Forklift Fleet Management Reports And How To Utilize Them

Companies invest in forklift fleet management for unique reasons, spanning from tracking real-time utilization of a forklift to measuring impacts that cause equipment damage and repairs. For many, knowing the actual activity of a forklift or operator is the first step in determining the cost of operating a fleet.

Fleet Management Expectations

To make use of the fleet management data, work with your team to determine production expectations. Starting with common questions will help you to define what’s working well within your warehouse, and which areas need improvement.

• What is the daily utilization for each forklift?
• Is a forklift being under- or over-utilized?
• Did a forklift experience an impact, and when did it occur?
• Where is a forklift physically located within the warehouse?
• Do operators perform pre-shift forklift inspections?

Fleet Management Report Frequency

The size of your forklift fleet and number of work shifts is a factor when deciding how often fleet management reports should be reviewed. A company with a large forklift fleet may review data monthly while a team with a mid-sized fleet will review data quarterly. The goal is to have enough data to spot true trends rather than exceptions to your production, ensuring you don’t act incorrectly on inflated results.

Forklift Cost Per Hour

Determining the cost of the fleet is a common goal among companies; however, forklift fleet management reports alone will not provide you with an answer. The fleet management system tracks and measures present data but it cannot associate forklift repair costs with specific equipment. With a few more steps, your team can take a deeper dive and associate costs into various categories such as forklift repairs, planned maintenance and abuse.

Implementing Change

Once the fleet management data is compiled, what actionable changes can be made? Let the team’s previously established production expectations guide and prioritize your initiatives. Possible changes might include:

• Moving an under-utilized forklift to a high production warehouse area
• Eliminating, replacing or adding forklifts to your fleet
• Identifying forklift operators involved with impacts, and follow-up with coaching and refresher safety training
• Creating buy-in and completion for pre-shift forklift inspections

Create change for your daily production and forklift operators with fleet management. Contact ProLift to speak with a sales consultant about your options for implementation.