Sometimes, it pays to examine the method of choosing a lift truck. Like for instance, does your company always select the same models for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There can be other units on the market which provide less fatigue to operators and allow more to get done. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective manner. By doing some research and evaluation, you could determine if you have the best machinery to meet your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you can significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift models which deal with your particular concerns several of the key factors to consider can consist of:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't require an expensive lift truck to accomplish jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few box trucks or semi-trailers per week. A cheaper walkie-rider or walkie unit would be able to handle the task if: You do not need to stack loads in the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is sufficient. Last but not least, you have to think about whether or not the transition to the dock leveler from the dock floor and into the trailer is not too jarring for the operator since the small load wheels must travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is consistently loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would 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 types of 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 often unload and load products in the shipping department as well as storing things on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other jobs. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it less tiring and much faster to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down type.