Sometimes, it pays to examine the process of choosing a forklift. Like for example, does your business consistently select the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There may be other units on the market which offer less fatigue to operators and allow more to get done. 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 machine to meet your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you can drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift models that address your particular problems several of the key factors to think about can comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need an expensive lift truck to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads only a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week. An inexpensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would 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 sufficient. Lastly, you should consider whether or not the transition from the dock floor to the dock leveler 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 always loading trailers on the other hand, a stand-up end control unit could 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 allow in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators would usually load and unload products in the shipping department in addition to storing things on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, scan and attach bar codes and other jobs. Generally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down type.