It is quite important for some companies to examine the process of choosing a lift truck. Like for instance, will your business select consistently the same model for your dock work or warehouse? If this is so, you could be missing out on a more efficient forklift. There could be other units on the market which allow more to get done as they provide less exhaustion to operators. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the best machinery to suit all of your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to think about when determining forklift units that address specific concerns include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't require a pricey forklift to accomplish jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads only a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie model will be able to handle the task if: You do not need to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough. Last but not least, you should consider whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels need to travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always loading trailers however, a stand-up end control model could make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door without difficulty. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Every company has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, some forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it a lot faster and less tiring to exit a stand-up control model, rather than a sit down type.