I remember when having a replacement seat that sold for sixty to eighty dollars was critical. No one after all wanted to buy a seat in the first place [drivers seemed to pick them apart in boredom], and when they did buy a seat, it wasn't without a little bit of grumbling.

Over time though, most companies have become aware that insuring their forklift drivers were taken care of ergonomically made perfect business sense. Less fatigue, happier and more productive operators, along with reducing the likelihood of back strain and injury, all worked towards better business.

Did you know that operators of powered industrial trucks must be fully trained and employer certified as required by OSHA federal regulation? As part of the regulation, truck operators are required to complete formal classroom training, practical hands-on training and evaluation.

Now, through TLM, your local Toyota, Kalmar and Sellick forklift dealer, free forklift operator safety training is available for military veterans.*

Toyota-Lift of Minnesota is holding another class for veterans to get them past the certification process. Too often employers require this certification prior to employment. Get that training AT NO COST TO YOU.

Classes cover forklift classes I,II, III, IV and V. See an illustration of those through this link.

*Vets must present the DD214 prior to the start of class. Class is open only to those vets currently involved in the job search.

As a discipline, forklift truck maintenance has developed at an impressive rate in recent years. Telematics and data collection technologies, enhanced equipment reliability, and an economic recession aided this swift transition and brought the industry's chronic waste into sharp focus. Skimping on repairs and rotation is a great way to increase costs, not curb them.

Of course, plenty of fleets are still treated as mere costs of doing business. In those cases, the emphasis on execution rather than excellence results in organizations pouring virtually unlimited funds into equipment.

"Ba-bump, ba-bunk." That was the sound Greg Nicholas, chief operating officer of Citrus Systems Inc., heard all day from his office. It was the sound of forklift trucks driving on and off the trailers, which he could hear even though his office was located 150 feet away from the company's loading docks.

The noise was annoying, but worse, it was a sign of a serious problem. The dock levelers were terrible for the lift-truck drivers' backs. The levelers were the old pull-chain style units, with a welded plate in front and a fold-down lip, which created a hump that lift trucks had to drive over. Because Citrus Systems, which makes private-label fruit drinks and other items for the dairy, grocery, and food-service trades, was a busy, growing operation, the drivers were driving over that lip many times each day, causing sore backs for the operators and extra wear on the lift trucks.