The standard Roll-Up Doors commonly found on delivery and cargo vans have a lot of moving parts, and all of them have to work perfectly every time to ensure that drivers can make their deliveries quickly and efficiently. Unfortunately, the doors that come factory-standard on most delivery vehicles are prone to wear and tear, just like any other automotive component, and when they fail, it can cause all kinds of unnecessary delays. Read on to find out about a few of the early warning signs it’s time to replace the doors instead of waiting until they stop opening easily.
Difficulty Opening the Door
The doors on delivery vehicles should always move smoothly and easily in their tracks. If they don’t, drivers can wind up struggling with them at every drop-off location. Depending on the physical health of the driver, this issue can be more than just a hassle.
Because the handle for a closed roll-up door will be close to the ground, the driver will have to bend over while struggling to get the door open. This position makes injuries such as back strains a concern, and even in the absence of acute injuries, repeatedly struggling with a roll-up door can become a whole-body effort, causing unnecessary exertion and fatigue.
The Door Won’t Hold in Position
Even if the door moves up the track effortlessly, that won’t do any good if it doesn’t stay in position once the operator gets it there. If the door instead comes crashing down, it could cause a potentially dangerous situation. If the driver or anyone helping to unload the van is beneath the door when it unexpectedly closes, it could cause potentially severe injuries.
The potential for bodily harm is the most obvious and serious reason to replace a roll-up door immediately if it will no longer hold in position, but it’s not the only one. Any cargo that’s beneath a defective door when it closes unexpectedly can also be damaged.
The Door Latch Doesn’t Work Consistently
A roll-up door that opens unexpectedly can be just as much of a problem as one that closes without warning. If the latch on a delivery van door is defective, it could lead to serious material losses and, even worse, cause deadly accidents.
While a dropped door could crush cargo and harm anyone in its way, a broken door latch that engages while the delivery van is on the highway could deposit all of that cargo onto the road behind the vehicle. Drivers behind the van won’t be expecting boxes or other cargo to suddenly be coming at them at highway speeds, and collisions are very likely. Crashes happen all the time when cargo gets spilled into roadways, and no delivery company wants to deal with the reputational damage that can result from being the cause of those accidents.
The Solution
The solution to all of these problems is simple. Fleet managers should inspect their vans’ doors regularly and replace them as soon as any signs of trouble arise. When replacing the doors, consider installing more efficient solutions like thin-slatted roll-ups. They’ll last longer and offer all kinds of added benefits, such as reduced weight and improved function.
