Sometimes, it pays to examine the method of choosing a forklift. Like for example, does your company always choose the same models for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There may be various other units on the market that offer less fatigue to operators and allow more to get done. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the right machinery to meet your requirements. By reducing operator exhaustion, you could drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to consider when determining forklift models which address particular problems comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need a pricey lift truck to complete tasks if your shipping and receiving department loads only a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week. A cheaper walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to handle the job if: You do not need to stack loads in the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is sufficient. Lastly, you must think about whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator as the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door easily. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, some forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork connected with the cargo, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it much faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.