Sometimes, it pays to examine the method of choosing a forklift. For example, does your company consistently choose the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more effective truck. There could be other units existing on the market that provide less exhaustion to operators and allow more to get done. 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 meet your needs. By reducing operator exhaustion, you could significantly increase your performance.
When determining forklift models which deal with your particular issues several of the key factors to consider 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 require a pricey forklift to accomplish the job. An inexpensive walkie model or walkie-rider will be able to deal with the job if: You are not required to stack loads in the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is enough. 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 as the small load wheels need to travel over the dock plate.
If on the other hand, your shipping facility is always loading trailers, than a stand-up end control would make more sense over a walkie-rider or a walkie model. These battery-powered forklifts fit into a standard 108 inch trailer door without difficulty. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts provide a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Every company 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. Normally, the forklift operators who are constantly on and off of their lift trucks during their shifts find it a lot faster and less fatiguing to exit a stand-up control unit, rather than a sit down kind.