Sometimes, it pays to examine the process of selecting a lift truck. For instance, does your company consistently select the same models for your dock work? If so, you could potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There could be different other units on the market which provide less fatigue to operators and allow more to get accomplished. You might be able to take advantage of loading trailers in a more cost-effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the best equipment to meet your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you could drastically increase your performance.
When determining forklift models that address your specific problems some of the important factors to think about can comprise:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need an expensive forklift to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few semi-trailers or box trucks per week. An inexpensive walkie-rider or walkie model will be able to handle the job if: A 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is adequate and you do not need to stack loads in the trailer. Lastly, 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 because the small load wheels have to 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 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 kinds of forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 pounds.
Operator Duties:
For material handling requirements, each company has a slightly different system. Some forklift operators would usually load and unload products in the shipping department along with storing things on inventory racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, scan and attach bar codes and other tasks. Normally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts in their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down type.