Sometimes, it pays to examine the process of choosing a forklift. Like for instance, does your business consistently choose the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There can be different other units on the market which enable more to get done since they provide less fatigue to operators. You may 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 equipment to suit all of your requirements. By reducing operator exhaustion, you can drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to consider when determining forklift units that deal with specific issues include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few semi-trailers or box trucks a week, then you probably won't need a pricey lift truck to complete the tasks. A less expensive walkie-rider or walkie model will be able to deal with the task if: You are not required to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough. Last but not least, you need to think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator since the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control model could make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, every company has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators will often load and unload products in the shipping department as well as storing items on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it much quicker and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.