There are times it pays to examine the process of choosing a lift truck. For instance, does your business always select the same models for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There may be other models on the market that allow 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 evaluation and research, you can determine if you have the best equipment to suit all your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift models which address your specific issues some of the important factors to think about may include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need a pricey forklift to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few box trucks or semi-trailers a week. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie model will be able to deal with the task if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Last of all, 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 should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers however, a stand-up end control unit may make more sense over a walkie model or a walkie-rider. These battery-powered forklifts easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, every company has a slightly different system. Some lift truck operators would often unload and load products in the shipping department along with storing objects on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it less tiring and much quicker to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.