The Passerelle temporary footbridge is a heavy-duty pedestrian bridge for walking routes over groundworks and civils, from service trenches to excavations across a site.
Spans run from 2 m to 6 m, and the load the bridge carries falls as the span grows, so choose the shortest span that clears the trench with firm bearing on both sides. Set each end back from the trench edge on undisturbed ground. The bridge is for pedestrians only: plant, lorries and other vehicles crossing an open trench need steel road plates. For longer gaps, step-over crossings of pipelines and stairs down into excavations, choose from the trench bridges and stairs range.
Matching access to the vehicle, the load and the yard
Vehicle height and door position
Measure the bed heights of the vehicles you actually load, from rigid lorries to articulated trailers and containers on chassis, and choose steps, decks or ramps that cover the full spread. The lorry access mobile steps come in 4, 5 and 6 step versions and a double decker model, so the step count can follow the bed heights of the fleet.
Frequency of use and storage
Equipment used every shift earns a permanent place beside the loading area, while occasional use favours a folding cage or steps that wheel away to a store. General steps for use around a site or warehouse are in site steps and access equipment.
Popular Categories
Tipping Skips
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Forklift Attachments
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Lifting Equipment
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Frequently Asked Questions
A vehicle access platform in this range is either a static unit such as steps, a deck or a ramp, or a cage lifted on the forks of a forklift. A MEWP is a self-contained machine with controls on the platform, so the person working at height positions it themselves. In a forklift man cage, the truck driver controls the lift from below, which is why the two are planned and used differently.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 allow people to be lifted only on equipment intended for the purpose, or, exceptionally, on other equipment with suitable measures in place. In practice, a forklift lifts a person only in a cage designed for it and secured to the truck, with the task risk assessed and planned. The Health and Safety Authority publishes guidance on lifting persons, and on construction sites the PSCS coordinates the arrangements.
Under the General Application Regulations 2007, lifting equipment used to lift people is thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every six months, and the forklift and the cage together make up that lifting arrangement. An examination is also needed after anything that could affect safety, such as damage or modification. Keep the latest report where it can be checked before each use.
Confirm the cage suits the truck, the forks are fully engaged in the pockets, the cage is locked to the carriage and the examination report is in date. Check the gate or bar closes, the floor is clear, harnesses are clipped to the anchor points where the cage has them, and the ground under the truck is firm and level. Agree signals between the driver and the person in the cage, and keep the driver at the controls for the whole lift.
Yes. The General Application Regulations 2007 treat work at height as work in any place from which a person could fall a distance liable to cause injury, with no minimum height, and a lorry or trailer bed falls within that.