Trucking Facilities

Whether they support local independents or national fleets, trucking facilities need to be carefully designed and constructed to withstand the loads that they must bear. At Black Hawk Paving, we have the experience, knowledge, equipment, and personnel to install, repair, and maintain the pavements at your facility.

Why Are the Pavements at Trucking Facilities Especially Vulnerable?

The first factor is that there are more trucks on the road than ever before, and they tend to weigh more than they did just a few decades ago. Furthermore, changes to axle configurations, increased legal load limits, wide-base tires, and higher tire pressures have led to alterations in the design and construction of pavements at trucking facilities.

What Paving Services Do You Offer to Trucking Facilities?

As a full-service asphalt and concrete company, Black Hawk Paving can supply all of your construction, repair, and maintenance needs. The most popular services we are requested to supply to trucking facilities appear below.

Asphalt Paving: Asphalt paving is a highly economical choice for everything from parking lots to drives. We have the expertise to engineer and install asphalt pavements that will stand up to the heavy demands of trucking facilities.
Concrete Flatwork: This category covers virtually any type of concrete that is installed on a flat or nearly flat surface. Parking lots, ramps, sidewalks, fueling station aprons, dumpster pads, and drives are just a few types of pavements that our concrete specialists can install.
Pavement Repairs: We offer asphalt repairs, concrete repairs, and hot crack sealing. Timely repairs can prevent additional damage that could be costly to repair.
Parking Lot Striping: Professional pavement markings and stripes can make your property safer and more attractive as well as bring it into compliance with local ordinances and federal laws.
Concrete Curbing: Concrete curbs and gutters can help channel melted snow and ice, rainwater, and runoff away from your pavements and into your storm drains or trenches.
Asphalt Sealcoating: Sealcoating offers several protective benefits, but it can be especially helpful for pavements that are likely to be subjected to leaked or spilled oil, gasoline, or diesel.
Asphalt Overlay: An overlay involves the installation of fresh asphalt over an existing pavement. Typically, two to three inches of an existing asphalt pavement will be removed through asphalt milling before the fresh asphalt is placed and compacted.
Excavation and Site Grading: Whether the project involves constructing a facility on raw land, rerouting underground pipes and utilities, or correcting drainage issues, we can help.
Traffic Signage: We can supply and install the signs that you need to help maintain order and safety on your property.
Asphalt Milling: In addition to preparing a surface to receive an overlay, milling machines can be used to correct certain drainage issues, ensure a smooth transition between pavements, or correct some types of pavement distress.

Concrete Truck Docks & Ramps

Concrete Truck Docks and Ramps

There are certain types of projects that demand the use of concrete, including truck docks and ramps. However, if you want your loading dock and its associated components to be durable and strong, you need to make sure that you hire a contractor who has the experience, skills, and knowledge to deliver high-quality work. At Black Hawk Paving & Construction, we have the expertise to design and construct your truck docks and ramps.

What Are the Initial Steps in Constructing Concrete Truck Docks?

The first thing we will do is gather information on your operation, including the number of trucks you expect your dock to handle on a typical day. We will discuss the different styles of loading docks that are commonly used for facilities of your type and size. We will evaluate the space available for the dock itself as well as the apron area. We will discuss any applicable fire or building codes that could impact your design or construction choices. Once we know exactly what you need and want, we will work with you to create and build your docks and ramps.

What Are Some Common Mistakes That Inexperienced Contractors Can Make When Constructing Loading Docks?

Concrete can be a demanding material, so there are several mistakes that an incompetent contractor could make on any type of installation project. However, there are also some mistakes that are only relevant when installing truck docks and ramps.

The docks are too narrow. Backing a tractor-trailer requires training and experience, but even the most skillful drivers need sufficient room to maneuver. Depending on other factors, there should be between 12 and 16 feet between docks.
The design does not include bumpers. Bumpers, which typically measure around four feet, help prevent damage to your dock or building.
Insufficient attention was paid to the apron area. The apron is the area designated for maneuvering the truck into position. Maneuvering distance needs to be over twice as much as the length of the average truck that will use the dock.
The contractor is unaware of how to eliminate or mitigate safety hazards. For example, OSHA regulations require incorporating wheel chocks or vehicle restraints in truck dock designs to prevent trailer creep.
The approach slope is wrong for the business. The slope can be uphill, downhill, or level. The types of trucks you expect, your method of unloading or loading trucks, and the terrain surrounding your docks can influence the appropriate approach slope.
Dock-to-ground ramps are too steep, too narrow, or too short for forklifts to operate on them safely. If customers request that you load pallets so that they can be unloaded from the side, or if you must load or unload smaller vehicles that are too low for the dock, ramps can expedite matters.

If you need high-quality truck docks and ramps, Black Hawk Paving can assist you. We serve customers in a number of sectors, including national clients. Our services include concrete installation, asphalt paving, interior and exterior pavement marking and striping, asphalt repairs, site grading, asphalt sealcoating, excavations, sewer repairs, and asphalt milling. We have a reputation for craftsmanship, integrity, and customer satisfaction that we have built through consistency and dependability. If you wish to request a free quote, complete the online form, call 708-479-0400, or email Info@BlackHawkPaving.com.

ADA Path of Travel Upgrades

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed to combat discriminatory hiring and housing practices that people with mobility issues or other disabilities sometimes encountered. The ADA also addressed the efforts that organizations, businesses, and stores were to take to ensure that their facilities could be accessed by the disabled. Although most Americans are familiar with the concept of reserved parking spaces for the disabled, some property managers are far less familiar with the federal and state requirements for accessible routes. If you know or suspect that you need ADA path of travel upgrades to ensure your legal compliance, you can trust the experts at Black Hawk Paving for professional assistance.

What Are the Basic ADA Guidlines for a Path of Travel?

ADA guidelines state that an accessible path should be a continuous pedestrian passage that contains no obstructions that could impede people in wheelchairs or who use a mobility scooter, walker, cane, or crutches. An accessible route may include sidewalks and walkways, access aisles beside handicapped parking spaces, curb ramps, outdoor dining patios, or outdoor gardening departments. Walking surfaces included in an accessible route cannot have a running slope that exceeds 1:20, and the cross slope cannot exceed 1:48. Although there are exceptions, walking surfaces must typically have a minimum clear width of 36 inches. Gates and doors along the accessible route are also subject to regulations for width, and revolving gates, turnstiles, and revolving doors are not to be placed in the path of travel.

What Else Should Be Considered for Path of Travel Upgrades?

The guidelines are very lengthy and detailed. The type of business you operate, the number of buildings on your property, and the number of accessible entrances to your building or buildings can all impact the specific features that you might need. For example, if you have one parking lot and one accessible entrance, your handicapped parking spaces should be clustered as close as possible to the accessible entrance. If there are multiple buildings on your site, you will need a minimum of one accessible route that connects all accessible buildings, features, spaces, and facilities. Sports courts, recreational boating facilities, outdoor arenas, health care facilities, historical properties, and some residential housing facilities may be subject to additional guidelines, but they may be exempt from other guidelines. Furthermore, the nature of your business can impact the minimum number of accessible parking spaces you must offer. For example, some types of health care facilities are required to offer significantly more accessible spaces than retailers or restaurants.

What Is the Best Way to Ensure Compliance With ADA Guidelines?

Whether you are responsible for multiple properties owned by a national chain, a small manufacturing plant, or a major shopping center, the best way to ensure your compliance is to ask us for assistance. We can evaluate your pavements to determine what you need, and we can then provide you with the services necessary to achieve your complete compliance. We have been serving Chicagoland and other parts of the Midwest with top-notch paving and construction since 1975. Our services include asphalt milling, parking lot striping, asphalt paving, hot crack sealing, asphalt repair, excavations, asphalt resurfacing, concrete installation, asphalt sealcoating, parking lot car stops, sewer repair, asphalt fabric, pavement markings, and traffic signs. We have impeccable references and an exemplary reputation for craftsmanship, integrity, and customer service. You can request a free quote by completing the online form, emailing Info@BlackHawkPaving.com, or calling either 773-378-2390 or 708-419-3028.

Distribution Centers

The pandemic brought many changes to how people conducted their lives and how companies conducted their business. Many stores were shuttered during various lockdowns, and some brick-and-mortar locations were permanently closed. Online shopping increased dramatically, and, despite some weak links in the supply chain, distribution centers became busier than ever. At Black Hawk Paving, we can help you with your paving-related needs in an efficient manner that will minimize any impacts to your day-to-day operations.

How Do You Minimize Disruptions When Providing Paving Services to Distribution Centers?

Ever since we opened our doors in 1975, we have believed that effective communications are essential. Therefore, we typically start by discussing what clients need, their operating schedules, and their slowest days or times. If humanly possible, we will schedule our work for periods with the least traffic, fewest employees, or least movement of goods and materials. For example, if you need interior slot marking, we might perform the task on a day when the production line is not running. We might also be able to perform your work in stages or sections. To illustrate, we could mill the pavement one day, then install your asphalt overlay the next day. If you need several concrete ramps installed, we could complete the ramps on one side of your building before moving to another side. For parking lot striping or sealcoating, we can divide a large lot into sections that we close, complete, and reopen before moving to the next section. If you need work on your concrete docks, we could prioritize either the docks in the worst condition or those in the best shape. In short, we will work with you in any way we can to keep your operations moving at their normal speed.

What Are Your Most Popular Services for Distribution Centers?

Because we are a full-service paving contractor, we receive requests from distribution centers for many different services, including those listed below.

Asphalt Paving: Although some people believe that asphalt pavements are not capable of supporting heavy loads, a properly engineered, well-built asphalt pavement can have a long, economical life.
Parking Lot Striping: Whether you need striping for your employee lot, a parking area for tractor-trailers, or a VIP parking garage, we can supply you with the pavement and slot marking services you need.
Concrete Flatwork: We can install concrete ramps, sidewalks, gutters and curbs, parking lots, foundations, dumpster pads, and other types of concrete pavements. We also offer concrete repairs.
Asphalt Repairs: Timely repairs are critical to the longevity of your asphalt pavement. We offer hot crack sealing, pothole repairs, and asphalt patching to help you keep your pavement safe and healthy.
Asphalt Sealcoating: Applying a quality sealant is an economical way to prolong the life of asphalt pavements. Sealcoats help prevent damage from vehicle fluids, UV rays, and water penetration, but they also enhance the visual appeal of your property.
Traffic Signage: Speed limit signs, ADA-compliant signage, stop signs, and informational signs are just a few examples of the signs you might need to install.

In addition to the above, we also offer asphalt fabric, concrete repair, asphalt milling, hot crack sealing and routing, concrete curbing, car stops, site grading, sewer repair, and excavations.

Since 1975, we have been committed to serving our customers with exceptional craftsmanship and remarkable service at competitive prices. To request a free quote, you can send an email to Info@BlackHawkPaving.com, complete our online form, or call 708-419-3028.

Industrial Manufacturers

If you were to ask 100 people to explain the differences they can see between 100 pavements, almost no one will be able to describe anything except the surfaces of the pavements. They may notice that one asphalt pavement is more faded than another, that the parking lot striping on one concrete lot is less visible, or that some pavements need more serious repairs than others. If you only look at the surface, it can be difficult to tell much more than whether the pavement is asphalt or concrete. You will not be able to tell how many layers of asphalt were installed, how thick the base layers are, or whether the depths of the concrete slabs are sufficient to meet your needs. Although this is precisely the type of information that all clients need to know, it is especially important for industrial manufacturers.

What Is Special About Pavements for Industrial Manufacturers?

One special factor is that pavements will need to support a high volume of fully-laden 18-wheelers that deliver raw materials, transport finished goods to distribution centers, or deliver products to customers. Studies have shown that a single truck weighing 80,000 pounds will inflict as much wear as 9,600 passenger vehicles using the same pavement. Furthermore, trucks are not always moving in a straight line. Positioning a truck at a loading dock can require multiple low-speed steering maneuvers, so pavements in these areas must be properly engineered and constructed to bear up under the strain. In addition, you probably have multiple dumpster pads that must also bear heavyweight trucks that must be carefully maneuvered into position. If you add in your employee parking lot, access drives, walkways, and other pavements, you will quickly realize that much of your property is paved with concrete or asphalt.

What Are Some Paving Services Commonly Requested by Industrial Manufacturers?

Black Hawk Paving offers a full line of asphalt paving services as well as concrete work, site grading, and excavation. Industrial manufacturers commonly request the services appearing on the following list.

Asphalt paving is fast and economical, and it can have a very long life if it is correctly engineered, professionally installed, and properly maintained.
Concrete paving is another option that has a long life. Whether you need a concrete parking lot, dumpster pads, walkways, curbing, ramps, or gutters, we can install your concrete pavement.
Asphalt overlays can be a cost-effective way to renovate many aged or damaged pavements. Although primarily used to resurface asphalt pavements, many concrete pavements are suitable for overlaying.
Asphalt repairs can help ensure the longevity of your pavement. Potholes, alligatored asphalt, and cracks are some of the damages that can typically be repaired quickly and economically.
Concrete repairs are often needed to deal with sunken or uplifted slabs. Other types of damage, including most cracks, can typically be repaired as well.
Asphalt sealcoating is an essential service if you want to maximize the life of your pavement and simultaneously reduce your need for expensive repairs.
Pavement markings, including parking lot striping, can help eliminate confusion, promote safety, and increase your property’s aesthetics.
Asphalt fabric can add structural support when applied prior to the installation of an overlay. It can also be an excellent way to inhibit reflective cracking in an overlay applied to a concrete pavement.

In addition to the above services, we can also provide you with asphalt milling, site grading, parking lot car stops and signs, sewer repair, and excavation services.

Black Hawk Paving is a family business with almost a half-century of industry experience. We serve a wide range of national and local businesses, including industrial manufacturers. We are known for using high-quality materials, providing superb customer service, and delivering exceptional results. We offer free quotes, so submit our online form to request yours today. If you would rather, you can call 708-419-3028, 847-240-2560, or 773-378-2390, or you can email Info@BlackHawkPaving.com.

Interior and Exterior Large Scale Striping & Numbering

There are times when a blank slate can be a good thing. Most artists prefer to start with a blank canvas, for example, and many schoolteachers prefer to start each class with a blank blackboard. However, if you have a trucking facility, distribution center, or industrial facility, blank pavements can be creating safety hazards, code violations, and other issues. To rectify the situation, you need a contractor with the expertise to handle your interior and exterior large scale striping and numbering.

What Is Exterior Striping and Numbering?

Your parking lot striping is an obvious example of exterior striping. However, pavement markings are also essential. Parking stencils for numbering spaces or traffic aisles, identifying accessible parking spaces, imparting written information, directing the flow of traffic, or identifying no-parking and do-not-enter areas are frequently used to expedite the application of common markings. Vibrant stripes and markings can improve safety and curb appeal as well as help ensure your compliance with local ordinances and the ADA.

What Is Interior Striping and Numbering?

Inside most manufacturing facilities and warehouses, forklift drivers must move materials and goods as efficiently as possible. At the same time, pedestrians will often be present on the floor. Interior numbering can make it faster for forklift drivers to place pallets in the correct rack, aisle, or section, and this makes it easier and faster for forklift drivers to pull the pallets for shipment and for workers to conduct physical inventories. Interior stencils, stripes, and lines can be used to help keep pedestrians out of harm’s way, identify the location of fire extinguishers or first aid stations, and mark safety zones around electrical panels, machinery, or other items that forklift operators need to avoid.

Does the Type of Facility Affect Parking Lot Striping?

The type of facility can affect certain aspects of your parking lot layout. For example, if you need warehouse parking lot striping, you may need to provide different guidance to truckers than would be needed for the parking lot at a massive shopping mall. We know a variety of ways to stripe, mark, and number interior and exterior pavements, including the use of different colors, stripe orientation, and verbiage. We can even help you create a customized plan for your parking lot or building. We will work closely with you to identify your critical areas, an appropriate schedule, and a plan to keep your operational disruption to a minimum.

What Else Can Black Hawk Paving Do for Me?

We offer a complete range of paving services, including concrete flatwork, asphalt paving, parking lot striping, asphalt sealcoating, pavement markings, asphalt repairs, excavations, traffic signage, concrete curbing, asphalt resurfacing, hot crack sealing, asphalt milling, site grading, asphalt repair, car stops, and sewer repair. We serve customers in many different sectors, including national clients, distribution centers, tracking facilities, industrial manufacturers, retail banks, and office parks. We have an impressive reputation for providing exemplary work and outstanding customer service on every job. If you are interested in receiving a free quote, call 708-479-0400, complete our request form online, or email your information to Info@BlackHawkPaving.com.

Category Archives: Sectors

Trucking Facilities

Trucking Facilities