Fleet management

The poor management of forklift fleets leads to a loss or productivity and potential accidents.

Forklift management problems include running forklifts beyond their economic and functional lives and using too many different manufacturers with different controls. It is common to find companies that have trucks up to 30 years old from many different manufacturers. Some companies operate two pedal brake systems, one pedal brake systems, multidirectional travel pedals and hydrostatic drive systems all in one warehouse. There is no problem with any of these controls but it makes cross training more difficult and operating them more dangerous, since it takes time to become familiar with each set up.

Here are some basic forklift management recommendations:

* Inventory your fleet and track operating costs and hours for each forklift in your fleet
* Bring in several forklift dealers or national account managers to evaluate your current situation and make recommendations
* Settle on one manufacturer and purchase trucks with common control set ups
* Whether you replace your entire fleet now, or over several years, ensure older forklifts that might be unsafe are eliminated from your fleet as soon as possible.