There are times it pays to examine the process of choosing a lift truck. Like for example, does your business always select the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There can be various other units on the market which offer less fatigue to operators and enable more to get accomplished. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the right machinery to suit all your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you can significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift units which address your particular concerns some of the important factors to think about may consist of:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need an expensive forklift to complete tasks if your shipping and receiving department loads only a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week. A cheaper walkie-rider or walkie unit would 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 adequate. Last of all, you must 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 because the small load wheels should travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always 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 fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door easily. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, every business has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators will often load and unload goods in the shipping department in addition to 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 constantly on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it a lot faster and less tiring to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down type.