A dock leveler has a support with a deck pivotally secured to the support at one end for movement between a stored position and an elevated position. A deck lip is pivotally connected to the deck assembly for movement between a pendant stored positio n and a bridging position projecting from said deck assembly. A lift mechanism acts on said deck assembly to lift it toward the elevated position and a lip operating mechanism operatively connected to the lip moves it from the pendant position to the bridging position. A latch holds the lip in the bridging position. The latch releases the lip upon relative movement between the lip and the deck assembly and has a yieldable connection to permit limited pivotal movement between said lip and said deck assembly upon application of a rearward force from a vehicle to allow the lip to move to a n unlatched position.
