There are times it pays to examine the process of selecting a lift truck. Like for example, 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 could be other units on the market which enable more to get done because 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 evaluation and research, you could determine if you have the best machinery to meet all of your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
Some of the important factors to consider when determining forklift units which deal with particular concerns include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department just loads out a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week, then you probably won't need an expensive lift truck to accomplish the tasks. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie unit would be able to deal with the task if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is sufficient and you do not need to stack loads inside the trailer. Lastly, you should 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 on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control will 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 forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In certain 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. Usually, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.