Matching Material Handling Equipment to Freight

Material handling equipment is the set of tools a warehouse uses to move goods. Pallet jacks, forklifts, reach trucks, clamp trucks and conveyors each fit certain freight and struggle with others.

The right match protects both the freight and the people moving it.

Pallet Jacks and Walkies

Manual pallet jacks move pallets short distances on flat floors. Powered walkie jacks do the same with less effort. So they work well on docks and in staging areas.

However, they cannot lift pallets into racks. For that, a warehouse needs a forklift or reach truck.

Forklifts and Reach Trucks

Counterbalance forklifts handle loading, unloading and low racks. Reach trucks work in narrow aisles and lift to higher rack levels. Each also has a rated capacity that depends on load weight and load center.

Because of the risk, federal rules govern their use. The OSHA powered industrial truck standard requires operator training and evaluation, with a performance evaluation at least once every three years. In California, Cal/OSHA applies its own industrial truck rules in Title 8.

Specialty Material Handling Equipment

Some freight, though, needs special tools. Clamp trucks squeeze cartons or appliances without a pallet. Drum handlers grip barrels. Carpet poles and side loaders move long items.

• Clamps for unit loads without pallets
• Drum handlers for barrels
• Side loaders for long or narrow freight
• Conveyors for high volume carton flow

A warehouse that lacks the right attachment may handle odd freight by hand or with the wrong tool. As a result, the risk of damage goes up. The article on oversized freight covers loads that need special handling.

Conveyors and Sortation

Conveyors carry cartons between work areas without forklifts. Sortation systems can divert cartons to lanes by barcode. These tools suit high volume carton freight, such as retail or ecommerce orders.

Still, conveyors have limits. Very heavy, very small or irregular items may not ride well.

Questions About Material Handling Equipment

Ask what equipment a warehouse uses for your freight type. Then ask about lift capacities if your pallets are heavy or tall. Also ask how the warehouse trains operators.

For example, a hypothetical appliance distributor would want to know whether a provider runs clamp trucks before shipping unpalletized units. If the provider does not, the distributor may need to ship on pallets instead.

Equipment and Freight Damage

In many cases, damage reports trace back to equipment. Forklift tines punch cartons. Clamps set too tight crush them. The guide on freight handling damage explains how to document what happened.