Forklift Truck

Utility vehicles don't get given a lot of thought but the forklift truck is an essential vehicle for many business operations and they are in constant use every day for years and years.

There may not be many members of the forklift appreciation society and people are unlikely to start looking at a forklift truck in the same way they might look at a Ferrari or a Lamborghini but we should appreciate these practical vehicles more than we do now.

I could almost feel sorry for the unloved forklift trucks of the world. They operate around the world in all weathers and at every minute of the day. They carry out the tasks assigned to them with hardly a grumble or a complaint and they continue to work day after day, week after week with little maintenance required.

They must travel miles in their lifetimes but they hardly ever go anywhere and what would we do without the humble forklift truck?

The forklift truck was first developed around the 1920's. There had been material handling trucks around for some time but the development of the pallet and the forks on the forklift truck meant a general purpose utility vehicle could be used to handle materials of all types so long as they were positioned on a pallet.

Over the years more stable and more powerful forklift trucks were developed to carry and lift greater weights and to lift them to previously unheard of heights.

Modern forklifts range from compact units for maneuvering light weight pallet loads in confined spaces right through to the giant container lifting monsters of the forklift world. The development of containerization for transporting goods around the world brought us the giants of the forklift truck world. Developed to lift a 50 ton, 40ft long container to amazing heights.

Society as we know it could hardly survive without the forklift truck. They have become an essential part of the infrastructure that enables businesses to operate efficiently and to ship goods around the world to supply our needs.

It is a scary thought that if all the forklift trucks in the world stopped working tomorrow society would most likely collapse. So next time you see a forklift truck busily bustling around a warehouse or factory site spare a moment of appreciation for a utility vehicle that keeps the world running and supplies us with the food and goods we all need.