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 could potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There can be various other models available on the market that allow more to get accomplished since they offer less fatigue to operators. You might 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 right machinery to suit all of your requirements. By reducing operator exhaustion, you can drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift units that deal with your specific issues some of the important factors to think about could 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 need an expensive lift truck to complete the job. A less expensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to deal with the task if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is adequate and you are not required to stack loads inside the trailer. Last of all, you should 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 have to travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is always loading trailers on the other hand, 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 with no trouble. Their masts allow in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
For material handling needs, each company has a slightly different system. Some lift truck operators would usually load and unload goods in the shipping department as well as storing objects on inventory racks, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, replenish the manufacturing line, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Generally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it much quicker and less tiring to exit a stand-up control unit, as opposed to a sit down kind.