There are times it pays to examine the method of choosing a lift truck. Like for instance, does your company always select the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There might be various other units on the market that enable more to get accomplished because they offer less exhaustion to operators. You may be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the right equipment to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you can drastically increase your performance.
Some of the key factors to consider when determining forklift models which address specific issues consist of:
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 a pricey forklift to complete the job. A less expensive walkie-rider or walkie model would be able to deal with the job if: A 4500 to 6000 lb. capacity is enough and you do not need to stack loads in the trailer. Last of all, you should consider whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator because the small load wheels should 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 easily fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These types of forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Several lift truck operators will normally unload and load goods in the shipping department as well as storing things on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other tasks. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their lift trucks in their shifts find it less fatiguing and a lot faster to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down kind.