There are times it pays to examine the method of choosing a forklift. For instance, does your business consistently choose the same models for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There may be various other models available on the market which allow more to get accomplished as they provide less fatigue to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective manner. By doing some evaluation and research, you could determine if you have the best equipment to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you could significantly increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to think about when determining forklift models which address particular concerns include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
If your shipping department only loads out a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week, then you probably won't require an expensive forklift to complete the tasks. An inexpensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to deal with the task if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is adequate and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Last of all, 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 because the small load wheels need to travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always loading trailers however, 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 enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Each business has a slightly different system for material handling. In certain circumstances, some forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other tasks. Normally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it less tiring and much faster to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.