There are times it pays to examine the method of choosing a forklift. Like for instance, does your company consistently select the same units for your dock work? If so, you could potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There may be other units on the market which enable more to get done as they offer less exhaustion to operators. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some evaluation and research, you could determine if you have the right equipment to suit your requirements. By reducing operator fatigue, you can significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift models that deal with your particular concerns several of the important factors to consider can include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't require a pricey forklift to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week. A less expensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to handle the task if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is sufficient and you do not need to stack loads in the trailer. Last but not least, 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 because 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 could make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door with no trouble. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Every business has a slightly different system for material handling. In certain circumstances, some forklift operators not just load trucks in the shipping department, but replenish the manufacturing line, store inventory on racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Usually, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it less tiring and a lot faster to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.