Forklift Blog | Lift Truck Blog

Welcome to the Fleetman Consulting Inc. forklift blog… a place where owners and managers of lift truck equipment can become more informed about the issues associated with operating forklifts and lift trucks in the most safe, productive and cost effective manner possible.

Enjoy…

Scott McLeod
President

Posted on Feb 3, 2012 by Scott McLeod

Think Twice Before Calling Your Local Vancouver Forklift Dealer First

In the Vancouver BC marketplace, there is an endless number of forklift dealers and lift truck manufacturers to choose from and each one of them will claim they have the best forklift, with the best parts availability, the best service technicians, the best response time and so on.

With so many possible options, and limited forklift knowledge at best, many companies often have a hard time trying to make all the right choices that will help them achieve the best combination of cost control, efficiency, productivity and safety gains.

Each forklift dealer is obviously biased toward their own products and services which is completely natural. It’s what they do for a living.

Satisfaction GuaranteeEach forklift dealer has salespeople with various degrees of experience, not only with the equipment but also with how the equipment should be matched to a particular application. It’s no secret that with experience, you can expect better forklift solutions. At the same time, a lack of experience can lead to solutions that simply don’t work.

In addition, every forklift brand or dealership has its’ own strengths and weaknesses and unless forklift users know what to look for or which questions to ask, rarely will they uncover everything they need to know to make the best overall choice for their company.

Ask yourself this question; is it in the salesperson’s best interest to tell you all about their dealership’s weaknesses? The answer is no, and therein lies the conflict that exists between the dealership and their customer. In a way, both parties aren’t on the same team.

Up until four years ago, forklift users had no other option but to give it their best shot and go it alone. Back then, companies had only so much time and knowledge with which to investigate the option that was right for them. More often than many companies would care to admit, bad choices ended up costing them thousands of dollars in excess cost, wasted efficiency, productivity and more.

Today, there is another option and that option is Fleetman Consulting.

In 2008, Scott McLeod, President and Founder of Fleetman Consulting launched a new business to represent the interests of all forklift users. His goal was to make sure all forklift users that dealt with Fleetman would receive the highest return possible on their forklift equipment regardless of the size of their company, the size of their fleet, the brands they operate and so on.

Although Fleetman primarily focuses on strategic forklift fleet management including proactive forklift fleet planning, on-site forklift fleet audits and forklift procurement, they are also available to help clients with whatever forklift issues arise such as forklift maintenance cost tracking and much more.

By contacting Fleetman before contacting the dealer, Fleetman is better able to help their clients formulate a plan that will be 100% in their best interest because they know exactly how to approach each and every situation that involves forklift equipment and, they operate without bias.

Why?

It’s because Fleetman is not affiliated with any of the dealers of manufacturers that supply a variety of products and services.

In addition, Fleetman doesn’t accept commissions or kick-backs for recommending these same items.

The bottom line is that Fleetman is free to do what is best for their clients because they have the ability to source whatever their clients need from dealers all over North America.

With over 23 years of forklift industry experience, you’ll be in good hands dealing with Fleetman Consulting. They’re on your team.

For more information or to schedule a complimentary initial consultation, please contact Scott McLeod by calling (604)614-3530 or by email, help@fleetmanconsulting.com.

Posted on Jan 24, 2012 by Scott McLeod

Use Forklift Sales Trends To Help You See The Future

Forklift sales trends, derived from forklift sales statistics, can be a leading economic indicator for many businesses because the forklift industry touches so many different types of market segments throughout North America and other parts of the world.

If you think about it, forklifts are operating in almost every type of business that exists today, with few exceptions.

For example, forklifts are used in all types of warehousing, distribution, logistics, manufacturing, building supply and stevedoring businesses, to name a few.
forklift sales statistics
Under this list of only six categories you will find a long list of sub-categories such as brick and block suppliers, lumber or pulp and paper manufacturers, food manufacturers and distributors and the list goes on.

If the forklift industry is booming or collapsing, it is likely that the economy is also doing the same thing because of how many different types of businesses the forklift industry is connected to.

With the help of ITA ( The Industrial Truck Association ), I was able to acquire the United States factory shipment sales statistics from 1988 to 2010.

To view the complete chart and graph that display these statistics in their entirety, please view the following links….. Forklift Sales Statistics Chart   |   Forklift Sales Statistics Graph

To view a breakdown of the various forklift classifications to help you better understand these statistics, please follow this link…… Forklift Classifications

Unfortunately, similar statistics are not available for Canada as of yet but I would suspect the trends in the US would be similar to what we are experiencing in Canada.

Forklift Sales Trends From 1988 To 2010

  • The grand total of US factory shipments in 1988 is almost exactly the same as shipments in 2010, 23 years later. Although the average shipments over this period have been higher than in 1988 and 2010, the overall trend has been very similar to that of a roller coaster, up and down with an average gradual trend toward growth up until 2008 when the market declined significantly.
  • The grand total of shipments in 2009 fell just over 43% when compared to 2008. This is the largest single percentage decline in one year in over 23 years. The breakdown is as follows; Motorized Hand dropped 34.5%, Internal Combustion Engine dropped 53.7% and Electric Rider dropped 37.4%. Although the numbers bounced back the following year in 2010, they are still down significantly when compared to 2008 results. It will be interesting to see if there has been further recovery in 2011.
  • Electric riders have grown from 37.6% of the rider market in 1988 to 46.3% in 2010. In contrast, the internal combustion forklift has gone from a dominating position of 62.4% in 1988 to a much less dominating position of 53.7% in 2010. Although it has taken electric rider forklifts over 23 years to gain ground, it is also interesting to note that much of this gain has happened over the last 5 years. I suspect the trend will continue as technology continues to improve ( ie fuel cells, lithium batteries etc. ), if government incentives materialize to assist companies transition to green technology and as more companies become aware of the long list of benefits associated with operating electric forklift trucks.

For more information on this and many other forklift topics, please contact Scott McLeod, President of Fleetman Consulting Inc., by calling (604)614-3530 or by email, help@fleetmanconsulting.com.

Posted on Nov 3, 2011 by Scott McLeod

Everything You Need To Know About Forklift Capacity Ratings

Forklift capacity ratings are often misunderstood by forklift owners, operators and surprisingly, many forklift salespeople.

There are basically two types of capacity ratings.

The first rating is the gross chassis capacity rating that typically states the highest possible capacity that a particular forklift could achieve if conditions were ideal. For example, attachments such as a side shift would not be installed, the load would not be elevated but instead would be kept close to the ground, typically a (2) stage mast would be used instead of the more common (3) stage mast, solid rubber tires are chosen instead of air filled tires and so on. The gross capacity rating is set by the manufacturer based on either a 24” load center ( most common ) or a 48” load center ( less common ). The gross capacity rating should only be used to compare one brand of forklift to the next. It should never be used to determine the forklift’s lifting capability because in the real world, no one ever configures the forklift this way.

The second rating is the net chassis capacity rating ( or payload capacity rating ) and it is the most important rating to be aware of. The net chassis capacity rating takes into account all of the options and specifications chosen on a particular lift truck to arrive at the forklift’s ability to lift weight, given these specifications. As well, this rating will reflect the payload capacity of the forklift at the highest possible lifting height given the style of mast chosen.

So what does all of this mean?
Forklift Safely lifting load
When asking a forklift dealership for a quotation on a new or used forklift truck, don’t ask them, for example, to quote on a 5,000 lb. capacity forklift. When you phrase it this way to a forklift salesperson, they think you want a 5,000 lb. gross chassis capacity forklift.

Instead, take the time to tell them about the types of loads you carry, how much they weigh, whether the loads are spread evenly across the blade of the forks, how high you need to lift these loads and whether you are planning to carry different types of products with different weights and sizes sometime in the future. From this information, let the dealer select the gross chassis capacity forklift that will provide you with safe net chassis capacity ratings at various load centers and lifting heights in your facility. This way, you’ll have a greater chance of finding the right lift truck to do the job safely.

Separately, please be aware that a 5,000 lb. gross chassis capacity forklift manufactured today will likely handle less payload weight than a 5,000 lb. gross chassis capacity forklift manufactured 25 years ago. Even if the capacity data plates from these two different trucks are stamped with the same ratings, the safety margins designed into the forklift from 30 years ago were likely greater than they are today and therefore the older forklift will actually lift more weight. If the operator is familiar with the older truck, he could find himself in a precarious position soon after climbing on the newer truck. I hear this all the time in the field from forklift operators where they notice a big difference between two trucks that have equal gross chassis capacity ratings.

Unless you spend the time to better understand the weights and sizes of the loads you are handling, you can expect a degree of risk that an operator will have an accident with his forklift because he made too many assumptions, either about the weights he was handling or the forklift’s ability to handle the weight.

What is the solution?

The installation of forklift scales should be mandatory on all forklifts.

As well, discussions centered around topics such as these should be on the agenda at regular safety meetings to help educate forklift operators about the limitations of the lift truck. These discussions will also help operators properly assess whether the load they are handling can be handled safely with the lift truck they are driving.

Of course, forklift operator training, to meet the requirements of the safety organization in your area, should be completed before any operator is allowed to drive a forklift truck at your company.

Need more information?

Feel free to contact Scott McLeod, President of Fleetman Consulting Inc., by calling (604) 614-3530.

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