What Are Truck Courts in Industrial Real Estate?
Truck courts, or the areas used when maneuvering and loading trucks, play an important role in any industrial property's efficiency and safety.
What Is a Truck Court in Industrial Real Estate?
A distribution center’s truck court is an external element that plays a critical role in determining both a property’s efficiency and safety.
NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association, defines a truck court as the area next to a structure’s docks which include both the loading and truck maneuvering zones. Typically, when looking up information on an industrial property, this element will be described using its depth, or distance from a loading door to the end of the truck court.
Although many last-mile distribution centers or older assets may have significantly smaller zones, the standard truck court depth is widely considered to be 120 feet. In recent years, owing to an increased need for maneuvering space due to higher traffic volumes, many developers have expanded this figure to 150 feet or more.
Why Are Truck Courts Important?
Maneuverability is the key consideration in determining if a truck court meets a tenant’s needs. If your distribution center does not have sufficient space for trucks to easily pull in and out of loading zones, this will eat into the efficiency of any tenant’s operations. Along with efficiency, a property’s safety could be impacted — less space could significantly increase the risk of truck accidents.
What to Look for
Assessing the suitability of a property’s truck court or courts goes beyond simply the depth. The surface material used can also be critical, especially when determining the need for long-term capital expenditures. The apron — or where a truck parks during loading and unloading operations — is typically made from reinforced concrete at an industrial property. Concrete is highly resistant to degradation from heavy weights, while asphalt will gradually degrade. However, this is heavily dependent on the amount of traffic a truck court expects. A facility which has 10 trucks per week will place significantly less stress on a truck court’s composition than one with 10 trucks every hour.
Another important consideration is the amount of space for trailer parking, often attached to a truck court. Given the anticipated flow of goods through a facility, are there enough stalls to facilitate “parking” trailers on a short- or long-term basis? Many tenants also prefer secured, or gated, truck courts, though this is often dependent on the type of goods flowing through the facility and the location of the property itself.
Finally, it is important to understand what your building’s truck court allows in terms of a truck’s turn radius. A turn radius is defined by NAIOP as the tightest turn a truck can make, given a number of variables including trailer size, presence of outbuildings and any other physical impediments. Distribution facilities typically allow for a turn radius of 130 feet.
Related Questions
What is a truck court in industrial real estate?
A truck court is the area trucks utilize when backing up to — and pulling away from — an industrial asset. It’s easily one of the most important aspects of a logistics property. A truck court’s standard depth — that is, the distance from a loading door to the edge of the truck court — is around 120 feet, though many newer industrial properties, especially cross-dock facilities with a heavy flow of truck traffic, expand far beyond this. Beyond the depth, another important characteristic is the material a truck court is made of. Most older truck courts are paved with asphalt, but concrete has become increasingly popular in recent years. Source
What are the benefits of having a truck court in industrial real estate?
Having a truck court in industrial real estate can be beneficial for a number of reasons. A truck court provides a safe and efficient area for trucks to back up to and pull away from a building. It also allows for a smoother flow of traffic, as trucks don't have to make multiple turns and reposition themselves multiple times to align with a loading dock. Additionally, having a larger truck court can help reduce the time it takes to load and unload inventory, which can help improve a tenant's operations.
The standard depth for a truck court is around 120 feet, though many newer industrial properties have truck courts that extend far beyond this. The material used for a truck court is also important, as most older truck courts are paved with asphalt, while concrete is becoming increasingly popular.
For last-mile distribution centers, which are often located on smaller parcels, it may not be possible to find a facility with a 120-foot-plus truck court. However, if the facility relies on delivery vans and smaller vehicles to load and unload inventory, this may not be an issue.
In addition to truck courts, trailer parking is also important for major logistics centers. While there is no hard and fast requirement for trailer parking, it is ideal to ensure there are stalls for trailers to park for either short- or long-term stays. This can help protect valuable products and may depend on a property's location.
What are the drawbacks of having a truck court in industrial real estate?
The main drawback of having a truck court in industrial real estate is that it can be costly to build and maintain. Additionally, if the truck court is too small, it can slow down a tenant’s operations and be dangerous. For example, if a truck must make multiple turns and reposition itself a number of times to align with a loading dock, that costs time. Additionally, older truck courts are often paved with asphalt, which can be costly to maintain. Source
What are the design considerations for a truck court in industrial real estate?
The design considerations for a truck court in industrial real estate include the depth of the truck court, the material it is made of, and the size of the truck court. The standard depth of a truck court is around 120 feet, though many newer industrial properties expand far beyond this. Most truck courts are paved with asphalt, but concrete has become increasingly popular in recent years. The size of the truck court depends on the type of facility, with larger truck courts for logistics centers and smaller truck courts for last-mile distribution centers.
Source: What to Know Before Making Your 1st Industrial Property Investment
What are the regulations for a truck court in industrial real estate?
The standard depth for a truck court is around 120 feet, though many newer industrial properties, especially cross-dock facilities with a heavy flow of truck traffic, expand far beyond this. Beyond the depth, another important characteristic is the material a truck court is made of. Most older truck courts are paved with asphalt, but concrete has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many industrial assets, however, have much smaller truck courts. This is particularly true of last-mile distribution centers, which often are positioned on relatively small parcels thanks to their locations inside cities. Source
What are the safety considerations for a truck court in industrial real estate?
Safety is an important consideration for truck courts in industrial real estate. Truck courts should be large enough to allow trucks to back up to and pull away from the industrial asset without having to make multiple turns or reposition itself. The standard depth for a truck court is around 120 feet, though many newer industrial properties have truck courts that are larger. The material of the truck court is also important, with asphalt and concrete being the most common materials used. Additionally, trailer parking should be available for large logistics centers to ensure that trailers laden with valuable products can be parked securely.