The loading and unloading trucks and trailers has come a long way since the days when it was all done by hand. We now have specialized loading equipment to make the process easier and faster, which means more cost effective. 

Pallet Jacks: Vital Pieces of Loading Equipment

Since most freight is shipped on pallets, a pallet jack is a vital piece of loading dock equipment for any warehouse. With one of these, you can zip the palletized freight in and out of the trailer and position it for reshipment later that day very easily. There are manual and powered pallet jacks. With the manual type, the operator pumps the handle and pushes or pulls to move the pallet around. With the powered kind, buttons are pushed and motors do all the work. 

Forklifts Are More Versatile Than Pallet Jacks

A forklift is basically a more powerful pallet jack. Some are battery-operated, while other use engines that run on propane. There are also forklifts that won’t lift much over five or six feet and others that will lift a pallet as high as sixteen feet off the floor. There are also sit down forklifts and stand up forklifts. These last won’t normally fit into a truck’s trailer. 

Bridge Almost Any Loading Dock Gap with a Dock Ramp

A loading dock ramp is an indispensable piece of loading equipment in any warehouse. There will be times when the gap or height difference between a trailer and the dock edge will be too great for pallet jacks and forklifts to run over. With a dock ramp (sometimes referred to as truck dock boards) put into place, that gap is bridged and loading and unloading can commence at full speed.

Shrink-Wrap a Pallet in Minutes with a Pallet Turntable

If you make shipments of palletized products that are shipped in boxes (especially irregularly sized ones), a pallet turntable will allow you to shrink wrap any pallet in a matter of minutes with almost nothing more than the push of a button. No more walking around the pallet for five minutes with the dispenser in your hands. Place the pallet on the turntable, slip the end of the wrap between two boxed and push the button.