Sometimes, it pays to examine the process of choosing a forklift. For example, does your company always choose the same units for your dock work? If so, you can potentially miss out on a more efficient truck. There might be other models 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 effective way. By doing some research and evaluation, you can determine if you have the best machinery to suit your needs. By reducing operator fatigue, you can drastically increase your performance.
Several of the important factors to think about when determining forklift units that address particular concerns include:
Trailer Loading Frequency:
You probably won't need a pricey forklift to complete jobs if your shipping and receiving department loads just a few semi-trailers or box trucks a week. A less expensive walkie unit or walkie-rider would be able to handle the job if: You are not required to stack loads inside the trailer, and a 4500 to 6000 pound capacity is enough. Last of all, you should consider 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 need to travel over the dock plate.
If your shipping facility is consistently 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 easily. Their masts enable in-trailer stacking. These forklifts offer a model capacity range from 3000 to 4000 lbs.
Operator Duties:
Every business has a slightly different system for material handling. In some circumstances, several forklift operators not only load trucks in the shipping department, but store inventory on racks, replenish the manufacturing line, handle the paperwork associated with the loads, attach and scan bar codes and other tasks. Generally, the forklift operators who are always on and off of their forklifts during their shifts find it less fatiguing and much faster to exit a stand-up control model, as opposed to a sit down type.